Beyonce’s cinematic masterpiece, “Renaissance: A Film by Beyonce,” documenting her extensive 56-date tour, faced a significant setback with a reported 77% drop in box office revenue during its second weekend in theaters. The nearly three-hour film, released on December 1st and distributed by AMC, initially performed admirably, slightly surpassing domestic projections and accumulating approximately $21.8 million in its opening weekend, though falling short of global forecasts.
According to Deadline, the film’s second-weekend earnings plummeted to around $5 million, marking a substantial decline from the initial three-day period in early December. This total included $1.6 million from Friday ticket sales, $2.1 million from Saturday, and the remaining $1.3 million from Sunday, bringing the concert film’s cumulative domestic box office to roughly $28.5 million.
Additionally, international ticket sales contributed $5.5 million to “Renaissance,” with a significant portion from UK fans, resulting in a global box office of about $34 million by the end of the weekend.
Comparisons were drawn to Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour” film, which also experienced a drop in box office revenue after a strong opening weekend. However, Swift’s film, still showing in select theaters, has grossed over a quarter of a billion dollars since its mid-October debut.
The parallel runtime of both films, at 169 minutes for “The Eras Tour” and 168 minutes for “Renaissance,” has led to speculation that the popularity of Swift’s film may have influenced the performance of Beyonce’s production, possibly deterring overlapping fans from another lengthy concert film experience in theaters.
Given the immense success of the Renaissance Tour, generating a reported $579 million, and the ongoing popularity of Swift’s Eras Tour, which has reportedly surpassed $1 billion, it is conceivable that fans may opt to wait for streaming services to enjoy these concert films, especially considering the anticipation surrounding the availability of “The Eras Tour” on platforms like Netflix, Hulu, and Max. As of now, the streaming release for Taylor Swift’s film is pending, while the option to rent “The Eras Tour” on-demand for $19.89 is set to commence this Wednesday, offering viewers 48 hours to enjoy the film, including three exclusive songs not part of the theatrical release.
