Theatre owners believe Taylor Swift‘s Eras Tour Concert film could open to a record $100 million, based on the strong advance ticket sales. They are also not ruling out the possibility of the film making $150 million or more domestically.
“Everyone will want to play this film,” one owner of a smaller theatre circuit says to THR, but he is concerned that AMC sites may have an advantage if they are nearby.
AMC’s presales for Swift’s Eras Tour concert film has dethroned the previous champion, Spider-Man: No Way Home, which grossed $16.9 million on its first day in 2021. AMC, the mega-exhibitor, is responding to the demand with gusto, promising at least four daily showtimes on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at all their U.S. locations.
In response to Swift’s concert film announcement, Hollywood studios swiftly adjusted their October release schedules. Universal and Blumhouse led the way by moving up the release date of The Exorcist: Believer from October 13 to October 6. Similarly, Bleecker Street shifted the release of Meg Ryan’s romantic-comedy What Happens Later from October 13 to November 3.
In the realm of top-grossing concert films at the domestic box office, Justin Bieber: Never Say Never from 2011 holds the crown, raking in an impressive $73 million. On a similar note, the posthumous documentary-concert film of Michael Jackson titled This Is It, released in 2009, secured $72.1 million domestically and an impressive $181.9 million worldwide. Notably, Sony extended the film’s initial two-week theatrical run by an additional three weeks in the domestic market and one to three weeks in overseas territories after it dominated the box office charts during its opening weekend.
Eras Tour Concert film releases on October 13.
