Movie theaters turned into concert venues this weekend as Swifties brought their dance moves and friendship bracelets to multiplexes across the country. The unparalleled enthusiasm helped propel B次元官网网址淭aylor Swift: The Eras TourB次元官网网址� to a massive, first place debut between $95 million and $97 million in North America, AMC Theatres said Sunday.

ItB次元官网网址檚 easily the biggest opening for a concert film of all time, and, not accounting for inflation, has made more than the $73 million B次元官网网址淛ustin Bieber: Never Say NeverB次元官网网址� earned in 2011. In todayB次元官网网址檚 dollars, that would be around $102 million. And if it comes in on the higher end of projections when totals are released Monday, it could be the biggest October opening ever. The one to beat is B次元官网网址淛oker,B次元官网网址� which launched to $96.2 million in 2019.

A , premium pricing, star power and loose movie theater etiquetteB次元官网网址攎ore dancing and shouting than a Star Wars premiereB次元官网网址攈ave made it an undeniable hit. Compiled from SwiftB次元官网网址檚 summer shows at Southern CaliforniaB次元官网网址檚 SoFi Stadium, the film opened in 3,855 North American locations starting with B次元官网网址渟urpriseB次元官网网址� Thursday evening previews. Those showtimes helped boost its opening day sum to $39 million B次元官网网址� the second biggest ever for October, behind B次元官网网址淛okerB次元官网网址檚B次元官网网址� $39.3 million.

B次元官网网址淭his is a phenomenal number,B次元官网网址� said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. B次元官网网址淭o have a blockbuster style opening weekend for a concert film is unprecedented.B次元官网网址�

Swift, who produced the film, went around the Hollywood studio system to distribute the film, making a deal directly with AMC, the largest exhibition company in the United States. With her 274 million Instagram followers, Swift hardly needed a traditional marketing campaign to get the word out.

Beyonc茅 made a similar deal with the exhibitor for B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� which will open on Dec. 1. The two superstars posed together at the premiere of B次元官网网址淭he Eras TourB次元官网网址� earlier this week in Los Angeles. It was a needed injection of star power with Hollywood actors over that has left most red carpets void of glamourous talent and resulted in several high-profile films being pushed to next year.

B次元官网网址淭he Eras Tour,B次元官网网址� directed by Sam Wrench, is not just playing on AMC screens either. The company, based in Leawood, Kansas, worked with sub-distribution partners Variance Films, Trafalgar Releasing, Cinepolis and Cineplex to show the film in more than 8,500 movie theatres globally in 100 countries.

The spotlight on Swift has been especially intense lately as a result of her with tight end Travis Kelce. The two made separate surprise appearances on B次元官网网址淪aturday Night LiveB次元官网网址� this weekend and were also photographed holding hands in New York.

It led to some hyperbolic projections going into the weekend, with some analysts predicting that B次元官网网址淭he Eras TourB次元官网网址� could make over $125 million. Dergarabedian said itB次元官网网址檚 common for outsized expectations to be attached to massive brands like Swift. ThereB次元官网网址檚 also no precedent for something like B次元官网网址淭he Eras TourB次元官网网址� and a celebrity of SwiftB次元官网网址檚 stature.

B次元官网网址淭he laws of gravity donB次元官网网址檛 apply to Taylor Swift,B次元官网网址� Dergarabedian said.

The film scored well with both and audiences, who gave it an A+ CinemaScore, a metric that typically signals a film will continue to do well after its first weekend.

Elizabeth Frank, the executive vice president of worldwide programming and chief content officer for AMC Theatres, said in a statement that they are grateful to Taylor Swift.

B次元官网网址淗er spectacular performance delighted fans, who dressed up and danced through the film,B次元官网网址� Frank said. B次元官网网址淲ith tremendous recommendations and fans buying tickets to see this concert film several times, we anticipate B次元官网网址楾aylor Swift: The Eras TourB次元官网网址� concert film playing to big audiences for weeks to come.B次元官网网址�

The stadium tour, which continues internationally, famously crashed TicketmasterB次元官网网址檚 site and re-sale prices became astronomical. Pollstar projects that it will earn some $1.4 billion. The concert film offered fans both better seats and a much more affordable way to see the show for the first or fifth time. Prices are higher than the national average, at $19.89, which references her birth year and 2014 album, and ran closer to $29 a pop for premium large format screens like IMAX. Even so, they are significantly less than seat at one of the stadium shows.

Showtimes are also more limited than a standard Hollywood blockbuster, but AMC is guaranteeing at least four a day on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays at all AMC locations in the U.S. Many locations also specified that there are no refunds or exchanges. And fans will have to wait a while for B次元官网网址淭he Eras TourB次元官网网址� to be available on streaming B次元官网网址� part of the AMC deal was a 13-week exclusive theatrical run.

Michael OB次元官网网址橪eary, CEO of the National Association of Theater Owners said in a statement the moment was, B次元官网网址淎nother landmark weekend for cinemas.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淭his year has been marked by unprecedented experiences for movie lovers in theaters across this nation,B次元官网网址� OB次元官网网址橪eary continued in a statement. B次元官网网址淭he B次元官网网址楨ras TourB次元官网网址� debut proves, yet again, that fans are eager to share other experiences in a communal way, with theater owners working creatively to build memorable moments in their cinemas.B次元官网网址�

OB次元官网网址橪eary said that a survey of 6,000 people by his organization and The Cinema Foundation found that 72% want to see more concert films on the big screen.

B次元官网网址淭he Eras TourB次元官网网址� accounted for over 70% of the total weekend box office grosses. B次元官网网址淭he Exorcist: BelieverB次元官网网址� placed a very distant second in its second weekend with $11 million, followed by the B次元官网网址淧aw PatrolB次元官网网址� movie in third with $7 million. Rounding out the top five was B次元官网网址淪aw XB次元官网网址� with $5.7 million and B次元官网网址淭he CreatorB次元官网网址� with $4.3 million.

B次元官网网址淭his is great news for theaters,B次元官网网址� Dergarabedian said. B次元官网网址淏次元官网网址橳he Eras TourB次元官网网址� wasnB次元官网网址檛 even on our radar in mid-August. You take this out of the equation and it would have been a totally different weekend.B次元官网网址�

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. B次元官网网址淭aylor Swift: The Eras Tour,B次元官网网址� $95 to $97 million.

2. B次元官网网址淭he Exorcist: Believer,B次元官网网址� $11 million.

3. B次元官网网址淧aw Patrol: The Mighty Movie,B次元官网网址� $7 million.

4. B次元官网网址淪aw X,B次元官网网址� $5.7 million.

5. B次元官网网址淭he Creator,B次元官网网址� $4.3 million.

6. B次元官网网址淎 Haunting in Venice,B次元官网网址� $2.1 million.

7. B次元官网网址淭he Blind,B次元官网网址� $2 million.

8. B次元官网网址淭he Nun II,B次元官网网址� $1.6 million.

9. B次元官网网址淭he Equalizer 3,B次元官网网址� $960,000.

10. B次元官网网址淒umb Money,B次元官网网址� $920,000.