Whitney Houston’s final film Sparkle has grossed $12 million at the box office during its opening weekend.
The film has received mixed reviews so far by critics but Houston’s performance has been praised.
“At times, it’s like a Joan Crawford neurotic-mother fantasy, and the gravelly conviction of Whitney Houston’s performance proves that this could have been the first step not merely in a comeback but in a major re-invention,” Entertainment Weekly’s Owen Gliberman wrote. “She had the instincts of a superb character actress.”
Houston, who was also the film’s executive producer, played a former R&B singer. Sparkle co-stars American Idol winner Jordin Sparks as Houston’s daughter, who becomes a Motown star.
All of Houston’s previous films, including The Bodyguard and Waiting to Exhale have opened between Thanksgiving and Christmas, traditionally a better time to release films aimed at women. Sparkle was promoted to women and many sources report that 74 percent of the audience was female and 62 percent over the age of 35.
Sparkle is anticipated come in at No. 5 at the box office. Big budget action sequels The Expendables 2 and The Bourne Legacy are expected to come out on top.
Watch the trailer for Sparkle below:
