Key Takeaways
- Taylor Swift's Impact: The release of Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour marked a significant moment in cinema, becoming the highest-grossing concert film ever.
- Box Office Success: The film grossed $180 million in North America and $261 million globally, showcasing the demand for concert films.
- Changing Landscape: Major studios are releasing fewer films, making concert films increasingly vital for theaters’ revenue.
- Innovative Approaches: AMC’s Arena One initiative highlights the growing trend of interactive concert experiences in theaters.
In the fall of 2023, Taylor Swift briefly became not just the biggest star in music, but the biggest star at the multiplex.
That October, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour opened to $93 million at the North American box office over its opening weekend, stunning the film business and helping kick off a new wave of theatrically released concert films. Importantly, it also arrived amid a sparse theatrical release calendar due to the overlapping writers’ and actors’ strikes, making it a godsend for movie theaters that were starved for content. In this way, it showcased the important role concert films can play for film exhibitors, which are increasingly looking to alternative content as the number of major studio releases declines and audiences stay home to stream from their couches.
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“Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour completely changed the conversation,” says Brooks LeBeouf, senior vp of U.S. content at Regal Cinemas, the second-largest movie theater chain in the U.S. “It became the highest-grossing concert film of all time and proved that audiences will turn out for premium music experiences in theaters.”
The Eras Tour film, which finished its run having earned $180 million in North America and $261 million globally, according to Box Office Mojo, certainly wasn’t the first hit concert film at movie theaters in the modern era. In the late 2000s and early 2010s, there was a wave of such films targeting young fans of stars like Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus (2008’s Best of Both Worlds, $65 million in North America), Justin Bieber (2011’s Never Say Never, $73 million) and One Direction (2013’s This Is Us, $29 million). In 2009, just months after Michael Jackson’s death, the MJ concert film This Is It also proved to be a major draw, grossing $72 million domestically.
The difference between then and now is that major studios release considerably fewer films today. That makes concert films and other alternative content increasingly important in padding out theaters’ bottom lines, says Daniel Loria, senior vp of content strategy and editorial director at Boxoffice Media, who cites increasing consolidation as a major reason for the shift.
“In 2015, when Fox operated independently as a studio [prior to being acquired by Disney], Fox Searchlight and 20th Century Fox released 26 movies,” Loria says. “Last year, as a division of Disney, 20th Century Studios and Searchlight Pictures combined released, I think, nine movies. So you basically erase two-thirds of the market value of a major studio at the box office. That’s massive.”
And with the looming (albeit not yet certain) acquisition of Warner Bros. by the David Ellison-led Paramount, he says, there could be even fewer major studio releases on the horizon.
“The quantity of [concert films doesn’t] necessarily make up for missing one studio film,” says Jeff Kaufman, senior vp of film and marketing at Malco Theatres, which has 37 locations in the Midwest and Southeastern U.S. “But it gives us an opportunity to fill a space during the week and during the weekend that may not be that strong based on the films that we’re playing.”
Perhaps the biggest sign of theaters’ increasing reliance on alternative content, and concert films in particular, arrived in May. That month, AMC Theatres, the largest theater chain in the U.S., announced a new initiative called Arena One that would see artists including Paris Hilton, Bebe Rexha, Kim Petras and Maren Morris performing concerts from a purpose-built stage in Pennsylvania, beamed live to more than 300 AMC locations across the U.S. Unlike traditional concert films, these shows will have an interactive element, allowing artists to see and actually communicate with fans in theaters across the country.
“The artist can literally walk up to the edge of our stage in our studio and point to you at the [AMC at the] Grove [mall in Los Angeles], and say, ‘Hey, love that black sweater you’re wearing. Stand up and tell them what you want to say,’” says Rohit Kapoor, founder and chief creative officer of Artist One, which partnered with AMC for the Arena One initiative.
Originally slated for June, the Arena One shows were postponed just weeks after they were announced, ostensibly due to strong recent box office receipts and “a robust lineup of films and strong advance ticket sales in the weeks ahead,” according to a statement released by the company. (AMC Theatres did not respond to multiple requests for updates on the initiative.)
“If you run a three-screen cinema or a small circuit, [having fewer major studio releases is] not a huge deal…but AMC is the mall multiplex company,” Loria says. “They are in a unique position of having to innovate and fill those screens.”
While “alternative content” can take many forms, from TV series finales (Stranger Things), to Netflix movies repurposed for the big screen (KPop Demon Hunters), to sports (World Cup games, F1 races), to live broadcasts of plays from Broadway and the West End, and, yes, marching band competitions (distributor Fathom Entertainment’s DCI 2026: Big, Loud and Live), music content is a critical part of the calculus.
“I think people want to come out of the house and gather communally,” says Ray Nutt, CEO of Fathom Entertainment, which is co-owned by AMC Theatres, Cinemark and Regal Cinemas and has released concert films from BTS, Garth Brooks, Christina Aguilera and Andrea Bocelli among others. “I think [with] music especially they want to gather take their friends to the [theater].”
Such films can help movie theaters fill seats during slower weekday periods. Jamie Woglom, senior vp of marketing and strategic partnerships at Trafalgar Releasing—a giant in this space whose recent releases include concert films for KATSEYE, ATEEZ and Sia—says they often schedule these films’ opening nights on weekdays. “Because [concert films are] more like appointment viewing you’re driving fans into theaters during those off-peak hours,” she explains.
Of course artists also stand to gain from these releases. “It allows them to reach communities where they may not be touring or reach fans that are maybe fringe fans that may not make that investment in a $300 or $400 ticket evening out with a babysitter,” says Kymberli Frueh, executive vp of content acquisitions and programming at Trafalgar. “It really introduces that fringe audience to artists in an intimate way.” Concert films also super-serve artists’ more ardent followers who will go see live shows at traditional venues while also buying tickets to concert movies when they hit theaters.
These screenings can also benefit an artist’s merch operation with movie theaters increasingly offering artist-specific merchandise for sale before shows. As Woglom puts it: “Exhibitors are getting more interested in carrying [merch],” which they also get a cut from. “Anytime you have a fervid fan base they want to be as close to talent as possible,” says Regal’s LaBeouf. “And if that comes through merchandise created or signed off on by talent that just adds to event-type experience.”
There are other less obvious ways artists can benefit from such content. In some cases it can give their teams an idea of untapped markets they should prioritize on tour. “I have a project I’m working on now management hasn’t toured certain areas but they’re like ‘This could be really interesting if fan base is robust enough that can help shape our tour going forward,’” she explains.
Despite growing importance of concert films to movie theaters’ business models Loria notes they still make up relatively small percentage overall box office with exception of The Eras Tour, rarely bringing headline-grabbing amounts of money. Even Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé, capturing one of biggest tours from one of biggest artists on Earth only managed No. 60 on year-end U.S. box office tally with still-respectable $34 million — just behind M. Night Shyamalan thriller Knock at Cabin. Earlier this year much-ballyhooed Billie Eilish concert film directed by James Cameron (Billie Eilish: Hit Me Hard Soft) was viewed by some as underperformer bringing about $9.9 million domestically $26.7 million worldwide off reported $20 million budget. But unlike traditional studio tentpole releases often saddled with budgets over $100 million stakes for concert films are relatively low.
“No one’s looking at [concert films] saying ‘We need this perform.’ They’re saying that about Avatar, they’re saying that about Marvel they’re saying that about Supergirl,” says Loria. “So [the] Billie [Eilish] movie it’s not massive hit but doesn’t have to be; it’s not designed be that it’s designed add weekend moviegoing maybe mitigate some losses.”
