With The Eras Tour, Taylor Swift hasn’t just achieved the highest-grossing concert tour in history –– but it’s also become the highest-grossing concert film of all time.
As of January 7, 2024, AMC Theatres Distribution and AMC Entertainment made the official announcement that Swift’s The Eras Tour had reached an amount of $261.6 million in global box office earnings –– beating out the record of Michael Jackson’s posthumous release of This Is It, which amassed $261.2 million during its theatrical release in the year 2009.
The ascent to this record-breaking feat was apparent from its initial release last October 13th, as The Eras Tour made waves with a staggering $126 million global opening weekend — a remarkable achievement that solidified its position as the most successful concert film debut in history. Following the robust debut weekend in the United States, the film continued its triumphant run with an impressive $8.7 million opening in China just last week, making waves since its premiere on December 31, 2023.
Courtesy of Kevin C. Winter (Getty Images)
Breaking away from conventional release methods, Swift opted for an exclusive partnership with AMC Theatres, the world’s largest cinema chain, which enabled the pop star to earn an impressive amount of 57% of the ticket revenue as the film’s producer, with individual theaters claiming the remaining share. In response to this monumental achievement, Adam Aron, AMC Chairman, and CEO, expressed his congratulations and eternal gratitude to Taylor Swift. Aron remarked, “Her spectacular performance delighted fans around the world and serves as another strong reminder about the power of extraordinary filmmaking and the magic of movie theaters.”
Helmed by director Sam Wrench, The Eras Tour captures Taylor Swift and her ensemble of performers showcasing forty songs spanning her prolific discography of ten studio albums in a three-hour theatrical experience. With its impressive box-office performance worldwide, the film was also nominated for a new category at the 2024 Golden Globes, for the Cinematic and Box Office Achievement award. However, despite the stiff competition, Swift’s concert film ultimately conceded the trophy to Barbie.
Courtesy of John Shearer (Getty Images)
This latest achievement adds to Taylor Swift’s stellar year, marked by being named TIME Magazine’s Person of the Year for 2023, earning the title of the most-streamed artist globally on Spotify with over 26.1 billion streams, and securing Apple Music’s Artist of the Year for 2023 with 65 of her songs reaching Apple Music’s Global Daily Top 100 from January to October of last year.
Aside from Swift’s The Eras Tour, Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour has also made a significant mark on the film industry with the release of the documentary film Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé. The artist, also having signed a distribution agreement with AMC Theaters, released the concert film on December 1, 2023 The documentary made its US debut on December 1, 2023, and has earned an impressive amount of $44 million in the global box office so far.