During an Oscars night that's been mostly boring, it was exciting to see that Jordan Peele won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for his 2017 surprise hit Get Out, which he also directed. He's the first African American to win the Oscar in this category, and only the fourth African American nominated in the history of the Academy Awards.
"I stopped writing this movie about 20 times because I thought it was impossible," Peele said. "I thought it would never work. I thought no one would let me make this movie."
Well, the film worked like gangbusters, bringing in a massive $255 million at the box office on a budget of $4.5 million. The film, which was released in January of 2017, made Peele the first black writer-director to earn $100 million at the domestic box office. Get Out is also the highest-grossing debut film based on an original screenplay in the history of Hollywood, making this feat an even larger moment.
Peele said he wanted "to dedicate this to all the people who let me raise my voice," thanking everyone from the folks who made the film possible to anyone who bought a ticket to see Get Out.
Get Out was up against stiff competition for Best Original Screenplay; critically acclaimed films like The Shape of Water, Lady Bird, and others were also nominated. Get Out already grabbed the Best Feature and Best Director wins at the Spirit Awards on Saturday.
