Swifties Pack Cinemas as ‘Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl’ Dominates Box Office
Taylor Swift’s latest cinematic venture has taken the box office by storm. In a remarkable debut, Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl grossed approximately $33 million in North America during its opening weekend—an impressive feat for a film announced just two weeks prior.
The three-day limited release coincided with the launch of Swift’s new album, The Life of a Showgirl, and was screened in more than 3,700 theaters across the U.S. and Canada, along with another 3,588 venues internationally. AMC Theatres reported that the film brought in an estimated $13 million overseas, bringing total global earnings to about $46 million.
“On behalf of AMC Theatres and the entire theatrical exhibition industry, I extend our sincerest appreciation to the iconic Taylor Swift for bringing her brilliance and magic to movie theatres this weekend,” said AMC CEO Adam Aron in a statement. “Her vision to add a cinematic element to her incredible album debut was nothing less than a triumph.”
Unlike 2023’s record-breaking The Eras Tour concert film, Swift’s latest project made history as the first album-debut movie to top the domestic box office and the highest-grossing release of its kind, according to AMC.
Film analyst Paul Dergarabedian of Comscore praised Swift’s understanding of cinema’s cultural power: “Taylor Swift just realizes how important a movie theater is as a cultural touchstone. Her fans can all be together without having to go to one of her concerts.”
Industry expert David A. Gross of FranchiseRe echoed that sentiment, describing the performance as something “no other musical artist on the planet can do.”
Elsewhere at the box office, Warner Bros.’ One Battle After Another slipped to second place with $11 million, a 49% drop from last weekend. A24’s The Smashing Machine, starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, underperformed expectations with $6 million in third place.
“This is what October is all about,” said Dergarabedian, noting that the season favors quality and awards buzz over blockbuster-scale openings.
Universal’s Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie followed in fourth with $5.2 million, while The Conjuring: Last Rites rounded out the top five at $4 million.
Anime continues to draw strong audiences as Sony-owned Crunchyroll’s Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle remained in the top 10, reaching $124.6 million domestically. Its success has heightened anticipation for Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc, which debuts October 24 in North America after earning $23.7 million in its first 15 days in Japan.
“Anime is always so challenging to predict because that audience is still growing,” said Shawn Robbins of Fandango and Box Office Theory. “But after Infinity Castle, expectations for Chainsaw Man are definitely higher.”
For now, though, the spotlight remains firmly on Swift – whose ability to turn music releases into cinematic blockbusters has once again rewritten the rules of pop culture success.
