Dreamgirls has lived up to expectations and has taken the box office by storm. The hit movie grossed nearly $9 million in it’s first day in North American Theaters.
The movie is an adaptation of the Broadway hit that was loosely based on the story of Diana Ross and the Supremes. The movie came in second behind Ben Stillers comedy “Night at the Museum” which took in $11.8 million on Monday from four times as many theaters.
“This thing has been generating big numbers from the moment it opened,” said Paul Dergarabedian, head of the box office tracking service Media By Numbers.
In comparison, the 2002, when the hit movie Chicago made $9.2 million between the Christmas weekend and the week that followed Christmas.
However, the Muhammad Ali boxing drama “Ali” still holds the Christmas day opening making $10.2 million on December 25th 2001.
Dreamgirls managed to score seven nominations for the Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards, and five nominations for the Golden Globes making it a serious contender for the Oscars.
All this before it publically hit a wide array of Theaters throughout the country. The film stars Jamie Foxx, Eddie Murphy, Beyonce Knowles, and newcomer Jennifer Hudson.
I have not seen the film yet, but I was lucky enough to be working in the entertainment press in Boston on the night that “Dreamgirls” opened for out-of-town tryouts. So I got to see/hear Jennifer Holliday sing that amazing song live for the first time! So many years later, I still remember the power of that performance.