The post-Thanksgiving holiday frame is usually dreadfully slow at the box office as everyone is coming down from seeing family and other Turkey Day events but leave it to Beyoncé to spice things up this weekend because her concert film, Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé, posted the best post-Thanksgiving weekend numbers since 2003.
Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé grossed $21.8 million over the weekend to easily take the top spot. This is the second time this year, actually since just October, that a concert film has topped the box office. The first was Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour which opened to a massive $92.8 million. Some will try to compare these numbers and wonder why Queen B came in much lower but there is no comparison. These performers are in very different stages of their careers and Beyoncé’s film was never expected to reach Taylor’s numbers. Both artists had massive world tours that made a staggering amount of money but Swift reaches a wider audience of all ages, genders, and races. Beyoncé’s audience is massive but certainly more niche. Also, with the success of another concert film through a partnership with AMC Theatres, Beyoncé has moved the needle in her own way with her latest release.
Some questioned why they chose this weekend to release the film since it is typically so quiet but this was a decision agreed upon by AMC and Beyoncé. This felt like the best weekend to get it out in 2023 otherwise they were going to wait and launch it in 2024. Despite some questioning the weekend choice, this proved to be the best decision since the $21.8 million debut of the film is the biggest opening weekend of the post-Thanksgiving frame since Tom Cruise’s The Last Samurai in 2003 ($24.2 million). Numbers like this being the record should show you just how dead this weekend typically is.
Renaissance will play like The Eras Tour and only run on weekends during its box office run. Given the fact that we have another quiet weekend coming up, Beyoncé and her concert film should be able to maintain the top spot and play relatively well throughout December. The global launch comes in at $27.3 million as Beyoncé and Taylor Swift have made concert films that went around the studio system a fruitful endeavor.
Dropping to second place is The Hunger Games: The Balland of Songbirds & Snakes, which grossed $14.1 million for a drop of 51.2 percent. Not a bad hold after the Thanksgiving holiday and what all studios should learn from this release is that it works out best to keep your budgets low. This is a $100 million film, which looks more expensive, so the return on investment should be significant for Lionsgate despite a box office start that some called just “OK.” When the film opened at $44.6 million three weeks ago, some called the opening flat but once it maintained control over the Thanksgiving holiday and maintained strong numbers in its second weekend, the narrative changed. When you’re not making a $200 million+ film, it’s easier to break even or even turn a profit. That’s going to happen with The Hunger Games prequel at the end of the day and it should be enough to ensure the prequel series becomes a franchise. To date, the film has grossed $122.1 million domestically and $244.8 million worldwide.
In third place, we have another success story in terms of budget and that’s Godzilla Minus One, which grossed $11.4 million. This is a subtitled Japanese movie that has found traction here in the States because 1.) Godzilla as a brand has always been popular and 2.) The reviews have been great for the film, in fact, it has received some of the best reviews of the year with a 97 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. This is the largest opening for a foreign film this year, topping Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba, which opened to $10.1 million back in March. Mentioning budget, the film cost only $15 million to make and many critics are saying it looks as good as the Americanized Godzilla films we’ve received in recent years that have budgets of $160 million or more. This is something the industry should normalize. There is no need to have budgets that balloon so very high. Godzilla Minus One was only supposed to play in the U.S. until Dec. 7 but word is that is going to be extended due to the strong numbers and word of mouth. In addition to its domestic footprint, the film has already grossed $38.9 million globally.
Trolls Band Together maintains fourth place with a gross of $7.8 million, dropping 56 percent from the previous week. There are two animated children films in the marketplace (the other being Disney’s Wish) and Trolls seems to be the film that families are leaning toward. The film will likely play well through December and could sneak close to $90-100 million but the end of its domestic run. Not bad for a film whose previous installment was hampered by COVID-19 and had to have a hybrid theatrical and PVOD release. To date, the film has grossed $75.4 million domestically and $161.5 million worldwide.
Rounding out the top five is Wish, which tumbles 60.9 percent to $7.7 million. This is coming off of an opening that was below the $50 million+ it was tracking at. When the film earned only $19.6 million over three days and $31.6 million over five days, it was clear Disney’s $200 million investment was in trouble. This will represent another loss for Disney which is certainly a strange place for them to be in. To date, Wish has grossed $42.6 million domestically and $82.4 million globally.
What are your thoughts on this weekend’s box office results?
Hello! My name is Gaius Bolling: movie, TV, and pop culture junkie! The industry has been in my veins since I was a kid and I have carried that on through adulthood. I attended Los Angeles Film Academy and participated in their screenwriting and editing program. From there, I have learned to hone my skills in the world of entertainment journalism. Some of my favorite genres include horror, action, and drama and I hope to share my love of all of this with you.