Beyoncé's latest project, "Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé," has made a resounding impact at the box office.
The film's debut was nothing short of extraordinary, as it maintained the top spot with an impressive $21 million in ticket sales across North America, as per to Daily News.
Beyoncé's 'Renaissance' Breaks Records with $22M Debut
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 05: Beyoncé accepts Best Dance/Electronic Music Album for “Renaissance” onstage during the 65th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 05, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.
This remarkable performance, as reported by AMC Theatres, stands out even more considering the traditionally slow post-Thanksgiving, early December box office period. The film's success marks the first time in 20 years that a movie has debuted over $20 million during this weekend, a record previously held by "The Last Samurai."
The momentum of "Renaissance" echoes the sold-out concert experience, with film showings also selling out in cities worldwide. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film might set a new record, projecting a gross of nearly $22 million domestically. This would place "Renaissance" among the biggest early December box office openings in two decades.
Beyoncé's draw is not a new phenomenon. In 2019, her Netflix documentary "Homecoming" attracted 1.1 million US viewers on its premiere date, with an audience of 828,000 viewers on internet-connected TV sets each minute on average, according to Forbes and Nielsen's SVOD Content Ratings.
The trend of musicians partnering with AMC for film distribution has seen a surge this year. Travis Scott's "Circus Maximus" in July and Russ' "Santiago" in September are notable examples. However, it's Beyoncé's "Renaissance" and Taylor Swift's "The Eras Tour" concert films that have particularly dominated theaters.
"Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé" showcases Beyoncé's multifaceted talent as she wrote, directed, and produced the film. The movie, which focuses on her Grammy-winning album tour, was released in 2,539 theaters in the US and Canada and 94 international territories, bringing in $6.4 million from 2,621 theaters internationally.
Elizabeth Frank, AMC Theatres executive vice-president of worldwide programming, praised Beyoncé for her immense talent and contribution to the film industry. Despite competition from various other new releases, "Renaissance" found its unique place and time to shine, as noted by Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst for Comscore, according to UPROXX.
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'Renaissance' Tour Earns $500M, Strong Box Office
Although "Renaissance" failed to surpass the $92.8 million opening weekend earnings of "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour," it remains an important success in the industry of concert films. Before Swift, the adjusted revenue of concert film debuts, including those of Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber in 2008 and 2011, had not exceeded $32 million.
The success of "Renaissance" extends beyond the box office. The 39-city, 56-show Renaissance tour grossed over $500 million and attracted over 2.7 million concertgoers. Comparatively, Swift's ongoing "Eras Tour" is expected to gross around $1.4 billion.
Interestingly, both Beyoncé and Swift chose to partner with AMC Theatres for film distribution instead of going through traditional studios. They have been supportive of each other's work, with reports indicating they are receiving at least 50% of ticket sales. The ticket prices for "Renaissance" were slightly higher than Swift's, averaging around $23.32.
Critics and audiences have lauded "Renaissance," which boasts One hundred percent on Rotten Tomatoes and an A+ CinemaScore. The audience demographic for the film skewed slightly older compared to Swift's.
Paul Dergarabedian remarked on the uniqueness of having two concert films top the chart in a single year, emphasizing the distinct circumstances and genres of these films. This year's box office, thus, not only highlights the commercial success of these artists but also underscores the evolving dynamics of film distribution and audience engagement in the music and film industries, The Guardian reported.
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