Beyoncé’s ‘Renaissance’ Film Ranks No. 1, Brings In Highest December Debut In 20 Years
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Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé debuted on Friday (Dec. 1), and the numbers are in.
During opening weekend in North America, the concert film—which Bey wrote, directed, produced, and starred in—brought in the biggest December opening in two decades, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “Better-than-expected,” it grossed $21 million domestically, along with a perfect 100 percent Rotten Tomatoes score and glowing reviews from several critics. The film that holds the record for the highest debut is Tom Cruise’s The Last Samurai (2003).
“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. “To see it resonate with fans and with film critics on a weekend that many in the industry typically neglect is a testament to her immense talent, not just as a performer, but as a producer and director.”
Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé debuted in 2,539 theaters in North America, and earned $6.4 million from 94 international territories. Over 70 percent of ticket holders were female with 52 percent of that being Black women.
Despite the industry expectation that Bey and Renaissance would not match Taylor Swift’s $92.8 million profit stemmed 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 Oct. 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, that grossed more than $434 million—the Houston native made history in less than five months, grossing over $100 million between July and September alone, per Billboard Boxscore.
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