Taylor Swift’s “Eras” is the biggest concert opening ever

Even though she wasn’t able to reach the astronomical heights expected for her concert film, Taylor Swift is still the current champion in the film industry.

The world’s biggest pop star easily won the weekend box office with her hit “Taylor Swift: Tour for the Ages,” which grossed an estimated $95 million to $97 million in North American theaters for three days.

The PG-13-rated film, which has a running time of nearly three hours, gave Swifties and non-Swifties, young and old, a reason to return to movie theaters at a time when theaters need them most. The actor’s ongoing strike has prompted studios to postpone six major fall releases such as “Dune: Part Two” and Sony’s “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” sequel, a loss that analysts expect could cost the movie industry $1.6 billion in worldwide box office revenue.

The North American box office is still recovering from its pre-pandemic highs, down about 17 percent from 2019 when an additional 16 films were released in theaters.

The Taylor Swift film, which cost about $15 million to produce, opened in 3,855 theaters in the United States and Canada. (Ms. Swift added a preview night of shows on Thursday in 2,700 theaters to accommodate the seemingly insatiable demand for everything Taylor. Those shows grossed $2.8 million.)

The film grossed an estimated $31 million to $33 million across 94 international territories in more than 4,500 theaters, giving its global grosses in the range of $126 million to $130 million. It will expand to additional international locations in the coming weeks.

The film, drawn from six nights she performed at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium in early August, features about 40 songs and covers her past 10 albums. The entire film takes place on stage with no behind-the-scenes or behind-the-scenes footage included.

Bypassing the traditional studio system, Swift partnered directly with AMC Theaters to distribute the film, just nine weeks after her domestic concert tour ended. There was little traditional marketing support for the film. Instead, Ms. Swift reached out directly to her 350 million social media followers. She will begin the international leg of her tour in February, in many of the same venues as the film.

As part of the deal with AMC, Swift received 57% of the ticket revenue, meaning she walked away from the weekend with about $55 million, and that doesn’t include her deduction from international sales. Tickets cost $19.89 (in honor of her birth year) for adults and $13.13 (her preferred number) for children ages 2 to 12 and people 60 and older, and the film continues to be a boon to theaters, which encourage the celebration in the comfort of mobile phones . policies, specially licensed popcorn tubs, friendship bracelet making stands, and even some custom drinks. A theater in Boise, Idaho, sells non-alcoholic Taylor Swift drinks. Like a maple latte called “It’s Alright.” In honor of Ms. Swift’s 10-minute song.

The “Eras Tour” is the biggest movie opening ever. The previous record holder was Paramount Pictures’ 2011 release of “Justin Bieber: Never Say Never,” which grossed $41 million during its first three days in theaters in North America, adjusted for inflation, and eventually grossed $101 million in the United States. United States and America. Canada and $138 million worldwide.

Michael Jackson’s “This Is It,” released by Sony Pictures in 2009, holds the record for total ticket sales. It grossed $105 million over its entire run in North America, and $380 million worldwide, adjusted for inflation.

Beyoncé has a similar deal with AMC, and her concert film “Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé” will premiere on December 1.

Many in the film industry are now wondering how long Ms. Swift, who has made her ubiquitous presence known by offering a movie, will last Veil appearance In this season’s premiere of “Saturday Night Live,” she’ll be keeping her fans coming back to the theaters.

“We’ll assume the box office will double from here, but there’s no precedent for that; we’re in uncharted territory,” David Gross, a film consultant who publishes a newsletter on box office numbers, wrote in his latest analysis.

Adding to its unique nature, the film will only be shown from Thursday to Sunday.

Elizabeth Frank, executive vice president in charge of programming at AMC, said in a statement Sunday that because of the “overwhelming recommendations and fans purchasing tickets to see this concert film multiple times,” she expects the film to play “to large audiences for the coming weeks.”

The next big movie to open is Martin Scorsese’s three-hour epic “Killers of a Flower Moon,” which debuts in more than 3,000 theaters next weekend. However, the Western thriller starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone is unlikely to see its audience overlap much with “Eras,” which, according to polls, is 78% women. The next possible movie on the list is Marvel Studios’ The Marvels starring Brie Larson. This does not open until November 10th.