Beyoncé‘s concert film, Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé, stormed at the box office this weekend, with $21million in ticket sales in North America alone.
READ MORE: Beyoncé – ‘Renaissance’ review: a celebration of love and Black joy
Written, directed and produced by the 42-year-old singer herself, the movie focuses on the tour for her Grammy-winning album ‘Renaissance‘.
Debuting in 2,539 theatres in the US and Canada, and 94 other territories globally, the movie features guest appearances from Diana Ross, Kendrick Lamar and Megan Thee Stallion.
However, the opening did not quite reach the enormous success of the release of Beyonce’s peer and friend, Taylor Swift’s concert movie tour which debuted in October.
Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour made a staggering $92.8million in its opening weekend. The film is due to finish its run in cinemas soon, having earned $250million globally, but Swifties will be relieved to learn that the film is being made available on streaming services.
Like Swift, Knowles chose to partner with AMC Theatres for distribution, and according to The Guardian, both artists are reported to be receiving more than 50 per cent of ticket sales.
AMC Theatres’ Executive Vice-President of Worldwide Programming, Elizabeth Frank, said in statement: On behalf of AMC Theatres Distribution and the entire theatrical industry, we thank Beyoncé for bringing this incredible film directly to her fans.”
She continued: “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.”
Swift, who attended the UK premiere in Leicester Square last week along with actor, Blake Lively, posted photographs on her Instagram of herself and Knowles. She wrote: “Got invited to London by The Queen… Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé is in theaters now!!”
Lively also weighed in on social media, posting pictures from the event with a supportive caption which ended with: “Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé. In theaters now… And even better than you can imagine.”
The movie, which has received great praise in its early reviews, is set to be available to watch in cinema until December 10.
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