Renaissance: A film by Beyoncé, debuted on Friday, December 1, 2023, and the statistics have caused a stir in the American entertainment industry.
The concert film, which was written, directed, and produced by Beyonce, resulted in the biggest December opening in two decades, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The movie, in which the musician also starred, was described as “Better-than-expected,” and it reportedly grossed $21 million domestically, along with a perfect 100% Rotten Tomatoes score, as well as glowing reviews from several critics.
Until the release of the movie, the film that held the record for the highest debut was The Last Samurai (2003) by Tom Cruise.
“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.
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“To see it resonate with fans and with film critics on a weekend that many in the industry typically neglect is a statement to her immense talent, not just as a performer, but as a producer and a director,” Frank added.
Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé debuted in 2,539 theatres in North America, and earned $6.4 million from 94 international territories. Over 70% of ticket holders were female with 52% of that being Black women.
Despite the industry’s expectation that Beyonce and Renaissance would not match Taylor Swift’s $92.8 million profit realized from her Eras Tour film, the RENAISSANCE WORLD TOUR ranked as Billboard’s No. 1 tour of the year.
Across 55 shows, not counting the final show in Kansas City on October 1, the acclaimed tour grossed nearly $580 million and sold roughly 2.8 million tickets.
Unlike other shows that did similar numbers, like Bad Bunny and Ed Sheeran’s 2022 and 2018 tours, respectively, which grossed more than $434 million, the Houston native made history in less than five months, grossing over $100 million between July and September alone, according to the Billboard Boxscore.