“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.”
Though Renaissance did not come close to matching the $92.8 million debut of Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour in October, it’s still a very good start for a concert film. No one expected Renaissance to match The Eras Tour, which is wrapping up its theatrical run soon with over $250 million globally. Prior to Swift, the biggest concert film debuts (titles held by Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber for their 2008 and 2011 films) had not surpassed the unadjusted sum of $32 million.
The 39-city, 56-show Renaissance tour, which kicked off in Stockholm, Sweden, in May and ended in Kansas City, Missouri, in the fall, made over $500 million and attracted over 2.7 million concertgoers. Swift’s ongoing Eras Tour, with 151 dates, is expected to gross some $1.4 billion.
Both Beyoncé and Swift chose to partner with AMC Theatres to distribute their films, as opposed to a traditional studio. Both superstars have been supportive of one another, making splashy appearances at the other’s premieres. Both had previously released films on Netflix (Miss Americana and Homecoming). And both are reported to be receiving at least 50 percent of ticket sales.
Movie tickets to the show were more expensive than average, around $23.32 versus Swift’s $20.78, according to data firm EntTelligence.
Critics and audiences gave Renaissance glowing reviews — it’s sitting at 100 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and got a coveted A+ CinemaScore from opening weekend audiences who were polled. EntTelligence also estimates that the audience, around 900,000 strong, skewed a little older than Swift’s.
“To have two concert films topping the chart in a single year is pretty unprecedented,” Dergarabedian said.
But to compare them too closely would be a mistake.
“Taylor Swift was a total outlier and the result of a very specific set of circumstances,” he said. “These two films are similar in genre only.”
Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes fell to second place in its third weekend with an estimated $14.5 million. The prequel has now earned over $121 million domestically.
Godzilla Minus One took third place on the North American charts with $11 million from 2308 locations — the biggest opening for a foreign film in the US this year. The well-reviewed Japanese blockbuster distributed by Toho International cost only $15 million to produce and has already earned $23 million in Japan. Toho’s 33rd Godzilla film is set in the aftermath of World War II, stars Ryunosuke Kamiki and was directed by Takashi Yamazaki.
“This year, we made a concentrated effort to answer the demand of the marketplace and make Godzilla globally accessible across many different platforms,” said Koji Ueda, president of Toho Global.
Trolls Band Together landed in fourth place in its third weekend with $7.6 million, bringing its domestic total to $74.8 million.
Fifth place went to Disney’s Wish, which fell 62 percent from its underwhelming first weekend, with $7.4 million from 3900 locations. Globally, it’s now made $81.6 million. The studio’s other major film in theatres, The Marvels, is also winding down in its fourth weekend with a disastrous global tally of $197 million against the reported $300 million it cost to make and market the superhero film.
Things should pick up in the final weeks of 2023, with films like Wonka and The Color Purple yet to come. The industry is looking at a $9 billion year — still trailing the $11 billion pre-pandemic norm, but a marked improvement from the last few years. And there are still many solid options for moviegoers, as the industry’s awards season gets into full swing. — AP
