The Taylor Swift Eras Tour concert film could open with $100 million

Taylor Swift is already a superstar. Now she is in the process of bringing superhero-style numbers to the cinema.

Just a few days after the pop icon announced that her Eras Tour concert film would be coming to local cinemas in October, tickets quickly sold out. The surge in advance sales has led to theaters large and small offering additional seasons to meet demand.

Box office analysts are not being conservative about their opening weekend expectations. Many predict that Swift’s theatrical run will top $100 million when it debuts.

“It’s still very early days for such a unique release,” said Shawn Robbins, chief analyst at BoxOffice.com. “Nevertheless, nine figures for opening weekend appear to be quite achievable if capacity continues to grow with additional theaters and seasons, and especially if advertising ramps up more in the next few weeks to attract the non-Swifties as part of a real theatrical event.”

Robbins said he wouldn’t be surprised if the film delivers the best opening of any film released in the fourth quarter at its current pace. Especially because many theaters have announced that they will offer unique cinema experiences just for this occasion. The Warehouse Cinemas chain, for example, plans to introduce a glitter-rimmed cotton candy drink (available in cocktail and non-alcoholic mocktail) and edible glitter popcorn for fans dressing up for the film.

The surprise film’s announcement comes at a time when several big-budget films are disappearing from the release calendar. “Dune: Part Two” from Warner Bros. and Legendary Entertainment, as well as “Kraven the Hunter” and the sequel “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” from Sony have all left for 2024 due to two Hollywood labor strikes.

Warner Bros.’ The DC Comics sequel “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” and the “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” prequel “Wonka” are still scheduled for 2023, alongside “The Marvels” from Disney and Marvel Studios.

The film bypasses the traditional studio system model and is distributed directly by AMC Entertainment. The world’s largest film chain is expected to receive a distribution fee of 5% to 6%.

In addition, tickets for the film are more expensive than regular seats. Base prices start at $19.89 for adults and $13.13 for children. The numbers reflect Swift’s year of birth and her lucky number, 13. Tickets for screens in premium format like IMAX and Dolby are more expensive.

The film is scheduled to run Thursday through Sunday through November 5th. However, some have speculated that high box office returns could extend its theatrical run.

“The overwhelming response to news of the film’s release and the subsequent ticket-buying frenzy have taken box office projections to the next level and could create a new model for how to increase box office revenue through special events and non-traditional film content said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore.

Swift’s concert film seems destined to significantly overtake the current record holder for theatrical concert films. Miley Cyrus’ “Best of Both Worlds” tour grossed $31.1 million on its opening weekend in 2008. According to Comscore, it ultimately grossed $70 million worldwide.

“No matter where things end up, Eras is already a resounding success and a welcome addition to theatrical showings that have been at the mercy of strike-related delays to other Hollywood tentpole films previously scheduled for release in the coming months,” Robbins said. “It’s a shining example of Taylor’s remarkable following and business acumen in a year in which she has already dominated the pop culture landscape.”

Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal and CNBC. NBCUniversal is the distributor of “The Super Mario Bros. Movie.”