‘Taylor Swift: Eras Tour’ Enchants With $95M-$97M Box Office Opening in North America

Taylor Swift's movie — which had hoped to clear $100 million — is already the top-grossing concert film of all time in North America and likely the second-biggest October opening of all time.

Taylor Swift's movie, "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour," did really well at the box office in North America. It didn't quite reach the $100 million mark as expected, but it made an impressive $95-97 million in its opening weekend. This success was largely due to Taylor Swift's dedicated fans.

The movie was shown in 3,850 theaters, and it's being distributed by AMC Theatres. AMC decided to break from the usual practice of providing weekend estimates on Sunday, waiting until Monday to give the official gross. According to Comscore, a company that tracks box office earnings, the movie made around $96 million.

Internationally, "Eras Tour" earned between $31 million and $33 million from 94 countries, bringing its total worldwide earnings to $126 million to $130 million. It became the highest-grossing concert film globally, excluding inflation adjustments, and topped the charts in the U.K., Mexico, Australia, and Germany.

Notably, in its opening weekend, "Eras Tour" became the highest-grossing concert film ever in North America and might even beat the record for the biggest October opening, surpassing "Joker." It's also on track to be one of the top openings of 2023.

Taylor Swift made an unconventional move by partnering with AMC Theatres instead of Hollywood studios to release "Eras Tour." This decision allowed the film to be screened in many theaters. Before its release, AMC had estimated an opening of $100 million domestically, while some expected it to earn between $100 million and $125 million, considering the strong global presales.

The movie received praise from both audiences and critics. Moviegoers gave it an A+ CinemaScore, and it had a rare 100 percent approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, although it had fewer reviews than usual.

Female moviegoers played a significant role in the film's success, with 82 percent of the audience being women. The majority of ticket buyers were between 18 and 34 years old, with the largest group being those aged 25 to 34. Teenagers also turned out in significant numbers.

AMC's executive VP of worldwide programming and chief content officer expressed gratitude to Taylor Swift for making the film available to her fans in theaters worldwide, where they enjoyed her spectacular performance.

Before "Eras Tour," "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never" held the domestic record for the highest-grossing concert film with $73 million, without adjusting for inflation. It earned an additional $26 million overseas for a total of $99 million. Michael Jackson's posthumous documentary/concert film "This Is It" earned $72.1 million in North America and $181.9 million globally.

In other box office news, "The Exorcist: Believer" came in second place with $11 million in its second weekend. "Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie" crossed the $100 million mark in its third weekend, earning $7 million in North America. "Saw X" from Lionsgate was in fourth place with $5.7 million, and "The Creator" from New Regency and Disney rounded out the top five with $4.3 million.

In the specialty box office, "Anatomy of a Fall" had a strong opening, with an average of $25,075 in its first five theaters. The movie, a courtroom drama thriller, won the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.