EXCLUSIVE: Sources are telling us that the first day presales for the top three exhibitors stateside for Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé is estimated to be around $6M-$7M+. Note these figures do not come from AMC. An official number from AMC could conceivably come in higher, if they release one. We understand that on Fandango, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour tickets outsold Beyonce 7-to-1. Top three chains stateside are AMC, Regal and Cinemark.
News about the AMC-distributed concert docu movie leaked over the weekend before it was made official by the 32 Grammy winner on social media portal on late Sunday night. Deadline knew before anyone that the theatrical release date was Dec. 1, a post-Thanksgiving frame which is a very sleepy period at the box office. Tickets for the Beyoncé movie are going for $22.
While it’s great that AMC is providing content to cinemas during listless times at the box office which have been hammered by the actors strike, and they’re keeping moviegoing alive, Renaissance was never expected to post Taylor Swift: Eras Tour type of results per sources. Official first day presales for Eras Tour was $37M, $26M of that coming from AMC. Overall presales on Eras Tour built up to $65M+ with many expecting a $100M+ opening next Friday. Swift fans are different from the Beyoncé faithful: They need her, want her now. I understand AMC’s portion for Renaissance is around $4M.
As such, some are floating a $20M opening for Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé, which by the way is nothing to complain about, in fact it’s in the wheelhouse of other big concert movies, read Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert ($31M opening, $65.2M final in 2008), Michael Jackson’s This Is It ($23.2M, $72M in 2009) and Justin Bieber: Never Say Never ($29.5M opening, $73M). Typically it’s the Disney family animated movies in their second weekend which lead the box office during the first weekend of December, i.e. Frozen 2 ($35.1M), Frozen ($31.6M), Ralph Breaks the Internet ($25.5M), Moana ($28.2M) and Coco ($27.5M). If AMC can continue to capitalize on concert films for zeitgeist artists, they could conceivably build a cottage business. Hello, a Harry Styles Love on Tour concert movie last fall at the time when the UK singer was on the road would have been massive.
“You need to understand that a $6M-$7M figure in presales on a movie that’s opening in the first weekend of December is great,” one rival distribution executive tells us, “Nothing ever opens here, so this is a very good sign.”
Renaissance captures the multi Grammy winner’s opening show of her tour in Stockholm, Sweden to its grand finale tonight in Kansas City, MO.
Variance is booking cinemas on behalf of AMC in the US, while Cineplex is booking Canada and Cinepolis is booking Central America and Trafalgar Releasing is handling outside North America.
Currently, Disney is set to go wide on Dec. 1 with 20th Century Studios Jeff Nichols directed Tom Hardy-Jodie Comer-Austin Butler drama The Bikeriders and Lionsgate has John Woo’s first U.S. movie in 20 years, Silent Night.
We hear that the reason why the trailer for Renaissance dropped late is because AMC was in talks with Beyoncé’s Parkwood Entertainment into the wee hours of early Monday AM, Kansas, MO time, at Arrowhead stadium.
AMC didn’t return request for comment.