EXCLUSIVE: The AMC-distributed concert film, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour according to sources has actually clocked $37M+ from the three big theater circuits –AMC, Regal and Cinemark– in its first 24 hours of presales. That’s definitely higher than the first day presales of Star Wars: Force Awakens at $20M.
The current opening weekend projection for Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour is at $70M — at least right now. Box office sources are figuring that presales rep 50% of the pic’s opening weekend. How’s that? Typically female skewing movies, i.e. Twilight, are front-loaded at the box office, and in the case of Swifties, they’re heading to this in packs.
Why is this concert film bigger than all others? Because Swift is the hottest act out there, with live-action tickets hard to come by, and the movie is coming out at the same time she’s on tour. Harry Styles and Billie Eilish, take note!
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That opening weekend for Eras Tour is poised to be a record debut for a concert movie, burying all other notable openings — and potentially all running domestic box office for the sub-genre, i.e. Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert ($31M opening, $65.2M final in 2008), Michael Jackson’s This Is It ($23.2M, $72M in 2009) and Justin Bieber: Never Say Never ($29.5M opening, $73M).
It would not be shocking if Swift showed up at theaters, or beamed in virtually opening weekend. Not saying that’s definitely happening, but there’s no such thing as a coincidence: Swift doesn’t appear to be on tour during the pic’s opening weekend of Oct. 13-15. She doesn’t tour again until Oct. 18 in Miami.
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Eras Tour first day of presales doesn’t beat all things Marvel, as Avengers: Endgame posted $50M in its first day when tickets went on sale.
AMC is handling the distribution of Eras Tour via Variance Films booking. As we previously reported, AMC’s $26M first day of presales for the Sam Wrench directed film was a record for the circuit, besting the $16.9M they did for Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Also as previously mentioned — none of the Hollywood studios or streamers have any skin in this Eras Tour release. It’s all you, AMC.
Fun fact, the first day of presales for Swift’s concert here blows away the entire domestic gross of Cats ($27.1M) and Amsterdam ($14.9M), which she co-starred in (in all fairness those pics were bombs and she wasn’t carry the movies entirely on her shoulders).
Said Wanda Gierhart Fearing, Cinemark’s Chief Marketing and Content Officer, on the success so far for the concert film, “The record-breaking advance sales happening at our theaters across the United States for Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour showcase the incomparable joy that comes from taking in unbelievable content in an immersive environment together with friends, family and fellow fans…Her tour’s sensational attraction, which is now continuing across exhibition, drove frenzied traffic to our website and app the moment tickets went on sale, and we are ready for Swifties to be enchanted by this concert film in the unprecedented number of auditoriums we have booked to meet demand for the shared, musical experience.”