Having conquered the world’s biggest stadiums with her sold-out concert tours, Taylor Swift is proving again she can rule the big screen, too.
Her newest theatrical effort, “The Official Release Party of a Showgirl,” is dancing to the top of box office charts with $33 million over the weekend. The “cinematic experience,” as the project has been dubbed, collected another $13 million at the international box office for a global total of $46 million. It’s a significant tally given that “Showgirl” was announced just over two weeks ago and landed in theaters with minimal promotion outside of Swift’s social media feeds. AMC is distributing “The Official Release Party of a Showgirl,” which isn’t a traditional movie, or a concert film like Swift’s record-breaking “The Eras Tour,” but instead a 89-minute listening party that offers fans a look at a new music video and behind-the-scenes footage for her 12th studio album, “The Life of a Showgirl.” This is Swift’s second No. 1 box office debut after 2023’s “The Eras Tour,” which opened to a staggering $93.2 million.
“No other musical artist on the planet can do this,” says David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research.
A self-proclaimed fan of numerology, Swift put tickets on sale for $12, which is above the national average price but below the cost in major cities like New York City or Los Angeles. Audience reception has been stellar (a rare “A+” grade on CinemaScore exit polls) but no matter the feedback, “The Official Release Party of a Showgirl” is only slated for the weekend of Oct. 3 through 5. That means the Swift-induced box office bump will be brief.
“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,” AMC’s CEO Adam Aron said in a statement. “Her vision to add a cinematic element to her incredible album debut was nothing less than a triumph.”
Elsewhere at the box office, audiences couldn’t smell what the Rock was cooking. This weekend’s other newcomer, Dwayne Johnson’s R-rated sports drama “The Smashing Machine,” cratered in third place with $6 million from 3,345 venues. Those ticket sales were below projections of $8 million to $15 million and mark a career-low for Johnson, below his 2010 thriller “Faster” ($8.5 million, not adjusted for inflation). Ignominious records aside, it’s a blow to A24, which spent $50 million to produce the movie — and many millions more on promotional efforts, including stops at Venice and Toronto Film Festival. Heading out of the Lido, “The Smashing Machine” was greeted with a lengthy standing ovation and considered an Oscar contender, but it’s unclear now if the disastrous commercial turnout will hurt the film’s awards chances.
Part of the disconnect is that “The Smashing Machine” features a rare dramatic performance from Johnson, who is best known for family friendly franchises like “Jumanji” or “Fast and Furious.” He plays wrestler and UFC champion Mark Kerr as he makes a career comeback after battling substance abuse. Emily Blunt plays Kerr’s then-girlfriend, Dawn Staples. Though critics were kinder (a 73% on Rotten Tomatoes), audiences dismissed the film with a “B-” grade on CinemaScore exit polls. Benny Safdie, who rose to arthouse fame with his older brother Josh on films like “Uncut Gems” and “Good Time,” directed “The Smashing Machine” in his solo debut.
“Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt are strong leads who have elevated bigger pictures. It’s not happening here,” Gross says. “American wrestling is a local phenomenon, and that will limit it abroad.”
Second place was Leonardo DiCaprio’s comedic action epic “One Battle After Another” with 10.3 million from 3,634 theaters, declining 53% from its debut. So far, the film has earned $41 million in North America and $101.7 million globally. On one hand, it’s officially the highest-grossing film of director Paul Thomas Anderson’s career, overtaking 2007’s Western “There Will Be Blood” ($76.4 million globally). On the other, “One Battle” cost above $130 million to produce and doesn’t seem to have the staying power needed to justify its outsized budget. Since ticket sales are typically split 50-50 between studios and theater operators, “One Battle After Another” requires roughly $300 million to break even theatrically.
Also this weekend, Disney re-released “Avatar: The Way of Water,” which swam to $3.2 million from 2,140 domestic locations. The blockbuster epic added another $6.8 million overseas, bringing its weekend tally to $10 million. The studio brought director James Cameron’s sequel back to screens to stoke excitement for the third entry, “Avatar: Fire and Ash,” which opens in December. The original “Avatar” and its looooong-delayed sequel “The Way of Water” each grossed over $2 billion globally and stand as two of the biggest movies in history. Will “Fire and Ash” complete the trifecta?
