Checkmate, she couldn’t lose. Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour” has passed a remarkable box office milestone. The concert film has grossed more than $250 million worldwide, including $178.2 million domestically and $71.8 million internationally after seven weeks in theaters.
It is the 19th highest grossing release of the year worldwide, recently surpassing Sound of Freedom ($248 million) and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves ($208 million). In North America, The Eras Tour is the 11th biggest release of 2023, now ahead of Mission: Impossible – The Phantom Menace” ($172 million) and “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” ($174 million).
In its opening weekend, The Eras Tour became the highest-grossing concert film in domestic box office history, surpassing 2011’s Justin Bieber: Never Say Never” ($73 million). It’s still battling it out with the genre’s worldwide record holder, 2009’s Michael Jackson: This Is It ($261 million).
“The Eras Tour” was a unique theatrical experiment for several reasons. It began its run by playing in cinemas only on Thursdays through Sundays, meaning audiences couldn’t see the film on the odd Tuesday. And the tickets are more expensive than the average film. Swift set the ticket price for adults at $19.89, a nod to her birth year and her 2014 album. Children and seniors got in for $13.13, a reference to her lucky number. These numerically coded fees are higher than the average ticket price in the country, and may have counteracted the lack of midweek screenings.
In addition to its unorthodox showtimes and pricing, The Eras Tour was distributed by AMC Theatres, the world’s largest cinema chain, rather than a major studio. Beyoncé brokered a similar deal with AMC for Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé,” which opens December 1.
Swift, who produced the film herself, will take home about 57% of ticket sales, with the exhibitors keeping the rest and AMC taking a small distribution fee. After its theatrical run, the pop star was able to strike a separate deal to bring the concert film to the big screen. She announced on Monday that her “Eras Tour” film will be released for streaming on her birthday, December 13 – and it will include three songs from the tour that were not included in the film’s theatrical release.
