Warner Bros. ‘Overestimated’ Box Office Numbers for ‘The Color Purple’

The studio faces scrutiny after admitting it "overestimated" the opening weekend box office numbers by over $2 million.

Warner Bros. faces scrutiny after admitting it “overestimated” the opening weekend box office numbers for the recent film adaptation of The Color Purple by more than $2 million.

The American film and entertainment studio originally said that The Color Purple had earned $13.8 million in its debut weekend, World of Reel reported. However, according to the site for alternative movie news, the actual box office gross is around $11.7 million.

Media outlets already reported the inflated numbers before the correction was issued. On. Dec. 26, Deadline reported that the film featuring a star-studded cast of Black actors earned $18 million for its debut. Variety also reported the number, noting on Dec. 27 that the movie almost set a holiday record, “marking the largest Christmas Day opening for a movie since 2009 and the second-biggest Christmas Day opening of all time.”

Critics questioned why Warner Bros. invested $100 million in the big-budget musical that contains difficult subject matter. World of Reel noted that the movie had a $47 million domestic gross by the evening of Jan. 1.

According to the Motion Picture Association, the film contributed more than $74 million to the local economy in greater Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia. The site noted that some of the spending went to crew and cast members on the movie’s production team of more than 2,500 local Georgians.

Despite the “overestimation” by Warner Bros., BLACK ENTERPRISE previously reported The Color Purple landed Danielle Brooks, who played the character Sofia, and singer and actress Fantasia Monique Barrino-Taylor, who played Celie, Golden Globe nominations. Known by her stage name, Fantasia was nominated for Best Actress, a first for the star. Brooks also experienced a first as she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture. On Dec. 11, the 2024 Golden Globe nominations were announced, and the show aired on Sunday, Jan. 7.