Queen Bey has arrived on the box office stage.
Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé — which Beyoncé wrote, directed and produced — started off its run on the big screen Thursday night with a better-than-expected $5 million in North American previews.
The concert movie is tracking for a debut in the $20 million range, which would mark the biggest opening for the first weekend of December in 20 years, since Tom Cruise’s The Last Samurai ($24.3 million), not adjusted for inflation. It should also top this weekend’s chart. As of Friday morning, Beyoncé’s film boasted a perfect 100 percent critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes — however, there were only eight reviews — and a near-perfect 99 percent audience score from 100 verified users.
The weekend after Thanksgiving is notoriously sluggish, and Renaissance is a welcome gift for exhibitors.
Similar to Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and her team decided to bypass Hollywood studios and struck a pact with AMC Theatres to distribute Renaissance, which chronicles her recent world stage tour, while including behind-the-scenes footage detailing the planning and execution of the concert.
“Were Renaissance the movie simply a recording of the show, it’d be a treat in itself. By weaving in behind-the-scenes footage and interviews that reveal where Renaissance came from and how it got to be here, Beyoncé serves up a fully satisfying meal,” writes Angie Han in THR’s review.
Swift and AMC made history in October when Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour opened to a staggering $92.8 million domestically, by far the biggest launch ever for a concert movie. No one expected Renaissance to do the same sort of business, but it was thought it would have a launch more in the range of other hit concert films.
Before Eras Tour, 2008’s Miley Cyrus and Hannah Montana: The Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour held the record for the top domestic opening for a concert film with $31.1 million, not adjusted for inflation. That was followed by 2011’s Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, which opened to $29.5 million.
Renaissance is also rolling out overseas, where it is likewise tracking to open in the $20 million range for a global start of $40 million.
Last weekend, Beyoncé was supported by friends and family at a star-studded premiere in Los Angeles.
Destiny’s Child members Kelly Rowland, Michelle Williams, LaTavia Roberson and LeToya Luckett, along with Janelle Monáe, Issa Rae, Lizzo, Halle and Chloe Bailey, Lupita Nyong’o and Tyler Perry were among the guests, along with her parents, Tina and Mathew Knowles.
Lionsgate and director John Woo’s new action-thriller Silent Night earned $250,000 in previews on its way to a projected domestic opening in the mid-single digits.
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