Taylor Swift performs onstage during her The Eras Tour concert at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington, on July 22, 2023.
Mat Hayward/tas23 | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images
Taylor Swift takes her final bow at the movie box office this weekend.
After a whirlwind four weeks in theaters, the singer’s The Eras Tour concert film has shattered records and helped the theater industry weather a light release calendar.
Heading into its final weekend, The Eras Tour film has collected $150 million in domestic receipts and more than $200 million globally. That global haul represents more than 18% of the $1.092 billion total global box office earned since the film was released Oct. 13, according to data from Comscore.
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“It’s been a remarkable, one-of-a-kind, record-breaking and influential run for The Eras Tour, not to mention a huge win for Taylor Swift and theater owners,” said Shawn Robbins, chief analyst at BoxOffice.com.
Expectations are that Swift will add another $10 million domestically this weekend and the film could be No. 1 at the box office once again.
So far, The Eras Tour film is the highest-grossing domestic and global concert film release of all time but lags just behind the “Michael Jackson’s This Is It” concert documentary’s global haul of $262.5 million.
Box office records (Taylor’s version)
Highest opening weekend for a concert film: Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour — $92.8 millionWidest domestic release for a concert film: Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour — 3,855 locationsHighest-grossing concert film domestically: Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour — $150 million, and countingHighest-grossing concert film worldwide: Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour — $203.8 million, and countingHighest-grossing concert film documentary worldwide: “Michael Jackson’s This Is It” — $262.5 million
Source: Comscore
Swift’s concert film release came at an opportune time. Labor strikes in Hollywood led several films to depart the theatrical calendar, including the much-anticipated “Dune: Part Two” from Warner Bros. Discovery and Legendary Entertainment.
“One movie can make all the difference,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore. “This incredible box office performance is made all the more impressive given the film’s truncated release pattern that had it essentially playing on big screens four days a week.”
Swift’s unique release, coupled with her decision to distribute the film through theater chain AMC instead of a traditional Hollywood studio, has also led to increased speculation about where the concert film will land on streaming.
Taylor Swift’s previous movies
Taylor Swift: Journey to Fearless (2010): aired on The Hub, which has since been rebranded as Discovery Family, and then made available on DVDTaylor Swift: Speak Now World Tour Live (2011): made available on DVDThe 1989 World Tour Live (2015): released through Apple MusicTaylor Swift: Reputation Stadium Tour (2018): streaming on NetflixTaylor Swift: City of Lover Concert (2020): ABC TV SpecialMiss Americana (2020): streaming on NetflixFolklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions (2020): streaming on Disney+
Currently, it appears that Swift is waiting for the SAG-AFTRA strike to wrap up before negotiating with streamers for the rights to her concert film. The film is much coveted in the industry and a big bidding battle is expected.
Swift has previously worked with Apple Music, Netflix and Disney to release filmed versions of her concerts and documentary projects.
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