Who Wants Happyness?

Over the holidays I got the chance to see The Pursuit of Happyness starring Will Smith. While a data point of one instance is hardly a basis to draw conclusions, it was hard not to draw at least a provisional conclusion by the notable dearth of black people in the theatre. I would be intereted to know to what extent this movie resonated with black audiences. TPoH is a tale of a black man with a strong commitment to paternal responsibilities and an abiding faith that the American system, as it is, has a place for him. It is a tale of optimism, hard work, education, perseverance and notable lack of self-pity and deflection of one's plight onto "society." Judging solely from the showing that I attended, such a tale does not have wide appeal with black audiences. I hope this is a case where the circumstances of this one data point are not representative of larger patterns.