A timeless emotional saga, the 2023 adaptation ofThe Color Purpleis a fresh interpretation of the beloved classic. Adapted fromAlice Walker’s iconic 1982 novel and the Broadway musical, the film follows Celie Harris (Fantasia Barrino) as she confronts the harsh realities of life, including separation from her sister Nettie (Halle Bailey), all while enduring the torment of an abusive husband known simply as Mister (Colman Domingo). Despite the odds against her, Celie discovers an extraordinary strength within the unbreakable bonds of a newfound sisterhood.
Directed byBlitz Bazawuleand produced by powerhousesOprah Winfrey,Steven Spielberg,Scott Sanders, andQuincy Jones,The Color Purplecomes alive once again on the big screen as a musical cinematic experience. As we delve into the heart and soul ofThe Color Purple, this budget breakdown unravels the intricate layers that contribute to the magic on screen. From production costs to its performance at the box office, check out what it takes to bring this story to cinemas.
Editor’s Note: This article was updated on June 11, 2025.
The Color Purple
A decades-spanning tale of love and resilience and of one woman’s journey to independence. Celie faces many hardships in her life, but ultimately finds extraordinary strength and hope in the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood.
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Budget for ‘The Color Purple’ By Department
The Color Purplereportedly has a staggering budget of around $100 million. As the cast and crew bring this vision to life, here’s a rough glimpse into where this amount is invested.
Currently, the budget forThe Color Purplecasting isn’t available to the public. However, most recently, Henson made headlines for revealing that despite her numerous acting achievements, including a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress inEmpire, she continues to be underpaid as a Black actor, and stories are considered to be lesser received by overseas audiences.Alluding to her paycheck from the 2008 filmThe Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Henson previously shared that she pocketed approximately $40,000 from her movie despite her total check netting $150,000. Meanwhile, her fellow co-starsBrad PittandCate Blanchettearned millions.
As reported byVariety, Henson shares the gravity of the industry’s pay inequality:
“When you hear someone go, ‘Such and such made $10 million,’ that didn’t make it to their account,” Henson continued. “Off the top, Uncle Sam is getting 50%. Now have $5 million. Your team is getting 30% of what you gross, not after what Uncle Sam took. Now do the math.”
Although exact details of the cast’s payment aren’t revealed, Henson’s statement may offer a glimpse into the portion cast members might be getting from the project. To illustrate this even further,ET Onlineshares that Oprah only received $35,000 for her Oscar-nominated role of Sofia in the 1985 adaptation ofThe Color Purple. Despite the small amount, Oprah also explained that “it is the best $35,000 I [she’s] ever earned.”
The Color Purplefeatures a lineup of talented actors and musicians, includingTaraji P. Henson(Empire), Danielle Brooks(Orange is the New Black),Colman Domingo(Passing Strange),Halle Bailey(The Little Mermaid),Corey Hawkins(The Walking Dead) andFantasia Barrino(American Idol).
According to theMotion Picture Association,The Color Purplecontributed over $74.2 million in direct spending to the local economy. This amount includes payments to more than 2,500 local Georgian cast and crew hired for the production. The team also put out additional spending for the following items:
Filming took place around Greater Atlanta and Savannah for over 81 days. The production ofThe Color Purpleserved as an economic powerhouse for Georgia. Film productions in the state generated local employment, supported nearby businesses, and contributed to the overall economic expansion.
‘The Color Purple’ Cast & Characters Guide: Meet the Cast of the Musical Retelling
Nettie and Celie are reunited yet again!
The Costs of Promoting ‘The Color Purple’
Information on the costs of promotingThe Color Purplehas yet to be disclosed to the public. However, the popularity ofThe Color Purpleis undeniable. Part of the 2023 film’s success is also influenced by the popularity of the original book itself and its other adaptations.
The 1982 book byAlice Walkerwas a recipient of the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award for Fiction. The novel received critical acclaim for its exploration of race and gender issues, particularly the experiences of African American women in the early 20th century in the Southern United States. Despite the praise the novel received, the novel was also subject to questionable censorship.Although efforts to ban the book continue, the conversations the novel has raised amongst the public only made it even more popular,prompting Spielberg’s 1985 movie adaptationand the 2005 hit Broadway musical starringJennifer Hudson.
