The Color Purple premiered in London on November 20, 2023, and was released in the United States on December 25, 2023, by Warner Bros. Pictures.

The letters reveal that Nettie has been living in Africa and caring for Adam and Olivia, who were adopted by missionaries.

She is released after six years and ends up having to work for the mayor's wife anyway, sinking into a deep depression that seemingly takes away all of her fierceness.

On Easter Sunday in 1943, when Shug and her new husband Grady are visiting, Celie confronts Mister in front of his father and their family.

Additionally, Whoopi Goldberg makes a cameo appearance as a midwife who helps young Celie give birth.

[8] In August 2020, it was announced that Marcus Gardley will pen the screenplay and Black Is King's Blitz Bazawule will direct.

[9] Siedah Garrett joined Brenda Russell and Stephen Bray (in place of the late Allee Willis) in contributing new material to the film's score.

[13][14][15] In March 2022, Louis Gossett Jr., David Alan Grier, Tamela J. Mann, Phylicia Mpasi, Deon Cole, Stephen Hill, and Ciara joined the cast.

She disagreed with the decision, citing safety and liability concerns, and alleged that she asked, "'Can I get a driver or security to take me?'

13 songs from the musical were cut from the film, including "Somebody Gonna Love You," "Our Prayer," "Big Dog," "Dear God - Sofia," "Brown Betty", "Uh-Oh," "African Homeland," "Celie's Curse," "Any Little Thing," "What About Love (Reprise)," "That Fine Mister," "A Tree Named Sofia," and "All We Got to Say," while a song cut from the stage production, titled "She Be Mine," was reinstated for this film.

[37][38] On November 27, the soundtrack's musicians and singers were revealed to be executive produced by Quincy Jones, Larry Jackson and Scott Sanders via Warner Bros. records, WaterTower Music and Gamma.

[42][43] Compositions from the Broadway production will be included, such as "She Be Mine" and "Shug Avery Comin' to Town", along with new, original music for the film.

[44] American record production and songwriting duo Nova Wav, composed by Denisia Andrews and Brittany Coney were involved in the project by the director Bazawule.

On November 27, 2023, "Lifeline" was published as the second original song from the film, written and performed by Alicia Keys.

[54] In the United States and Canada, The Color Purple was released alongside Ferrari and The Boys in the Boat, and was projected to gross $8–10 million from 3,203 theaters on its first day.

The website's consensus reads: "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.

"[60] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 72 out of 100, based on 49 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.

[3] Multiple publications listed it as one of the best films of 2023, including the New York Post,[62] Deadline Hollywood,[63] and People.

[64] Pete Hammond, reviewing the film for Deadline Hollywood, reports that although "Spielberg’s version still resonates", the direction of Bazawule "brings a unique vision that makes this version stand on its own as an authentic and valuable addition to The Color Purple legacy", appreciating the photography of Dan Laustsen, which "gives a vision of the early 20th century South rarely seen in films depicting the period, particularly Black lives".

[65] Katie Walsh of Los Angeles Times described the director's approach as "modern, while paying homage to the traditions of Broadway musicals", while the cast "takes your breath away", praising Barrino for her "stunning performance as Celie, holding the emotional center over decades" and Brooks, who "steals the whole movie, [...] She brings fire, humor and grit to a character who undergoes a dramatic, tragic arc".

[66] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian wrote that although "the plot strands are to finally tie up with startling serendipity", with "warmth and vehemence in this movie, especially in the big ensemble numbers", the film "is less successful in the solo scenes and the evocation of loneliness and suppressed despair", appreciating "an absolute powerhouse trio of female leads here, supercharging the action with their fierce charisma" by Barrino, Henson and Brooks' performances.