Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” concert film is projected to earn over $90 million domestically in its opening weekend, making it one of the biggest debuts of 2022.
The self-distributed film brought in $2.8 million from Thursday previews, though weekend projections remain wide-ranging between $90-$130 million. It opened on 3,850 screens.
Friday estimates land around $37-$39 million, which would be the second-biggest October opening day ever behind 2019’s “Joker” at $39.3 million. It blew past advance projections.
At $90 million, “Eras Tour” would have the seventh-highest opening weekend of 2022. And it would rank as the biggest debut ever for a concert movie, soaring past Justin Bieber’s “Never Say Never” at $29 million in 2011.
Beyond fans rushing out on opening night, the film needs to keep drawing in more casual moviegoers throughout the weekend. But Swift’s dedicated fanbase, or “Swifties,” consistently turn out in huge numbers for her projects.
With no traditional studio marketing, Swift herself promoted the movie minimally on social media to her hundreds of millions of followers. Advance ticket sales and Thursday previews indicate enormous enthusiasm for the film capturing her record-breaking tour.
The box office needed this jolt, as the acting strike has hampered the fall season. For AMC Theatres, distributing a film themselves and having it open to these numbers is a major coup.
Audience exits are hugely positive so far, with Swift possibly earning a rare A+ CinemaScore. Critical reviews are also glowing with a 99% Rotten Tomatoes average.
Competition is light, so “Eras Tour” should continue selling out theaters all weekend. Its success highlights Swift’s unique ability to translate her musical dominance into box office riches.
Whatever the final gross, Swift is cementing her status as the defining pop culture force of her era. Once again, she’s accomplishing what no other artist can.
