Battle of the Sexes Slams a Solid Opening Weekend

Battle of the Sexes is off to a strong start.

The biopic on Billie Jean King -- the lesbian tennis star who bested misogynist Bobby Riggs in a famed 1973 match -- scored $525,000 in its opening weekend, reports Deadline. That averages to $25,000 per theater.

The Fox Searchlight film, which starrs Emma Stone as King and Carrell and Riggs, played in limited release in 21 U.S. locations, primarily in Los Angeles and New York. It will open to 1,100 theaters this coming Friday.

"Suffice it to say, we're very, very happy with the results," said Frank Rodriguez, Fox Searchlight's senior vice president. "In our loftiest expectations, we were thinking $18K per screen, but even if we had only gotten $15K, we'd go to 1,100 theaters. But getting to $25K per screen is tremendous."

Both critics and audiences lauded Battle of the Sexes. It received an 86 percent "fresh" on ratings aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences awarded the film an "A" grade in its CinemaScore poll.

Last week, The Advocate spoke to King about the film, which, in addition to the famous match, shows how she and a group of female athletes take on sexism in the sport through founding the Women's Tennis Association. King hopes audiences in the present day -- particularly members of marginalized communities -- find optimism in this victory.

"You have to keep convincing people but also listening to people. It's a long process. Every generation has to fight for it," King said. "Every day nick away, just chip away at trying to do the right thing. And influence people. Everyone's an influencer, so everyone can help."