'The Color Purple': Biggest Christmas Day movie release in 14 years

The Color Purple, directed by Blitz Bazawule, and starring Fantasia Barrino, Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks and Colman Domingo, was the biggest Christmas Day opening for a movie since 2009's Sherlock Holmes.

The film, produced by Steven Spielberg, Oprah Winfrey, Scott Sanders and Quincy Jones, is officially the second largest Christmas Day opening in history, making US$18 million across North America on Dec. 25.

The Color Purple release date: In theatres Dec. 25 in North America, beginning Jan. 18, 2024 internationally
Director: Blitz Bazawule
Cast: Fantasia Barrino, Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, Colman Domingo, Corey Hawkins, Phylicia Pearl Mpasi, Halle Bailey, Ciara, H.E.R.
Runtime: 140 minutes

What is 'The Color Purple' about?

Bazawule's The Color Purple began with the 1982 novel by Alice Walker, which was then adapted into the 1985 movie by Spielberg. Then came the Broadway musical adaptation, by Gary Griffin, which opened in 2004, and then a revival in 2015.

Set in the 1900s, Celie (a younger version played by Phylicia Pearl Mpasi), lives in Georgia and is raped by her father, giving birth to two children. Celie's children are taken away from her and she's forced to marry her abusive husband Mister (Domingo). She's also separated from her sister Nettie (Halle Bailey).

An older Celie, played by American Idol legend Barrino, finds support from two women in particular. The first one is Sofia (Brooks), who's married to Mister's son Harpo (Corey Hawkins), but unlike Celie, when we initially meet Sofia, she will stand up for herself and not take any nonsense from the men in her life.

Celie also forms a bond with singer Shug Avery, played by the mesmerizing Henson, who's also Mister's mistress when she's in town. Shug exposes Celie to a life of possibility and shows Celie a romantic love, based on support and caring, that Celie has never felt before.

With Walker's tale having already been adapted and interpreted several times in the past, the early box office success of The Color Purple in 2023 is evidence of the lasting impact and relevance of the story.

Bazawule's approach really shines a light on vibrancy and joy of these characters, contrasting the incredibly painful moments of racism, abuse and cruelty, which brings a new energy to the story.

Barrino's performance is incredibly emotional, after also playing Celie on Broadway in the 2000s. Bazawule's take on the story allows more space for the character to grow in terms of personal exploration, within a community of people outside the confines of Mister's home.

Brooks gives an absolutely stand-out performance as Sofia, after also taking on the role on Broadway. An actor with so much range, Brooks so powerfully is able to navigate the emotional swings of Sofia's life.

Shug Avery and Celie's romance in 'The Color Purple' for 2023 film

Following Spielberg's 1985 film, the famed director has spoken about the romantic relationship between Shug and Celie being less explored in his film than what Walker wrote.

"There were certain things in the [lesbian] relationship between Shug Avery and Celie that were finely detailed in Alice’s book, that I didn’t feel could get a [PG-13] rating. And I was shy about it," Spielberg told Entertainment Weekly in 2011. "In that sense, perhaps I was the wrong director to acquit some of the more sexually honest encounters between Shug and Celie, because I did soften those."

"I basically took something that was extremely erotic and very intentional, and I reduced it to a simple kiss. I got a lot of criticism for that."

In exploring the romantic, physical and sexual relationship between Shug and Celie in The Color Purple, it's a much clearer depiction in the 2023 film. It may not go far enough for some, compared to Walker's text, but it is a more powerful stance than the 1985 film and the Broadway musical.

On top of that, watching Barrino and Henson together on screen is an absolute pleasure.

'They get to see that we did it our way and we won'

For everyone going to the theatre to watch The Color Purple as we close out 2023, Henson speaking about the pay disparity issues she's experienced, and that face Black actors in Hollywood in particular, is something to certainly take seriously watching her affecting performance in The Color Purple.

"I'm just tired of working so hard, being gracious at what I do, getting paid a fraction of the cost," Henson said on SiriusXM with Gayle King, with Bazawule and Brooks as well. "I'm tired of hearing my sisters say the same thing over and over. You get tired."

"I hear people go, 'You work a lot.' I have to. The math ain't mathing. ... And if I can't fight for them coming up behind me, then what the f—k am I doing. ... And then they tell me we don't translate overseas, I'm tired of hearing that my entire career, 20 plus years in the game and I hear the same thing."

"You, Fantasia, Danielle, knowing how hard they fought to not have you all here and knowing how hard we had to fight to ensure that, what you just said right now rings so true," Bazawule added. "Especially for Black women, and I'm going to be very specific, it was like you were never here."

"And the fact that each one of you, every single one of you had to audition for this role, roles that were second nature to you. Roles that no one should even question. Just the minute the name comes up the question is, 'How much? How much do you have?' I learned something very important here, that it's not enough just to come in and be a director. You have to come in, be a therapist, be a friend, be a brother, be a champion. Understand that we have to break cycles. Understand that what happens here is going to be an example. ... I hope the work we did breaks those terrible and discriminatory ways. They get to see that we did it our way and we won."