A Pivotal Steven Spielberg Box Office Smash Is Leaving Netflix
Steven Spielberg's The Color Purple is set to leave Netflix on November 30th.
The window to catch The Color Purple on Netflix is getting narrower by the day, with the Academy Award-nominated motion picture set to depart the streamer on November 30. The inspiring and emotional classic was helmed by renowned filmmaker Steven Spielberg, who recently accused Warner Bros. of throwing directors under the bus. Released in 1985, the film is an adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning 1982 novel of the same name by Alice Walker.
The Color Purple marked the eighth film directed by Steven Spielberg, and at the time, it was a departure from the typical, big-budget summer blockbusters he was known for. Written by Menno Meyjes, the film centers around Celie, an African American woman living in the South who survives incredible abuse and bigotry. The story is told over the span of forty years, where Celie perseveres, holding on to her dream of one day being reunited with her sister in Africa.
Released by Warner Bros. on December 20, 1985, The Color Purple earned around $94.5 million during its initial theatrical run, which was a far cry from the earnings Steven Spielberg was used to seeing at the time. The award-winning feature was re-released in 1987, where it added an additional $4.3 million to its running box office total. So far, the movie has earned a combined total of approximately $98.5 million, and with an Australian re-release planned for the near future, that figure will undoubtedly grow.
Reception for the period drama was quite positive, with critics praising Steven Spielberg for delivering an empowering movie with brilliant yet disturbing storytelling. On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, The Color Purple has a score of 76% from reviews by 36 critics. With a score of 94% from over 100,000 ratings of audience reviews, it’s clear that traditional audiences have a great appreciation for the film.
In addition to being directed by Steven Spielberg, who is regarded as one of the best filmmakers of all time, The Color Purple features an incredible cast. Whoopi Goldberg, Danny Glover, Oprah Winfrey, Margaret Avery, Willard E. Pugh, Akosua Busia, and Laurence Fishburne all appear in the picture. Goldberg received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in the movie, while Margaret Avery and Oprah Winfrey were nominated in the category of Best Actress in a Supporting Role.
Following his work on The Color Purple, Steven Spielberg went on to direct some of the biggest motion pictures of all time including Jurassic Park, Minority Report, and War of the Worlds. After losing out to Sydney Pollack at the Academy Awards in 1986 for Best Director, Spielberg went on to win Oscars in the category for both Schindler’s List in 1994 and Saving Private Ryan in 1999. Next up for the acclaimed director is an Untitled Frank Bullitt Project and new installments in the Indiana Jones and Transformers franchises, in which he serves as producer.
Steven Spielberg is also producing a forthcoming musical adaptation of The Color Purple, which is scheduled to arrive in theaters on December 20, 2023. Directorial duties have been handed over to Blitz Bazawule with the screenplay being penned by Marcus Gardley this time around. Elizabeth Marvel, Taraji P. Henson, Halle Bailey, Danielle Brooks, Corey Hawkins, and Colman Domingo star in the upcoming feature.
