Deadline‘s Anthony D’Allessandro is projecting that Hidden Figures, expected to win the weekend and just shy last night of a $40 million gross, will come in only 14% lower than last weekend’s three-day tally. That’s a phenomenal hold.

A couple of months ago I would predicted that among African-American films Fences would be the humdinger and that Hidden Figures looked like a maybe. I was wrong. Hidden Figures is actually “crushing Fences‘ core audience,” says D’Allesandro, adding that the Denzel Washington flick is “actually set to decline 42% [this weekend] with $3.4 million, for a total cume of $46.6 million.”

What’s the Hidden Figures verdict from HE regulars? The stellar performances aside, my view is that it’s a smart, reality-based confection that aims to please, and does that efficiently. Not that there’s anything wrong with pleasing audiences, but Fences is a heavier, deeper, more high-level thing.