This Weekend’s Box Office Should Have Belonged To Janelle Monáe

Ever since the coronavirus shut down theaters across the globe and the box office temporarily ceased to exist, a few huge movies have dominated the headlines. First, Daniel Craig’s final 007 film No Time to Die was pushed to the end of the year. Then the ninth installment of the Fast & Furious franchise moved to 2021. Then A Quiet Place Part II, then Black Widow, then Mulan bit the dust as well—before you knew it, seemingly every big 2020 release was indefinitely delayed.

One movie nobody was talking about, though? Antebellum.

And more pointedly: Janelle Monáe’s first stab at a leading role in a major motion picture.

Many people undoubtedly know about Monáe’s music. Back in 2007, her debut EP Metropolis, Suite I: The Chase combined art pop and neo-soul for a uniquely futuristic take on contemporary R&B. That sound went on to define her biggest singles, like “Tightrope” and “Dance Apocalyptic,” that have appeared in several films over the years.

Monáe’s vocal appearance in films and on soundtracks eventually transitioned to acting roles—where she has truly shined. While several of her performances have been for animated films (such as Rio 2, UglyDolls and Lady and the Tramp), she has given four critically praised performances (not including The Glorias, which showed at Sundance Film Festival and has yet to reach a mass market) in films before landing her leading role in Antebellum. Most notably, the African-American Film Critics Association awarded her with Best Breakout Performance in 2016 for her roles in both Moonlight and Hidden Figures—two movies that were nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards.

What many people may not realize, however, is that Monáe’s acting career began well before landing her role in Moonlight (which would actually go on to win Best Picture in 2017). Her dynamism as a performer is very much rooted in her role as a storyteller through her own music.

All three of Monáe’s LPs are conceptual, as each of those albums feature narratives comprised of completely unique worlds and varying characters. The first two albums, The ArchAndroid and The Electric Lady, represent Acts 2-5 of her Metropolis concept series about a dystopian future. And her third LP, Dirty Computer, is accompanied by a 49-minute film in which Monáe plays an android named Jane 57821.

In addition to those stories, Monáe is known for her theatrical concerts. Both on and off stage, she can be seen wearing a tuxedo—an 18th-century look that harkens back to dandyism. She brings that energy on stage, where video screens play images that coincide with her latest album’s concept. Monáe’s dancers and band members match her wardrobe and fuel her storytelling prowess.

My main point? Monáe has always been a performer. The kind of performer that can act, can dance, can sing—can do it all, essentially. From her music to her films, Monáe so naturally inhabits characters and personalities that she was bound to land a leading role in a major motion picture.

And we were finally meant to see how she would handle such a role this weekend with the Lionsgate project Antebellum, the first feature film from the directing team of Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz. The movie centers on successful author Veronica (played by Monáe) who finds herself trapped in a terrifying nightmarish alternate reality and must uncover the mind-bending mystery at hand before she meets her demise.

All indications pointed towards financial success for Monáe’s first leading role. Her movie’s only true competitor on this April 24-26 weekend would have been Bad Trip, which Antebellum would have easily topped. Past that, Antebellum’s biggest competition would have came from No Time to Die’s third weekend in theaters.

Up to this point, Monáe’s four non-animated films have produced $251.3 million domestically before accounting for inflation (an average of $62.8 million per film) and $269.9 million domestically after accounting for inflation (an average of $67.5 million per film). Most of that revenue came from Hidden Figures, which pulled in a grand total of $169.6 million domestically and $236 million globally.

To date, Monáe’s best wide release domestic opening weekend belongs to Hidden Figures, which brought in $22.8 million on its third weekend. Her second-best opener was Harriet, which made $11.7 million in its first three days.

According to Box Office Pro, Antebellum was slated to premiere to an opening weekend between $9 million and $14 million. In total, Antebellum was projected to make approximately $34 million during its domestic run—which would have made Antebellum Monáe’s third-biggest non-animated feature. That’s a pretty promising debut for Monáe’s first leading role, and a well-earned accolade for someone who’s made a career of telling stories and inhabiting characters in an interesting way.

In another world, this would have been Janelle Monáe’s time to finally shine and showcase those abilities to a much wider audience. And if the movie becomes an even bigger success than originally projected (which could easily happen given the film’s new release date), it could very well dictate the level of acting roles Monáe lands heading forward.

Alas, we’ll have to wait to see if Antebellum’ s box office showing will truly be a turning point for Monáe’s acting career.