Is Taylor Swift’s Concert Film Set to Smash All Records and Dominate the Fall Box Office?

Discover the buzz surrounding Taylor Swift’s upcoming concert film and its potential to shatter box office records this fall. Find out why theater owners are counting on it, and how it’s disrupting Hollywood’s release calendar. Dive into the excitement of ‘Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour’!

Can Taylor Swift’s recently announced concert movie maintain the success seen with Barbenheimer and Barbie and become a cultural phenomenon at the fall box office? Theatre owners are hopeful following the surprising news that the “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” concert film will have a multi-week run in theatres across the U.S. and Canada starting on October 13th. Several industry insiders suggest that the film could potentially debut with a record-breaking $100 million in box office revenue, driven by strong advance ticket sales. Some even speculate that it might eventually gross over $150 million domestically.

This is particularly welcome news amidst ongoing strikes by writers and actors, which have led to delays in the release of high-profile fall movies. For instance, Sony’s “Kraven the Hunter,” featuring Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the Marvel antihero, moved from its initial October 6th release date to next August. Similarly, Warner Bros. and Legendary’s “Dune: Part Two” was scheduled for November 3rd but has been postponed to March 2024 in the hopes that the cast will be able to promote the film by then, as SAG-AFTRA prohibits talent from promoting projects from struck companies.

As of now, the record for the highest-grossing concert film at the domestic box office is held by 2011’s “Justin Bieber: Never Say Never,” which earned $73 million domestically (not adjusted for inflation) and an additional $26 million overseas for a global total of $99 million. Michael Jackson’s posthumous documentary/concert film “This Is It” garnered $72.1 million in the United States and $181.9 million worldwide.

Disney’s “Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour” set records with a $31.1 million North American opening over Super Bowl weekend, ultimately reaching $65.8 million domestically and $70.6 million worldwide. Earlier this year, Trafalgar’s “BTS: Yet to Come in Cinemas” earned over $53 million globally in a limited theatrical event.

AMC Theatres, the world’s largest exhibitor, secured distribution rights for Taylor Swift’s concert film in a surprising move that garnered attention from multiple Hollywood studios. This distribution arrangement, which involves AMC teaming up with indie distributor Variance, is somewhat unconventional for a major theatre chain. However, AMC’s presales for “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” concert film set a new record at $26 million within the first 24 hours, surpassing the previous record held by 2021’s “Spider-Man: No Way Home” at $16.9 million. AMC plans to offer at least four showtimes a day on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at all its U.S. locations.

Taylor Swift’s Eras tour, which began in March of this year in Arizona, generated unprecedented demand for tickets and achieved world records in terms of attendance and tour revenue.

The film’s announcement prompted Hollywood studios to rearrange their October release calendars. Universal and Blumhouse moved up the release of “The Exorcist: Believer” from October 13th to October 6th, citing the need to target a younger female audience. Bleecker Street also rescheduled Meg Ryan’s romantic comedy, “What Happens Later,” from October 13th to November 3rd.

All exhibitors booking the “Eras Tour” are witnessing significant interest, not just AMC. Cinemark’s chief marketing and content officer, Wanda Gierhart Fearing, commented on the record-breaking advance sales, emphasizing the unique joy of experiencing extraordinary content in a shared, immersive environment with friends, family, and fellow fans.