The Swifties have taken over the box office as expected.
AMC/Variance’s “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” has earned $39 million in its opening day, just shy of the $39.3 million October opening day record set by Warner Bros.’ “Joker” in 2019.
With this start, Taylor Swift’s concert film has a chance to beat the October opening weekend record also held by “Joker” at $96.2 million. Some industry estimates have the film getting there with an opening weekend of around $103 million, while AMC is estimating $100 million. Whether those estimates hold true will come down to how strong walk-up ticket sales are among the pop star’s devoted fans.
Even if it doesn’t break the record, Swift and “The Eras Tour” have provided the box office with a seriously needed boost. Industry estimates currently have overall weekend totals rising to $143 million. That is nearly double the $73 million total seen last weekend, and the first $100 million-plus overall weekend since Aug. 11, when “Barbie” was No. 1 on the charts.
Much like “Barbie,” it is female moviegoers that are turning out for “The Eras Tour,” with 82% of Friday’s audience being women and 63% being in the 18-34 age group. That heavily skewed demo breakdown will likely continue throughout this film’s run and with Beyonce’s upcoming concert film, which will also be distributed directly by AMC Theaters through a partnership with Variance Entertainment.
Through these concert films, AMC and other theater chains are receiving 43% of ticket revenue, compared to around 35% for many studio tentpole films, and are receiving an extra source of moviegoer turnout during parts of the year where major films tend not to be released. Beyonce’s concert film will come out during the historically slow early December period, as AMC hopes to take the alternative content section of the box office to new heights.
