The concert film “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” is currently enjoying a robust presale period, with ticket sales exceeding $65 million. This impressive figure includes presales from major U.S. theater chains such as AMC, Regal, and Cinemark, as well as Canada’s Cineplex and Mexico’s Cinépolis. These presales figures have already surpassed the advance ticket sales of blockbuster superhero films like “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” ($60 million) and “The Batman” ($42 million), both of which recorded their presales just before their respective release dates.
While “The Eras Tour” falls short of the pandemic presales record set by “Spider-Man: No Way Home” at $120 million, industry insiders are cautiously optimistic about its potential. Many distribution sources speculate that the film could achieve a $100 million opening weekend at the box office. However, one key consideration is whether the movie will experience front-loaded attendance, as female moviegoers tend to flock to initial showings. Additionally, whether it will generate repeat business similar to films like “Barbie” remains to be seen.
Nevertheless, even if the film crosses the $70 million mark, it would be a remarkable achievement for a concert film. Notably, the fan base, known as Swifties, is poised to outperform the entire domestic runs of past concert films, including “Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert” ($65.2 million in 2008), “Justin Bieber: Never Say Never” ($73 million in 2011), and “Michael Jackson’s This Is It” ($72 million in 2009).
As previously reported, several studios made strategic scheduling decisions to avoid competing with the AMC-distributed concert film, which will begin with previews on October 12. “The Eras Tour” is scheduled to run for four consecutive weekends, including a Tuesday and Halloween night. Any competing films that lose weekend showtimes hope to compensate during the week when Swift’s film is not playing.
During the Toronto Film Festival, it was revealed that “The Eras Tour” secured a SAG-AFTRA interim agreement, potentially allowing Taylor Swift to actively promote the movie. Details about her promotional plans, including whether she will make appearances at theaters during the opening weekend or engage in live Q&A sessions, are still under wraps. This move could generate excitement among fans and boost box office performance, similar to the Talking Heads reunion during the 40th anniversary of A24’s “Stop Making Sense,” which earned over $640,000 at 165 Imax locations, setting a record as the largest live event for the large-format exhibitor.
In a curious coincidence, Taylor Swift is currently on a break from her Eras Tour and is not scheduled to resume live shows until November 9 in Buenos Aires.
Disclaimer: The views, suggestions, and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the experts. No Atlas Story journalist was involved in the writing and production of this article.
