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The Color Purple

Play trailer 2:00 Poster for The Color Purple PG-13 2023 2h 21m Musical Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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81% Tomatometer 255 Reviews 95% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Verified Ratings
A story of love and resilience based on the novel and the Broadway musical, THE COLOR PURPLE is a decades-spanning tale 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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The Color Purple

The Color Purple

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Critics Consensus

Building on the legacy of the previous film adaptation while incorporating elements of the stage musical, The Color Purple is a crowd-pleasing testament to resilience in the face of trauma.

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Audience Says

Much more than a remake, the musical film version of The Color Purple stands on its own as a vibrant, uplifting experience -- and the singing and dancing are superb.

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Critics Reviews

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Wendy Ide Observer (UK) Jan 28, 2024
2/5
It’s a punishingly bleak story, and the songs, with their antiseptic polished sheen, seem fundamentally out of tune with the unforgiving grit of the plot. Go to Full Review Kevin Maher The Times (UK) Jan 27, 2024
2/5
Blitz Bazawule adds conspicuous pizzazz to the musical numbers, but “Historical Racism: The Feelgood Musical” was always going to be a hard sell. Go to Full Review Stephen Romei The Australian Jan 26, 2024
3.5/5
The director and screenwriter have a lot of source material to draw on and by and large pull it off due to the fine performances and the powerful song and dance numbers. Go to Full Review Samantha Schuster Cinéfilo Serial Jul 23, 2025
3.5/5
The audience will surely be more than satisfied thanks to a wonderful cast that manages to convey, through their performances, singing, and dancing, a story of emotional overcoming that blends pain with optimism. [Full Review in Spanish] Go to Full Review William Stottor Loud and Clear Reviews Sep 3, 2024
2.5/5
The second film adaptation of Alice Walker’s novel “The Color Purple” (2023) is a mixed bag, featuring some tremendous showstoppers within a weak and disarrayed structure. Go to Full Review Joshua Ryan FandomWire Jul 28, 2024
5/10
Fantastic performances and the occasional toe-tapping musical number aren’t enough to keep The Color Purple afloat under the weight of its own aspirations. There are great elements, buried in an edit that’s sprinting for the finish-line. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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John D Jun 20, 2026 The color purple indeed! See more RJ May 7, 2025 The movie was good regarding the choice of actors and their roles. I just felt they should’ve left the movie as a regular film and not made it a musical. See more GERARD Apr 30, 2025 Beautiful movie from beginning to end! Made me cry! See more Movie Man Apr 18, 2025 Nice but was expecting more See more Regina K Feb 16, 2025 This movie was AWESOME! Fantasia did an outstanding job - very impressed! See more Elizabeth Jan 2, 2025 Love the singing in the dancing the actors in the actress were really great 🍿🎥 See more Read all reviews
The Color Purple

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Cast & Crew

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Blitz Bazawule

Director

Taraji P. Henson

Shug Avery

Danielle Brooks

Sofia

Colman Domingo

Mister

Corey Hawkins

Harpo

H.E.R.

Squeak

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The Color Purple

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The Color Purple

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The Color Purple

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Movie Info

Synopsis A story of love and resilience based on the novel and the Broadway musical, THE COLOR PURPLE is a decades-spanning tale 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.
Director
Blitz Bazawule
Producer
Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, Scott Sanders, Quincy Jones
Screenwriter
Marcus Gardley
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co
QJP, Amblin Entertainment, SGS Pictures, OW Films
Rating
PG-13 (Mature Thematic Content|Language|Sexual Content|Violence)
Genre
Musical, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 25, 2023, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 16, 2024
Box Office (Gross USA)
$60.6M
Runtime
2h 21m
Sound Mix
Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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