Taylor Swift Eras Tour film seeking more box office records as it sticks around in theaters

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 is seeking to smash more box office records as her Eras Tour concert film sticks around theaters.

Box office analysts initially believed the singer’s film would wrap up its limited run in the theaters on Nov. 5.

In AMC Entertainment’s initial announcement of ticket availability for the Eras Tour concert film, the company said audiences could “view showtimes and purchase tickets through November 5th.”

AMC clarified Friday that the Nov. 5 date was the cutoff for the first run of tickets available for the film when presales began.

The extra time in theaters can only benefit the film and the box office. Already Swift’s Eras Tour has shattered records and helped the theater industry weather a light release calendar.

Heading into the 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.

“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.

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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 million
Widest domestic release for a concert film: Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour — 3,855 locations
Highest-grossing concert film domestically: Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour — $150 million, and counting
Highest-grossing concert film worldwide: Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour — $203.8 million, and counting
Highest-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 DVD
Taylor Swift: Speak Now World Tour Live (2011): made available on DVD
The 1989 World Tour Live (2015): released through Apple Music
Taylor Swift: Reputation Stadium Tour (2018): streaming on Netflix
Taylor Swift: City of Lover Concert (2020): ABC TV Special
Miss Americana (2020): streaming on Netflix
Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions (2020): streaming on Disney+

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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.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said it would be the Eras Tour movie’s last weekend at the box office. The headline and story have been corrected.

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