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The early buzz is the Idris Elba‘s depiction of Nelson Mandela in a forthcoming biopic is Oscar-worthy. Any worries about how it may do at the box office may start to ease since Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom opened at the top spot in South Africa. 

Reports Page Six:

After Bono and Anna Wintour co-hosted a New York premiere of the Nelson Mandela biopic “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom,” the Oscar hopeful opened at No. 1 in the legendary leader’s South Africa. The film, starring Idris Elba, debuted there Thursday and broke records as many reportedly took the day off work to see it. The film made $73,747 on its first day, enough to beat “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” by a 39 percent margin. The film opens across the US on Dec. 25.

Earlier this year Elba aka Stringer from The Wire starred in Pacific Rim and he can currently be seen in Thor: Dark World.

Photo: The Weinstein Company/Keith Bernstein