Over the years, The Color Purple has been presented to the audience in several forms. The most recent take on the 1982 novel of the same name was Blitz Bazawule’s 2023 movie of the same name, which was released in the U.S. on December 25.
To be precise, the new film is actually based on a 2005 Broadway musical, which is based on the original novel. Anyway, the story undoubtedly has great demand among the audience, and it became obvious after taking a look at the film’s box office collection.
Also Read: The Color Purple Review – A Rushed and Messy Musical
The Color Purple Has an Impressive Start at the Box Office
While some movies have done extremely well at the box office in 2023, others have failed miserably. Well, according to a report by Variety, The Color Purple hit $25 million at the box office post two days after its release.
The Color Purple added $7.1 million on Tuesday, bringing its domestic box office tally to an impressive $25 million after two days of release.
On top of that, the film nearly set the record for the biggest Christmas Day opening of all time. The record is held by Robert Downey Jr.’s 2009 film Sherlock Holmes, which grossed $24.9 million on Christmas Day.
On the other hand, The Color Purple made $18 million on its Christmas Day opening this year, making it the second-best Christmas opening of all time. Moreover, at the time of writing, the film has already grossed more than $32 million at the box office.
It has certainly slowed down after a humongous opening day performance, but most expect it to pick things up this holiday weekend. Considering the film nearly had a $100 million budget, it is still far off from being labeled as a hit.
How did The Color Purple Perform as Compared to Other Big-Name Films in 2023?
Following an excellent opening day performance, The Color Purple also added $7.1 million on Tuesday. It finished in the third spot behind Wonka and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom on the list.
As for The Color Purple’s performance in comparison to other major projects in 2023. It surpassed the likes of Strays ($23.9 million), Renfield ($17.3 million), and Expend4bles ($16.7 million) in terms of collections in the first two days after the release.
As of now, the movie is yet to receive its worldwide release. Keeping that in mind, Blitz Bazawule’s flick could indeed gross more than its budget over the next few weeks.
One thing that could stop the movie in its track would be the lack of general interest in musical dramas outside of the United States of America. It’s not that people hate the genre, they simply do not have a keen interest in watching the movies that fall in this category.
Also Read: Oscar-Nominated Star Oprah Winfrey Credits Steven Spielberg With Making Color Purple Musical Happen
Can The Color Purple still manage to become one of the highest-grossing musical dramas of all time? Only time will tell.
