Beyoncé’s ‘Renaissance’ is No. 1 at the box office with $21 million debut

Beyoncé dominated the box office this weekend as her concert film, "Renaissance:A Film by Beyoncé," claimed the top spot with an impressive $21 million in North American ticket sales, as per AMC Theatres' estimates on Sunday.

The post-Thanksgiving and early December box office is typically sluggish, but "Renaissance" surpassed expectations. Without adjusting for inflation, this marks the first instance in 20 years (since "TheLast Samurai") that a film has debuted with over $20 million during this weekend.

Beyoncé took on multiple roles in the creation of "Renaissance," serving as the writer, director, and producer of the film, which centers around the tour for her Grammy-winning album. The film premiered in 2,539 theaters across the U.S. and Canada, along with 94 international territories, where it garnered $6.4 million from 2,621 theaters.

Elizabeth Frank, AMC Theatres executive vice president of worldwide programming, expressed gratitude on behalf of the theatrical industry, stating, "On behalf of AMC Theatres Distribution and the entire theatrical industry, we thank Beyoncé for bringing this incredible film directly to her fans. To see it resonate with fans and with film critics on a weekend that many in the industry typically neglect is a testament to her immense talent, not just as a performer, but as a producer and director."

Despite the release of several new films such as "Godzilla Minus One," the Hindi-language feature "Animal," Angel Studios' sci-fi thriller "TheShift," and Lionsgate's John Woo-directed revenge film "Silent Night," the overall weekend saw a slow turnout. The combined gross for films in the top 10 is anticipated to reach only $85 million.

However, it was in this conventional "lull" that AMC Theatres strategically seized the opportunity for "Renaissance" to stand out.

"They chose a great weekend," commented Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. "There was competition, but it was from very different kinds of movies."

While "Renaissance" didn't come close to matching the $92.8 million debut of "Taylor Swift: The ErasTour" in October, it marks a robust start for a concert film. Comparisons to "The Eras Tour," which is concluding its theatrical run with a global tally surpassing $250 million, were not anticipated. Before Swift, the most significant concert film debuts, held by Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber for their 2008 and 2011 films, had not exceeded an unadjusted sum of $32 million.

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour

The "Renaissance" tour, spanning 39 cities and 56 shows, commenced in Stockholm, Sweden in May and concluded in Kansas City, Missouri in the fall, accumulating over $500 million in revenue and drawing over 2.7 million concertgoers. Swift's ongoing "Eras Tour," featuring 151 dates, is projected to gross approximately $1.4 billion.

Both Beyoncé and Swift opted to collaborate with AMC Theatres for film distribution, diverging from the conventional studio route. The two superstars have shown mutual support, making notable appearances at each other’s premieres. Additionally, both had previously released films on Netflix ("MissAmericana" and "Homecoming"). Reportedly, both artists are set to receive at least 50% of the ticket sales.

Tickets for "Renaissance" were priced higher than the average, around $23.32, in contrast to Swift's $20.78, as reported by data firm EntTelligence.

The film garnered praise from both critics and audiences, achieving a perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes and an A+ CinemaScore from polled opening weekend audiences, numbering around 900,000. Notably, this audience was slightly older compared to Swift's.

Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore, remarked, "To have two concert films topping the chart in a single year is pretty unprecedented." However, he cautioned against closely comparing the two, noting, "Taylor Swift was a total outlier and the result of a very specific set of circumstances. These two films are similar in genre only."

In its third weekend, Lionsgate's "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes" dropped to second place with an estimated $14.5 million, bringing its domestic earnings to over $121 million.

"Godzilla Minus One" secured the third position on the North American charts, generating $11 million from 2,308 locations. This marks the most significant opening for a foreign film in the U.S. this year. The acclaimed Japanese blockbuster, distributed by Toho International, had a production cost of only $15 million and has already earned $23 million in Japan. Toho's 33rd Godzilla film is set in the post-World War II era, featuring Ryunosuke Kamiki in the lead and directed by Takashi Yamazaki.

Godzilla Minus One

Koji Ueda, President of Toho Global, stated, “This year, we made a concentrated effort to answer the demand of the marketplace and make Godzilla globally accessible across many different platforms.”

In its third weekend, "Trolls Band Together" secured the fourth spot with $7.6 million, bringing its domestic total to $74.8 million.

Disney's "Wish" landed in fifth place, experiencing a 62% drop from its underwhelming first weekend, and earning $7.4 million from 3,900 locations. Globally, the film has reached $81.6 million. Meanwhile, Disney's other major release, "The Marvels," is concluding its fourth weekend with a challenging global tally of $197 million against its reported $300 million production and marketing costs.

In its second weekend, Ridley Scott's "Napoleon" earned an estimated $7.1 million from 3,500 locations. Produced by Apple Original Films and distributed by Sony Pictures, the film, starring Joaquin Phoenix, has accumulated $45.7 million domestically against a $200 million budget.

Napoleon

As 2023 approaches its conclusion, the film industry anticipates an upturn in the final weeks with releases such as "Wonka" and "The Color Purple" still to come. The overall outlook for the year is a $9 billion total, though it falls short of the pre-pandemic norm of $11 billion, indicating a notable improvement from recent years. Despite a relatively slow Thanksgiving and weekend, there remains a diverse array of compelling options for moviegoers, coinciding with the industry's awards season gaining momentum.

Paul Dergarabedian remarked, "We had a slow Thanksgiving and we’re having a pretty slow weekend this weekend, but it’s a great weekend to be a moviegoer in terms of the breadth and depth of the movies out there."

The estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore, are as follows:

1. "Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé," $21 million.
2. "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes," $14.5 million.
3. "Godzilla Minus One," $11 million.
4. "Trolls Band Together," $7.6 million.
5. "Wish," $7.4 million.
6. "Napoleon," $7.1 million.
7. "Animal," $6.1 million.
8. "The Shift," $4.4 million.
9. "Silent Night," $3 million.
10. "Thanksgiving," $2.6 million.Top of Form