Taylor Swift’s Showgirl Set for Unprecedented Box Office Opening

LOS ANGELES, CA — Taylor Swift‘s new concert film, ‘Showgirl,’ is projected to dominate the box office this weekend, with domestic estimates ranging between $30 million and $35 million across 3,500 locations. The film’s release aligns with the debut of the 14-time Grammy winner’s latest studio album.

Tailored for the U.S. and Canada markets, ‘Showgirl’ marks an unprecedented distribution strategy, being released just two weeks after its announcement and with minimal marketing, heavily relying on Swift’s social media presence to drive ticket sales. Internationally, the film is available in over 50 markets and expected to earn an additional $8 million to $10 million, potentially bringing its global box office total to $45 million.

While the exact director remains under wraps, Swift has directed several of her own music videos and had previously worked with filmmaker Sam Wrench on her last concert film, ‘The Eras Tour,’ which had a staggering opening of $100 million. This time, tracking suggests a strong interest from women under 25, who are leading the ticket sales.

Friday saw Swift’s film achieve the sixth-best first-day presales in AMC‘s history with around $7.5 million. Currently, presales are reported to have surpassed $20 million. ‘Showgirl’ will be limited to one weekend of screenings without Thursday previews.

The promotional strategy includes an appearance on ‘The Graham Norton Show’ in the UK and a pop-up event in New York City running through October 2. Swift is scheduled to appear on ‘Saturday Night Live’ and ‘Late Night With Seth Meyers’ next week.

As ‘Showgirl’ enters the market, it faces competition from Dwayne Johnson‘s latest film and the second weekend of Paul Thomas Anderson‘s ‘One Battle After Another.’ Disney is re-releasing ‘Avatar‘ in 3D, intensifying the competition for premium large format theaters (PLFs) this weekend.

Meanwhile, A24’s ‘Smashing Machine,’ directed by Benny Safdie and focused on MMA fighter Mark Kerr, is projecting a $9 million to $10 million opening but is experiencing lower estimates than initially anticipated due to mixed reviews. Other films like ‘Bone Lake’ and ‘Good Boy’ are also debuting this weekend but with lower expectations.