David Bowie documentary Moonage Daydream has danced its way to $4.7 million at the weekend global box office. Brett Morgen's colorful exploration into the legendary late singer's golden years debuted on the silver screen exclusively in IMAX. The English singer-songwriter died in 2016 at age 69, following a battle with cancer.
The project, which is titled after Bowie's iconic hit, was sanctioned by Bowie's estate and has earned widespread approval from fans and critics alike. Following its release on Friday, September 16, the film soared under pressure and grossed nearly $1.6 million domestically and in a number of international markets. In North America, the film raked in $1.22 million from 173 domestic runs and a subsequent $350,000 in select international territories.
Hailed a "genre-defying cinematic experience" by Universal Pictures International, who are handling the overseas distribution, Moonage Daydream dives head-first into the inner workings of Bowie's creative spirit. The non-traditional documentary also features unseen and archival footage of the singer's five-decade-long career, which is something of a space odyssey for fans.
Whilst the movie is well on its way to going down in history, it has been something of a journey for award-winning director Morgen to get to this stage. The documentary was in the works for years before it came to fruition. In January 2017 he suffered a heart attack and was in a coma for one week. When he came to again he recovered and then committed his time to sifting through millions of assets offered to him by the Bowie estate. "I had a heart attack," he told Newsweek. "Then I began listening to Bowie, and it was at a point in my life where I was asking myself some very deep questions about how I had arrived here. And I knew how out of control I was." He went on to explain how he found comfort in the "wise and profound" words of the late singer.
Notably, Morgen went on to make a decision that would shape the soul of the film, opting to solely have Bowie narrate his own story through existing footage of the star speaking. He told the publication how the process became "traumatic" from a production perspective. Inspired by Bowie, he jumped on a train from Albuquerque to Los Angeles and by the time he arrived in Los Angeles he had a breakthrough with the script. "The second the train pulled out of the station, the whole thing started pouring out," he said. "By the time I got back to L.A., I had the film that we are now talking about."
Moonage Daydream is in theaters now. Check out a trailer for the film below.