Box Office Mojo is currently estimating Chappaquiddick’s opening weekend sales at $5.8 million, nearly double the $3.1 million box office analysts were projecting. Of nine films opening this weekend, Chappaquiddick ranks #3.

Rotten Tomatoes is showing a 79% rating among critics and 75% for audiences.

Chappaquiddick was lucky to make it to the big screen. It wasn’t backed by the usual Hollywood money, but by comedian Byron Allen, who bought Chappaquiddick for $20 million and became its producer. Although Allen has made many successful TV shows, he’s only just started to produce films. It’s unclear what his politics are but he was no fan of former President Obama, and he was originally discovered by comedian Jimmie “Dy-no-Mite” Walker, who has described himself as “an independent with libertarian leanings.”

Byron Allen told Variety last week, “Very powerful people tried to put pressure on me not to release this movie. They went out of their way to try and influence me in a negative way.”