The Warner Bros screen version of The Color Purple musical arrived in movie theatres December 25. And audiences turned out in full force.
The new movie musical was the top draw Christmas Day, taking in an estimated $18.15 million, according to Deadline. That figure makes the film, which was released in 3,152 North American cinemas, the largest Christmas Day opening since 2009 when Warner Bros. debuted Sherlock Holmes, which took in $24.6 million.
Other top earners December 25 included Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom ($10.6 million) and the movie musical Wonka ($10.3 million).
The Color Purple, Variety reports, also earned substantially more than other recent movie musicals on their first day, including West Side Story ($10.5 million), In the Heights ($11 million), Dear Evan Hansen ($7.5 million), and Cats ($6.6 million).
It is also notable that The Color Purple performed well despite being marketed as a musical. Deadline reported last week, to much flurry, that Hollywood executives were fearful of marketing Wonka as a musical because "test-audience focus groups generally hate musicals and the only way to get people into the theater with one is to trick ’em," according to studio insiders. Hopefully the success of The Color Purple can alleviate the assumption that mainstream audiences dislike musicals.
Fantasia Barrino and Taraji P. Henson in The Color Purple
Phylicia Pearl Mpasi and Halle Bailey in The Color Purple
Cast of The Color Purple
Danielle Brooks and Corey Hawkins in The Color Purple
Blitz Bazawule, Louis Gossett Jr., H.E.R., Jon Batiste, Taraji P. Henson, Colman Domingo, Fantasia Barrino, Danielle Brooks, and Corey Hawkins
Taraji P. Henson, Fantasia Barrino, and Blitz Bazawule
Taraji P. Henson, Fantasia Barrino, and Danielle Brooks
Colman Domingo
Taraji P. Henson
Danielle Brooks and Corey Hawkins
The cast features a number of Broadway favorites, and more than one
alum of the musical's two Broadway stagings, including Fantasia Barrino
as Celie and Danielle Brooks as Sofia. Joining them are Taraji P. Henson
as Shug Avery, Colman Domingo as Mister, Corey Hawkins as Harpo,
Broadway The Lion King alum Phylicia Pearl Mpasi as Young
Celie, Halle Bailey as Young Nettie, H.E.R. as Squeak, David Alan Grier
as Reverend Avery, Elizabeth Marvel as Miss Millie, Ciara as Adult
Nettie, Louis Gossett, Jr. as Ol' Mister, Jon Batiste as Grady, Aunjanue
Ellis as Celie and Nettie's mother, Tamela Mann as First Lady,
Deon Cole as Alfonso, Stephen Hill as Buster, Terrence J. Smith as Adam,
Tiffany Elle Burgess as Olivia, and Aba Arthur as Abena.
READ: Danielle Brooks Wants Broadway to Be For Everyone, On Stage and Off
The film has already started racking up award nominations. Brooks got nods from the Critics Choice Awards and Golden Globes, with Barrino earning a Golden Globe nomination as well. The movie is also shortlisted for the Best Picture category at the Academy Awards—those nominations are due January 23, 2024.
A soundtrack was released December 15, and a second album of the film's instrumental score (composed by Kris Bowers) was released alongside the film Christmas day.
Blitz Bazawule, who co-helmed Beyoncé’s visual album Black Is King, directs, with Oprah Winfrey, Quincy Jones, Sanders, and Steven Spielberg serving as producers. Marcus Gardley penned the screenplay, adapted from Marsha Norman’s stage book and Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, and Stephen Bray’s score. The stage musical was adapted from Alice Walker's 1982 Pulitzer-winning novel and its 1985 film adaptation.
The Color Purple debuted on Broadway in 2005, winning original Celie, LaChanze, a Tony Award for her performance. A 2015 revival helmed by John Doyle earned its Celie, Cynthia Erivo, a Tony Award before propelling her to Hollywood stardom. Brooks co-starred with Erivo as Sophia, the role she reprises in the movie musical.
Fans of the musical's stage version can expect a somewhat altered song list for the film. Some of the songs from the stage musical have been cut and new songs have been added: "She Be Mine," "Keep It Movin'," "Workin'," "Maybe God Is Tryin' to Tell You Something'," "Miss Celie's Blues (Sister)," and "Superpower."
