Beyoncé's new concert movie, Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé, leads an otherwise quiet box office this weekend. The film will open in the $20-24 million range, more than enough to take the top spot during a weekend without any big Hollywood releases. Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé features footage from Beyoncé's world tour as she performs songs throughout her career. It also offers insight from Beyoncé herself into the creative process of staging and executing on such a grand stage. The film is the latest in a string of big concert films this year, including Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, which has been a significant box office presence for weeks, and the re-release of the Talking Heads movie Stop Making Sense.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes will fall into second place with $15 million this weekend. The Hunger Games prequel has had stellar box office performance backed by a largely positive critical reception. ComicBook.com's Jamie Jirak awarded the film 4.5 out of 5 possible stars in their review. She writes:
"If you're a fan of The Hunger Games, The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is going to transport you back to Panem with great ease. The film is daring, engaging, tense, and even occasionally funny. It's no easy feat to make a prequel that's just as good, if not better, than the films that came before. However, The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes manages to outshine both Mockingjay films while giving The Hunger Games and Catching Fire a run for their money. Not only is The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes faithful to the book, but it showcases one of the best casts of the year. If you have any affection for this franchise, you won't want to miss the newest installment on the big screen."
The latest Godzilla movie from Japan, Godzilla: Minus One, makes its stateside debut in third place with $10 million. The film has been a surprising critical darling, earning high marks from nearly everyone.
Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, and Godzilla: Minus One are now in theaters. The list of the top 10 films at the box office this weekend is in the works.