The Color Purple recorded the second-best Christmas Day opening of all time, bringing in $18M this past Monday. The only Christmas Day opening to do better than The Color Purple was 2009's Sherlock Holmes, which brought in $24.6M. Furthermore, the film opened to a 88% critic's rating on Rotten Tomatoes. “Woke up to all the positive reactions to #TheColorPurple. What a blessing!!! Grateful to all who helped me make this film. Let’s continue to pack the theaters y’all,” director Blitz Bazawule wrote on X.
The film is the most recent reimagining of the seminal novel by Alice Walker. After Walker wrote the book in 1982, it was quickly turned into a film in 1985. The film was directed by Steven Spielberg and served as Winfrey's breakout role. In 2005, an adaptation opened on Broadway and was revived in 2015. This year's film is more of an adaptation of the musical than the original novel.
Oprah Reveals Original Studio Vision For The Color Purple
Meanwhile, Oprah Winfrey has said that when she first approached studios with a pitch to remake The Color Purple, the studio heads wanted to cast someone like Beyonce or Rihanna in the film. “To be completely honest about it, if you were doing this film for $30 or $40 million, the interest in the cast would be very different. Once the film moved to $90 to $100 million, then everybody wants us to bring Beyoncé. Can you get Beyoncé or can you get Rihanna?’ So we’re sitting in a room saying, ‘Listen, we love Beyoncé. We love Rihanna, but there are other actors who can do this job.’ I do remember conversations about, ‘Y’all, Beyoncé is going to be busy this year.’ It wasn’t even a negotiation, because you’re not getting Beyoncé," Winfrey told The Hollywood Reporter.
Instead, Winfrey was able to assemble an all-star ensemble cast. The film stars Fantasia Barrino, Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, H.E.R., and Halle Bailey just to name a few. The film is being helmed by Blitz the Ambassador, the Ghanian musician and director. He has previously released 2018's Death of Kojo and the Lion King visual companion Black is King. The screenplay comes from playwright Marcus Gardley.
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