Peter Berg’s “Patriots Day” starring Mark Wahlberg is the unlikely first film of the Trump era. The very powerful movie, about the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, is pro-police, anti-Muslim and totally populist, all in a good way. Berg and Wahlberg certainly didn’t make it as a Trump era movie– after all, we could have been in the Clinton era. And set in Massachusetts, the demo’s weight on the Democratic side.

But timing is everything, and there will be a lot of people who read into “Patriots Day” a reaction to immigration, terrorism and their consequences. Think of it as Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA” released as it was in the Reagan era. Art is open to interpretation.

I mean it, when I say all this in a good way. The Boston Marathon bombing may not be detailed in your mind if you’re not from Beantown. But it was catastrophic, with 28 victims, many of whom lost limbs. Detailed here for the first time, the bombing– really two occurrences– will literally blow you away. The movie is good, but it’s great when it comes to the actual moment when life exploded unexpectedly on Boylston Street. That set piece, and the chase to arrest the Tsarnaev brothers who perpetrated the crime, are just terrific, edge of your seat episodes.

Most of “Patriots Day” is true. In writing the screenplay, the creators imagined a central cop and his wife played by Mark Wahlberg and Michelle Monaghan to carry the story. In reality, they say they blended a couple of cops into one so that Wahlberg’s Tommy Saunders stands in for them. It doesn’t matter because the device works, and Wahlberg is really great as Tommy (Monaghan also, although her part is small). He could be getting some serious awards action.

The rest of “Patriots Day” is very well cast with a collapsed John Goodman (after stomach band surgery), Kevin Bacon. and JK Simmons as standouts. Nat Wolff and Themo Melikidze are exceptional as psychopathic terrorist brothers who blew up the city. But I was really fascinated by a standalone scene with Khandi Alexander as a CIA interrogorator and Melissa Benoist as Kathleen Russell, the American Tsarnev wife who is still being investigated for helping her husband and brother-in-law.

“Patriots Day” is the story of a small city rallying together during an unexpected terrorist attack. I’ve lived there, and it’s insular place. As Wahlberg said in tonight’s Q&A, I’m paraphrasing, they’re big hearted people, but don’t mess with them. Berg conveys this brilliantly. As far as the Trump reference– this is an ode to the police, and a warning to outsiders. They’re not making it up. This is what happened. I’m curious to see if it isn’t a huge, huge hit on the par of “American Sniper.” Just to give you an idea, a random retired Marine who served in Afghanistan after 9/11 stood up during the Q&A and said he loved it. I think there will be a huge response.

Warner Bros. can breathe a sigh of relief.  Where to find “Fantastic Beasts” ?” All over the world. The new Harry Potter movie (number 1 of five prequels) has pocketed $218 million worldwide in one weekend. The US take is $75 million. And off we go! Eddie Redmayne is now very, very, very rich, and the rest of the cast is sitting pretty. Warners has a new franchise that will last them more than a decade.

Two potential Oscar nominees– “Manchester by the Sea” and “Nocturnal Animals”–did very well in limited openings. They’ll build as awards season begins and people become more aware of them. “Manchester” in particular is a possible Best Picture winner. “Bleed for This” also had a very good opening.

On the losing side, “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk” has walked right off a plank for Sony. Add that to “Inferno” and a serious situation bubbles up. Recently the Hollywood trades revved up stories criticizing Tom Rothman, head of the studio. Executives and filmmakers are talking openly about him in unpleasant ways. This is highly unusual. Things are getting rough over there. “Billy Lynn” is just a mess.

As I noted yesterday, “Jack Reacher: Never Go Back” proved all too true. It’s RIP at less than $60 million. Paramount can just amortize it into “Mission Impossible” and no one will be the wiser.

I wrote a story back in September about the dozen or so potential black nominees coming to the Oscars. After the debacle of last Oscar season, things are going to be quite different when we get to February 2017.

Now that I’ve seen Denzel Washington’s extraordinary adaptation of August Wilson’s “Fences,” I can tell you that this movie is going to bring a juggernaut. Denzel, Viola Davis, Mykelti Williamson, Stephen Henderson are all strong potential nominees. Well actually, Viola Davis is going to win whatever she wants. So far she wants Best Supporting Actress. But really her performance as Rose–for which she won the Tony Award on Broadway– is a lead slot. This would upset the apple cart for Annette, Emma, Natalie, and Meryl, but even they will be blown away when they see this turn.

The crazy thing about Viola Davis is that now most people know her from “How to Get Away with Murder” on TV. It’s a totally silly show. Without her, it would be cancelled. It’s as if Meryl Streep or Cate Blanchett were featured on “General Hospital.” When her TV fans see her in “Fences,” Davis’s following is going to go crazy. No kidding. At our screening this afternoon– which was packed, and included Spike Lee and his wife Tonya Lee–you could hear the audience breathing along with Viola. Denzel is just as stunning.

Elsewhere we have Barry Jenkins’ “Moonlight” with supporting Oscar performances from Mahershala Ali and Naomie Harris. They are in, no kidding. With “Hidden Figures,” we’ll have the possibilities of Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Jonelle Monae (who’s also so good in “Moonlight”). I also wouldn’t count out Aja Naomi King from “The Birth of a Nation.” If only there hadn’t been the attendant scandal, that movie would be very much in the mix.

And that doesn’t include the directors, writers, musicians, and all the below the line credits. Let’s not forget that the magnificent look of “Arrival” comes from Bradford Young, the black cinematographer who took off like a rocket last year with “Selma.”

At this rate, the joke will be there aren’t enough white nominees! (Just kidding!) What a wonderful and significant sea change. (PS Look for Zoe Saldana in Ben Affleck’s “Live by Night.“)

Friday box office: “Fantastic Beasts” did almost $30 million last night. The David Yates- JK Rowling spectacle is heading to a $75-$80 mil weekend. They’ve got another $53 mil overseas. Today– Saturday– could surprise everyone as kids could pump up the receipts even more.

Elsewhere things are not so great. Tom Cruise’s “Jack Reacher 2” made just $276,000 last night after a month in release. The sequel to “Jack Reacher” is now at $56 million. A $60 million total seems unlikely. This will be Cruise’s lowest US total for a film since “Lions for Lambs” ($15 mil, 2007), “Rock of Ages” ($38 mil, 2012) or — for a film in which he is the star–“Eyes Wide Shut” ($55 mil, 1999). “Never Go Back” has not had much luck abroad, either.

The other Tom, Tom Hanks, also has a disaster in “Inferno”– just $32 million US. At least they made over $171 million internationally. So Sony has $200 million in the bank all told. Complete disaster averted. Now Sony has to deal with “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk,” which has made $12 mil in China, but doesn’t look promising here. I wonder why the Chinese are interested in this very American movie? It must be the technology aspect of it– filmed in 3D, 4K, whatever. Good marketing in China if so.