Trafalgar Releasing’s concert film “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” was on song at the U.K. and Ireland box office, debuting at No. 1 with £5.7 million ($6.9 million), according to numbers from Comscore.
The film is now the territory’s highest grossing event cinema release, surpassing National Theatre Live’s filmed play “Prima Facie,” starring Jodie Comer, which collected £5.5 million in 2022. Swifties will now strive to take the film beyond the £9.8 million earnings of “Michael Jackson: This Is It” (2009) to make it the highest-grossing concert film in the U.K. and Ireland.
Tim Richards, founder and CEO of cinema chain Vue International, said: “We saw an incredible response from Swifties across the U.K. and Ireland who dressed up, sang along and danced away with fellow fans, with sell out sessions despite scheduling an unprecedented number of shows so no one missed out.”
Paramount’s “Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie” made a strong debut in second place with £3.3 million. In its second weekend, Universal’s “The Exorcist: Believer” scared up £1 million in third place for a total of £3.4 million. Another Paramount title, “Sumotherhood,” debuted in fourth place with £746,714. Rounding off the top five, in its third weekend, was Disney’s “The Creator” with £643,002, and now has a total of £5.3 million.
The only other debut in the top 10 was Lionsgate’s “The Miracle Club” that bowed in ninth position with £276,379. Disney’s “Frozen” re-release earned £143,635 in 10th position.
Mid-week, on Oct. 19, Trafalgar will take another shot at the event cinema space with the release of “Prince Of Egypt: The Musical.”
Coming up on the weekend are two wide releases opening across more than 300 locations each. Paramount is opening Martin Scorsese’s hugely anticipated “Killers of the Flower Moon,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro and Lily Gladstone, while Universal is bowing the latest in the “Trolls” franchise, “Trolls Band Together,” featuring the voices of Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Camila Cabello, Eric Andre, Amy Schumer, Andrew Rannells, Troye Sivan and Daveed Diggs.
After playing at the New York, Nashville and London film festivals, Met Film Distribution is releasing thriller “Foe,” starring Paul Mescal, Saoirse Ronan and Aaron Pierre.
In keeping with the Halloween season, Vertigo Releasing is opening “It Lives Inside” and “Night Of The Hunted,” while Park Circus is giving a 40th anniversary outing to horror classic “Christine.” Other re-releases include BFI Distribution’s 4K restoration of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s “I Know Where I’m Going!” and Warner Bros.’ 10th anniversary release of Alfonso Cuaron’s multiple Oscar winner “Gravity.”
