Movies

The Color Purple Trivia | 50 facts about the film

“The Color Purple” is a musical drama film based on the 1982 book of the same name.

So let’s dive into some trivia and facts about the film.

The Color Purple is a 2023 American coming-of-age musical period drama film
It is directed by Blitz Bazawule
Marcus Gardley’s screenplay is based on the stage musical of the same name
Which in turn is based on the 1982 novel of the same name by Alice Walker
It is the second film adaptation of the novel
Following the 1985 film directed by Steven Spielberg
Spielberg and Jones return as producers for the 2023 film
Along with the stage musical’s producers Scott Sanders and Oprah Winfrey
The latter of whom also starred in the 1985 film
The film stars Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, Colman Domingo, Corey Hawkins, H.E.R., Halle Bailey, Louis Gossett Jr., Phylicia Pearl Mpasi, Ciara, Jon Batiste, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, and Fantasia Barrino in the leading role of Celie
Brooks and Barrino reprise their roles from the productions of the stage musical
It tells the story of Celie, an African American woman living in the American South during the early 1900s
The Color Purple premiered in London on November 20, 2023
It was released in the United States on December 25, 2023, by Warner Bros. Pictures
It received positive reviews from critics
As well as several accolades
Including Golden Globe Award nominations for Barrino and Brooks, and five nominations at the 29th Critics’ Choice Awards, including Best Picture
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 86% rating
Based on 145 critics’ reviews
With an average rating of 7.4/10
The website’s consensus reads: “Building on the legacy of the previous film adaptation while incorporating elements of the stage musical, The Color Purple is a crowd-pleasing testament to resilience in the face of trauma”
Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 70 out of 100
Based on 34 critics
Indicating “generally favorable” reviews
Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of “A” on an A+ to F scale
While PostTrak reported 92% filmgoers gave it a positive score
In the United States and Canada, The Color Purple was released alongside Ferrari and The Boys in the Boat
It was projected to gross around $8-10 million on its first day
It exceeded expectations and grossed $18.2 million
Finishing first at the box office
Its opening day was the second-highest domestic opening for a film on Christmas Day of all-time (behind Sherlock Holmes’ $24.6 million in 2009)
And the highest-grossing domestic opening day for a musical post-COVID 19 pandemic
In November 2018, it was reported that a film adaptation of the musical was in development at Warner Bros. Pictures and Amblin Entertainment
The same companies that made the 1985 film adaptation of the novel
With Steven Spielberg, Quincy Jones, Scott Sanders, and Oprah Winfrey all signed on to produce
In August 2020, it was announced that Marcus Gardley will pen the screenplay and Black Is King’s Blitz Bazawule will direct
Winfrey praised the selection of Bazawule as director, after she and the producers saw his work on The Burial of Kojo
It was also announced that Alice Walker, Rebecca Walker, Kristie Macosko Krieger, Carla Gardini, and Mara Jacobs will executive produce the film
In August 2021, Corey Hawkins was cast in a lead role
That same month, H.E.R. was cast in her feature acting debut
In February 2022, Taraji P. Henson, Fantasia Barrino, Danielle Brooks, Colman Domingo, and Halle Bailey joined the cast, with Barrino and Brooks reprising their roles from productions of the stage musical
In March 2022, Louis Gossett Jr., David Alan Grier, Tamela J. Mann, Phylicia Mpasi, Deon Cole, Stephen Hill, and Ciara joined the cast
In April 2022, Aunjanue Ellis, Elizabeth Marvel and Jon Batiste joined the cast
Filming began in March 2022, with production taking place at Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island from March 16 to March 25
Filming officially wrapped in July 2022
Siedah Garrett will be joining Brenda Russell and Stephen Bray (in place of the late Allee Willis) in contributing new material to the film’s score
On December 1, 2023, BroadwayWorld revealed that the film will not be a direct copy-and-paste adaptation of the stage musical
With elements from the novel and the 1985 film also being featured, including “Miss Celie’s Blues (Sister),” the song sung by the character of Shug Avery in the 1985 film
13 songs from the musical were cut from the film, including “Somebody Gonna Love You,” “Our Prayer,” “Big Dog,” “Dear God – Sofia,” “Brown Betty,” “Uh-Oh,” “African Homeland,” “Celie’s Curse,” “Any Little Thing,” “What About Love (Reprise),” “That Fine Mister,” “A Tree Named Sofia,” and “All We Got to Say”
While a song cut from the stage production, titled “She Be Mine,” was reinstated for this film