Queen Beyoncé reigns over the box office in a slow weekend following Thanksgiving. Her concert film, Renaissance, opened with an impressive $21 million at the box office. While there were inevitable comparisons to Taylor Swift’s recently released The Eras Tour film, it’s essential to note that the two artists cater to different fanbases. Apart from Swift, two other artists had previously surpassed Beyoncé’s box office opening — Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber.
The concert film received significant praise from critics, especially for the Irreplaceable singer’s stage presence and the concert footage. The film also earned $6.4 million from its overseas release, amassing a total opening of $27.4 million.
Beyoncé Trails Behind Taylor Swift And 2 Other Music Icons In Terms Of Box Office
Beyoncé’s Renaissance exceeded expectations by grossing $21 million at the box office considering the time of its release. According to Box Office Pro, it became the first film in two decades to cross the $20 million mark on the weekend following Thanksgiving. However, the opening falls far behind Taylor Swift’s record $92.9 million opening for The Eras Tour film. Swift’s concert film became the highest-grossing concert film of all time, earning a total of $249 million.
The second biggest opening for any concert film is Miley Cyrus’s Best of Both Worlds Concert. The film saw Cyrus perform as herself and her Disney character Hannah Montana. The concert film had a one-week release in theaters, opening at $31.1 million and closing at an impressive $70 million. The concert film was later premiered on the Disney channel, attracting a record 5.9 million viewers.
Beating Beyoncé to third place in box office opening collection is Justin Bieber. His concert film, Never Say Never, opened in U.S. theaters with an impressive $29 million box office collection. The film amassed a total of $99 million, becoming the highest-grossing concert film before being surpassed by Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour. However, he almost ruined the legacy of the film by releasing the critically panned sequel, Justin Bieber’s Believe.
Domestic Projections For Beyoncé’s Renaissance Falls In The $40-$80 Million Range
While a concert film’s box office is comparatively unpredictable, Box Office Pro predicted the domestic gross of Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé to be somewhere in the $40-$80 million range. Considering the positive opening, the final number is expected to fall at the higher end of the projected range. The appeal for alternative content in theaters and the failure of big releases to make an impact may boost the box office for Renaissance.
The film is distributed by the exhibitor AMC Theaters, which also distributed Taylor Swift’s film. The deal with AMC is more profitable for the My House singer, as she can take home nearly half of the box office earnings. AMC will only take a small distribution fee from the total gross. Meanwhile, the Renaissance World Tour amassed a staggering $579 million worldwide.
Renaissance was released alongside Silent Night, The Shift, and Godzilla Minus One in theaters, with only the lattermost making some impact among the audiences.
