THE 2023 musical adaptation of the 1985 critically acclaimed drama film, “The Color Purple,” has exceeded US box office predictions, earning $18.1 million since its December 25 release in over 3,000 theatres worldwide.

This, according to BET, makes the film the second-best showing for a film premiering on Christmas Day, since the 2009 debut of Sherlock Holmes.

The film is a replica of a novel written by Alice Walker in 1982. Brittannica summarizes the novel as one that documents the traumas and eventual triumph of Celie, an African American teen raised in rural isolation in Georgia. She becomes resistant to the paralysing self-concept forced on her by those around her, and she narrates her life through her honest letters to God.

In 1983, the novel won a Pulitzer Prize and in 1985, American renowned director, Steven Spielberg, directed an acclaimed film adaptation of the book, starring Whoopi Goldberg as Celie and Danny Hlover as Albert.

On December 25, 2023, the film was released as a musical adaptation starring popular names in entertainment such as American singer and songwriter Fantasia, Ariel (2023) star, Halle Bailey, Taraji P. Henson and Ciara. It was produced by Oprah Winfrey (who starred in the 1985 adaptation as Sofia), Steven Spielberg (the original film director), Quincy Jones, among others.

The 2023 adaptation has a critic’s score of 88 and a 95 per cent audience score Rotten Tomatoes, top film critic on its website says, “The Color Purple is still entertaining and deeply heartfelt (I had a face full of tears by the end), with some awards-worthy acting and singing (and yes, dancing).”

Meanwhile, poet and playwright, Marcus Gardley, noted that, “This film is a universal story that depicts the resilience of all of humans, all over the world,”

He said: “What Alice Walker’s story is really about when she talks about The Color Purple, it’s not only that purple is beautiful, but purple is rare and it’s also the color of bruises. It’s the pain and the perseverance, hand in hand, that she’s asking us to both embrace and learn from.”

The 2023 film is rated PG- 13 and was directed by Blitz Bazawule. It is approximately two hours and 20 minutes long, and should be in theatres in Guyana soon.