By Alicia Arnold’s count, she has seen the 1985 film “The Color Purple,” “a million times.” When the 34-year-old southwest Atlanta native first saw a trailer for the 2023 musical version, she had her doubts.
“I was like, now what are y’all doing,” she said laughing, rushing toward her 1:15 p.m. screening at AMC Madison Yards in Reynoldstown, which is showing the film on four screens. In the time since Arnold’s initial bout of skepticism, the updated version of the beloved 1982 novel from Alice Walker is proving worthy of her time thanks to positive critical and box office response on the way to the second biggest Christmas Day movie debut in history.
However, Arnold is late meeting her 86-year-old grandmother inside, wearing purple because the story of Black sisterhood and family is something you “basically grew up on” in the Black community. She’s eager to see Fantasia Barrino’s and Savannah native Danielle Brooks’ buzzed-about breakthrough performances.
“I have an open mind,” she said. “I just want to see how the people I recognize in the movie have taken this story on and created it for people like my nephews and nieces.”
Excitement and some apprehension are common feelings among local fans who’ve set out to see this new version. The film currently holds a certified fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes with a score of 87% from critics, and 95% from audiences.
Introducing younger generations to “The Color Purple” is important for McDonough resident Annilia Wright Mosley, who took her two daughters and son to see the film the day after Christmas. Mosley jokes that she thought Black culture was headed for another “Coming to America” moment. When she heard that a reimagining of “The Color Purple” story was coming to theaters nearly 20 years after its predecessor, she was skeptical.
“‘Coming to America’ was always my very favorite movie. But then when the sequel came, I was very disappointed. I was thinking, ‘I hope this is not another ‘Coming to America 2′ type of situation.”
She was pleasantly surprised by both the response to the film and how much she enjoyed it. Despite seeing some chatter on social media about tickets being hard to come by, Mosley was able to snag some online. The parking lot at Regal McDonough was nearly full when she arrived. Inside, women, men and children were wearing different hues of purple. “It was like a movement,” she said. The film? “A masterpiece.”
“The Color Purple” chronicles the diverging paths of sisters Celie and Nettie in the American South during the 1900s. The original film featured Whoopi Goldberg in the role of Celie and Akosua Busia as Nettie. This year’s version has Barrino taking on the iconic lead role, and Atlanta native Halle Bailey as Nettie.
The experience of taking her children to see the film is personal for Mosley. She grew up in Jasper, Texas, and she says she and her family experienced the terror of racism up close. “The Color Purple” and its themes of sisterhood, overcoming racism, sexual abuse, spirituality and family stays with you.
“This is going to be a conversation piece for a long time, just like the original,” adding that she also stressed the importance of the story to her son.
“Baby you got to catch up, there’s certain things you should know about in Black culture,” Mosley said she told him when he and his sisters shared their mutual excitement after seeing the film. Mosley also posted a reel of her family’s experience.
Time will tell if this version of “The Color Purple” will break even on its roughly $100 million budget, but early indications are good.
Moviegoers such as Deborah Dent say stories like the one originally told by Walker are an important part of Black heritage. Black storytelling, she said, is important to pass down through time. That’s why Dent showed up to AMC Madison Yards on Tuesday dressed head-to-toe in purple sweats. Her tickets for a 2:15 p.m. showing were a Christmas gift from her daughter, who was looking for a space in the parking deck.
“I’m excited to see the new generation portraying the old,” she said. Dent says she was not concerned, but instead eager to learn that “The Color Purple” was getting an update and that the story still resonates in the Black community. “It’s so important because if we don’t pass on our heritage, we don’t have anything,” she said.
Mosley plans on going back to see the film with her girlfriends. Being an entrepreneur, she is also inspired by seeing Winfrey go from starring in the first film to producing the latest entry. Winfrey’s art — most notably her turn as Sofia — and the mogul’s real-life story of success are examples of Black women overcoming obstacles and uplifting themselves. Celebrating the resiliency of Black people is a story that never gets old for fans like Mosley.
“I would encourage anyone that loves your community, that enjoys great, excellent entertainment and work with great meaning behind it to go and experience this,” she said.
