The Swifties are poised to create box office history with Taylor Swift’s ‘The Eras Tour,’ which is gearing up for an unprecedented global opening, projected to reach between $150 million and $200 million. This remarkable figure includes an estimated $100 million to $125 million from North American audiences and an additional $50 million to $75 million from international viewers.
AMC Theatres, the distributor for the concert film on behalf of the superstar pop singer, is taking a somewhat more conservative approach, forecasting a $150 million global total, with $100 million attributed to the domestic market.
This groundbreaking film will begin its screenings at 6 p.m. local time on Friday in over 8,500 cinemas across approximately 100 countries, including all AMC locations in the U.S. Typically, movies hold preview showings on Thursday night before their official Friday morning release. However, the unique release strategy of ‘Eras Tour’ makes it more challenging to predict its initial performance.
Taylor Swift (Credits: @taylorswift/Instagram)
In an unprecedented move, Swift’s team bypassed traditional Hollywood studios and formed a direct partnership with the world’s largest theater chain, AMC, to bring the film to the big screen. AMC, in turn, is making ‘Eras Tour’ available to other theater chains.
As of the most recent data available, advance ticket sales for the concert film had already exceeded $100 million, with many U.S. shows sold out for the opening weekend.
‘Eras Tour’ is expected to set a new record for the highest opening weekend box office performance for a concert film and is likely to become the highest-grossing concert film of all time within its first weekend alone. This is an impressive achievement, considering the film’s lengthy runtime of two hours and 48 minutes.
Taylor Swift (Credits: @taylorswift/Instagram)
Similar to successful films like ‘Barbie’ and Disney’s live-action reimaginings, ‘Eras Tour’ is anticipated to be driven by female audiences, including young women, teenagers, and girls known for their repeat viewings. This phenomenon has contributed to the success of movies like ‘Twilight’ and ‘Hunger Games.’ In 2011, ‘Justin Bieber: Never Say Never’ held the record for the highest-grossing concert film at the domestic box office, earning $73 million, with an additional $26 million from overseas, for a global total of $99 million.
AMC CEO Adam Aron secured the distribution rights for Taylor Swift’s concert film in a significant move, despite it being unorthodox for a major theater chain to distribute a movie, given their limited experience in marketing. ‘Eras Tour’ is anything but a conventional release, as it will only be shown in theaters from Thursday through Sunday after its initial weekend. The current plan is to have a four-week theatrical run.
The tremendous demand for the film follows the challenges many fans faced in obtaining tickets for the live ‘Eras’ concert. Swift’s tour, which kicked off in March, set records for attendance and revenue, and although the U.S. leg has concluded, she is set to begin touring overseas in November.
