Beyoncé’s ‘Renaissance’ is No. 1 at the box office with $21 million debut
Published:Sunday | December 3, 2023 | 1:30 PM
Beyoncé ruled the box office this weekend.
Her concert picture, “ Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé,” opened in first place with $21 million in North American ticket sales, according to estimates from AMC Theatres Sunday.
The post-Thanksgiving, early December box office is notoriously slow, but “Renaissance” defied the odds. Not accounting for inflation, it's the first time a film has opened over $20 million on this weekend in 20 years (since “The Last Samurai”).
Beyoncé wrote, directed and produced “Renaissance,” which is focused on the tour for her Grammy-winning album.
It debuted in 2,539 theatres in the US and Canada, as well as 94 international territories, where it earned $6.4 million from 2,621 theatres.
“On behalf of AMC Theatres Distribution and the entire theatrical industry, we thank Beyoncé for bringing this incredible film directly to her fans,” said Elizabeth Frank, AMC Theatres executive vice president of worldwide programming, in a statement.
“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 several other new releases including “Godzilla Minus One,” the Hindi-language “Animal,” Angel Studios' sci-fi thriller “The Shift,” and Lionsgate's John Woo-directed revenge pic “Silent Night,” it was a slow weekend overall. Films in the top 10 are expected to gross only $85 million in total.
But it was in this traditional “lull” that AMC Theatres found a good opportunity for “Renaissance” to shine.
“They chose a great weekend,” said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. “There was competition but it was from very different kinds of movies.”
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