American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift performs during her Eras Tour at Sofi Stadium in Inglewood, California, August 7, 2023. Movie pre-sales of Taylor Swift’s ‘Eras’ tour have surpassed $100 million worldwide, theater operator AMC said Thursday: October 5, making it the best-selling full-length concert film in history. MICHAEL TRAN / AFP
NEW YORK – Ticket sales for the film of Taylor Swift’s “Eras” tour have surpassed $100 million worldwide, theater operator AMC said Thursday, Oct. 5, making it the best-selling full-length concert film in history.
“Taylor Swift – The Eras Tour” will be released on October 13 in 8,500 cinemas in 100 countries.
The film is already poised to become the highest-grossing concert film ever and will dethrone “Justin Bieber: Never Say Never,” which grossed $99 million and was released in 2011.
“This Is It,” which grossed $261 million worldwide, is not considered a concert film because it only documents the pre-performance preparations of Michael Jackson, who died before performing on stage.
‘Eras’ was initially only going to be released in the United States, but the singer ultimately opted to make it a global event, even though her tour will include a second leg next year, with dozens of dates in South America, Australia , Asia, Europe, but also the United States and Canada.
An AMC spokesperson told AFP that the $100 million in revenue came from all cinemas that will show the film, including the Cineplex networks in Canada and Cinepolis in Mexico.
Of the 8,500 movie theaters, 4,000 are in North America.
The all-time gross record for an October opening weekend in North America is $96 million, set by “joker” in 2019.
“Taylor Swift – The Eras Tour” could surpass 100 million in North America in three days, from October 13 to 15, according to Jeff Bock of the specialist firm Exhibitor Relations.
The 2H48 film features footage shot in early August during the megastar’s three concerts at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, a Los Angeles suburb.
The “Eras” tour currently has 146 dates.
According to Pollstar, the performing arts industry magazine, each concert generates $13 million in revenue, which would bring the tour’s total to about $1.9 billion.
Never before has an artist or group crossed the symbolic threshold of a billion dollars.
AMC said Monday that singer Beyonce would follow Swift’s lead and have a Dec. 1 theatrical release of a documentary inspired by her “Renaissance” tour, which she just wrapped in the United States.
In electronic trading, AMC shares rose nearly two percent after Wall Street closed. /ra