How Much Did ‘The Color Purple’ Need to Make at the Box Office to Break Even?
As a rule of thumb, it must make twice its production budget for a film to break even at the box office.In an interview with THR, Oprah said the film costs between $90 million and $100 million to produce. Applying this formula toThe Color Purple, the movie likey needs to generate around $200 million globally to recoup its costs.
AlthoughThe Color Purplewas just released on Christmas, the film seems to begarnering favorable results amongst the publicand at the box office. But it’s going to take more than an enormous Christmas Day opening if the movie wants to cover its minimum production costs and be regarded as a successful film.
As a comparison, the 1985 version ofThe Color Purpleby Spielberg had a much smaller budget of $15 million. The film went on to gross over $98.4 million worldwide, approximately six times its initial production budget. The film enjoyed massive success at the box office and remained in U.S. cinemas for 21 weeks (that’s around 4-5 months).
How is ‘The Color Purple’ Doing at the Box Office?
The Color Purpledelivered at the domestic box office on its opening day, exceeding past initial debut projections of $8 million to $10 million. Garnering a whopping $18.5 million, almost double said projections, the filmbecame the second-biggest Christmas ay opening of all time. It has made $54.8 million at the box office thus far.
The opening day success ofThe Color Purplegoes to show that musical adaptations are still relevant amongst today’s moviegoers. Sharing the same vein as other musical movie productions such asRent,West Side Story, andLes Misérables, all of which were also released during the holiday season, there’s no denying that musicals yield a certain power during Christmastime. When the season calls for some holiday singing and caroling, audiences can’t help but gravitate towards films that reflect that same musical spirit. Audiences can also expect a bunch of new adaptations arriving in 2024,includingRenée Rapp’sMean Girlsreleasing mid-January, and the highly-anticipatedWicked: Part One,set to fly into theaters near Thanksgiving.
On top of that,The Color Purpleis shown to gain the highest popularity with viewers aged 55 and above, comprising 25% of the audience and offering a 97% rating. The film also attracted a substantial number of female viewers aged 25 and above, making up 62% of the audience and earning a commendable 94% approval. Men aged 25 and above accounted for 21% of the viewership, providing an 86% rating. Following closely were women under 25, comprising 14% of the audience and giving it a 91% rating. The smallest demographic was men under 25, constituting 4%, yet they still expressed strong approval with an 89% rating.
Comparisons to ‘The Color Purple’
In addition toThe Color Purple,two other Warner Bros. productions dominated the box officesimultaneously:Aquaman and the Lost KingdomandWonka.Despite securing a top position on Christmas Day,Aquaman 2had a modest opening with only $10.6 million,marking one of the lowest debutsin the history of the now-defunct DC Extended Universe. Although the film stumbled out of the gate, it found its sea legs in international markets.
Meanwhile, the musical filmWonka,starringTimothée Chalamet,secured an opening revenue of $10.4 million. The movie demonstrated exceptional performance on the worldwide box office stage,amassing a total of $468.7 million, surpassing its $125 million budget.Wonkaserves as the fantasy prequel toCharlie and the Chocolate FactorybyRoald Dahl, following a young Willy Wonka (Chalamet) who aspires to open a candy shop in a city controlled by crooked chocolatiers infamous for corrupt ways.
Other films released during Christmastime include the kids' animated movie Migration, which experienced an underwhelming box office debut, raking in only $12 million domestically.George Clooney’s filmThe Boys in the Boatis projected to gross approximately $11 million over the extended weekend. TheSydney SweeneyandGlen Powellrom-comAnyone But Youenjoyed an encouraging performance in domestic cinemas,garnering $27 million stateside. A24’sThe Iron Clawis expected to make a domestic totalexceeding the $18 million mark, whileMichael Mann’sFerrariis set to garner $10 million since its debut on Christmas Day.
