Whitney Houston Biopic Debut Weekend Numbers Reveal Fan Loyalty
A decade after her tragic death, Whitney Houston’s first authorized biopic was released in Dec. 2022. After a series of television films and documentaries that debuted on networks like Lifetime, TV One, and Showtime, it’s the first project Houston’s estate was behind. The movie was also executive produced by Houston’s longtime mentor, Clive Davis. Fans had mixed emotions about the film being made, even her cousin Dionne Warwick expressed not being on board. But fans still flocked to theaters to see Houston’s story told from her family’s lens.
Whitney Houston’s biopic storyline
Sony Pictures initially announced that the film would be released on Thanksgiving 2022. But the release date was pushed back to Dec. 23, 2022. The story promised to chronicle Houston’s early life, family, career, and final days, while also featuring her original recordings and stellar live performances. Starring Naomi Ackie as the singer, the Broadway standout also did some lip-syncing married with her own vocals.
In an interview with Variety in Aug. 2020, Davis spoke about his dedication to the project. “I have a mission here,” he said. “I have a mission to make sure that for all time that the full picture of Whitney Houston is captured in a no-holds-barred film that is musically rich and shows her genius and more of her character than we have seen to date.”
How the film fared in the U.S.
I Wanna Dance With Somebody opened in 3,625 locations across the country. According to Urban Hollywood, the film came in third opening weekend behind Avatar: The Way of Water and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, earning an estimated $5.3 million.
Per the report, the breakdown is as follows: $2.0 million in ticket sales on Friday, $825K on Saturday, and an estimated $2.5 million on Sunday — totaling a per theater estimate of $1,462. The movie’s reported production budget was $45 million.
Reviews for the film have not been horrible, but many critics agree the story seemed rushed; however, it humanized Houston and showed how easily she was depleted from being overworked, in demand, and used as a cash cow for her loved ones. Most reviews say the film had hits and misses.
TIME Magazine’s review notes: “The movie isn’t a melodramatic tell-all, or a total downer. But it manages, even while being unapologetically entertaining, to feel like an honest reckoning with all the things we didn’t want to know about Houston at her fame’s height. It’s a film that takes our failings into consideration, rather than simply fixating on hers, a summation of all the things she tried to tell us and couldn’t.”
The release in the U.K. did big numbers
While the film came in No. 3 on opening weekend in the U.S., it performed better in the U.K. Variety reports that Avatar: The Way of Water remained at No. 1 for the third weekend in a row. Houston’s biopic came in second.
