The Color Purple is the hit of the holiday season, vastly outperforming industry expectations with the biggest Christmas opening for a film since 2009. It is the second biggest Christmas Day opening of all time, grossing $18 million from 3,152 North American Theaters. That gives it a comfortable lead over two major blockbusters, Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom and Wonka.
The cinematic success is all the more impressive when you consider that this version of The Color Purple is a musical, a genre that usually does less well than others. But a flood of rave reviews has propelled the film to the top of the charts — and it's likely it will stay there through the holiday season before moving to streaming in early 2024.
What's so great about The Color Purple and when can you stream it?
Based on Alice Walker's 1982 novel of the same name, The Color Purple may sound like an odd story for a feel-good film: it's a story about an abused woman separated from her sister and children. But like the BBC explains that the film “relies on the hope and triumph of its heroine Celie” and “blends the styles of Broadway musicals, Hollywood studio films and music videos with a blend of gospel, pop, blues and ballads, all coming together fluidly into one exuberant film.” It is 'a pleasure to watch'.
Writing in The GuardianPeter Bradshaw says the new film is easier to watch than its predecessor. “This heartfelt movie musical from The Color Purple softens the pill and softens the blow, smoothing out the barbed and gnarled surfaces of the original, taking away some of the shock of violence and tragedy and moving the experience more toward female solidarity and triumph over adversity turns.” Thanks to “an absolute powerhouse of female leads”, “exciting musical numbers” and “sugar rush moments”, it delivers “heat and intensity”.
Gier's Bilge Ebiri describes it as a “push-pull of darkness and hope”, and while there is “a certain stagnation in some of the darkest moments”, it is a big film with big songs, designed to be sung and sung to a large audience . “It feels as good as a trip to church as a trip to the theater.”
The Color Purple is now in US cinemas and will launch worldwide on January 18. Max hasn't announced the streaming date yet, but early 2024 is likely.