We bet a lot of folks in Hollywood and beyond didn’t see this coming. We’re talking about the fact that “Hidden Figures” is now the highest grossing Oscar nominated film of the year.

The movie that tells the story of three black women, Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson who helped John Glenn launch into outer space and has grossed $120 million since opening on Christmas day, about a million dollars more than fellow Best Picture nominee “La La Land.”

“Hidden Figures” is not only a commercial hit, but it’s also garnering critical acclaim as well. As an indication of it’s award winning strength and popularity, the film walked away with a SAG/Screen Actors Guild Award for best ensemble cast. And like “La La Land,” “Moonlight” and “Fences,” it’s also nominated for a best picture at the upcoming Oscar ceremonies.

At the SAG Awards, Taraji P. Henson, who stars as Katherine Johnson in “Hidden Figures” said the project was about the power of togetherness.

“This film is about unity. The shoulders of the women that we stand on are three American heroes: Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson. Without them, we would not know how to reach the stars,” she said. “This story is about what happens when we put our differences aside, and we come together as a human race.”In other news about the film, Karen Sharpe – actress and widow of legendary Hollywood director Stanley Kramer – called “Hidden Figures” her “favorite film of the year,” adding, “It’s beautifully done and beautifully acted. And it’s making a lot of money!”

Sharpe, 82, told Yahoo Movies she recognizes a certain kinship between Theodore Melfi’s film and the work of her late husband, who regularly tackled the subject of race in such socially conscious, taboo-busting films as “The Defiant Ones” and “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.”

“I think it would have been a Stanley Kramer movie,” Sharpe says when asked whether her husband would have made a movie like ‘Hidden Figures.’ “He would have told [this story]. He used film as a weapon or tool to fight against injustice, discrimination, and bigotry. [But he knew] you have to tell them entertainingly,” she says. “If you look at the editing of ‘Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,’ it’s brilliantly done. The one-liners are fantastic.”

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