In September 1997, "Soul Food" reached theaters and earned $11 million during its first weekend. $14 million was earned by the end of its first week, which validated Tillman's success because the film received twice the amount it originally cost to make. Tillman later told Murray, "the shows were sold out, people were laughing, crying, it was just incredible." The grand total from "Soul Food"'s release was $43 million and it also thrived in video sales. Initially, it was hoped that "Soul Food" would be able to attract white moviegoers, especially after all the success from the first week, but it did not work out that way. After learning that only 12 percent of the film's ticket buyers were white, Tillman stated "I do feel sometimes that white audiences are still not coming to black films as much as I would like. I think we're still working on that. But I'm really comfortable with where the film ended up." However, even with the lack of white supporters, it proved that African American audiences are able to make a film a commercial success. According to Jack Trout, president of Trout & Partners, in regard to black audiences, "this segment is really sizable, and Hollywood is just starting to recognize that."