In its first weekend, the concert film bested The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes and Godzilla Minus One
Beyoncé’s Renaissance movie is the No. 1 movie in the U.S. this weekend, Deadline reports. The film grossed $22 million at the box office this weekend, outperforming The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes at No. 2 in its third week ($14.5 million) and Godzilla Minus One ($11 million).
It marks a strong debut for what’s historically a slow post-Thanksgiving week at the movies. The box office totals came in 76 percent over this same weekend last year. The biggest first weekend box office for the first weekend in December is Tom Cruise’s The Last Samurai at $24.3 million.
The movie features songs performed during her Renaissance tour, including the surprise appearances from Megan Thee Stallion and Kendrick Lamar. A new song called “My House” played during the credits and was released on streaming platforms on Friday.
It was distributed by AMC, who reportedly offered some guidelines to enthusiastic Beyoncé fans attending showings of Renaissance. “You know the words, you know the choreography—sing & dance your heart out, but please respect each other’s space along with the theatre equipment,” the rules noted. “Do not dance on seats or block other guests from viewing, safely walking or exiting the auditorium.” Another note asked audience members to remove any “parts of your outfit [that] will potentially block other viewers from the screen,” citing headwear and wings.
It’s the latest big weekend for a concert film this year following Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour movie. Swift’s film marked the biggest opening weekend to date for any concert movie.