Beyoncé’s Renaissance film has broken a record.
The documentary following the making of her most recent world tour, “Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé” opened with $21 million in North American ticket sales, per data from AMC Theatres.
The historic feat comes at a time when movie-going earnings are notoriously during the early holiday season. What’s more, it’s the first time a film has raked in more than $20 million on this weekend in two decades.
Beyoncé wrote, directed and produced “Renaissance,” which is focused on the tour for her Grammy-winning album. It debuted in 2,539 theaters in the U.S. and Canada, as well as 94 international territories, where it earned $6.4 million from 2,621 theaters.
“On behalf of AMC Theatres Distribution and the entire theatrical industry, we thank Beyoncé for bringing this incredible film directly to her fans,” said Elizabeth Frank, AMC Theatres executive vice president of worldwide programming, in a statement as reported by NBC News. “To see it resonate with fans and with film critics on a weekend that many in the industry typically neglect is a testament to her immense talent, not just as a performer, but as a producer and director.”
As previously reported by ESSENCE, Billboard Boxscore noted that the Renaissance World Tour is now the highest-grossing tour by a woman in the Boxscore archives.
The outlet revealed that Beyoncé’s 14 shows in August earned $179.3 million outpacing two of the highest grossing performers in recent years, Bad Bunny and Harry Styles among many others.