LOS ANGELES, United States — Movie theatres 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 Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour to a massive, first-place debut between US$95 million and US$97 million in North America, AMC Theatres said yesterday.

It’s easily the biggest opening for a concert film of all time, and — not accounting for inflation — has made more than the US$73 million Justin Bieber: Never Say Never earned in 2011. In today’s dollars that would be around US$102 million. And if it comes in on the higher end of projections when totals are released today, it could be the biggest October opening ever. The one to beat is Joker, which launched to $96.2 million in 2019.

A unique experiment in distribution, premium pricing, star power and loose movie theater etiquette — more dancing and shouting than a Star Wars premiere — have made it an undeniable hit. Compiled from Swift’s summer shows at southern California’s SoFi Stadium, the film opened in 3,855 North American locations, starting with “surprise” Thursday evening previews. Those showtimes helped boost its opening day sum to US$39 million — the second-biggest ever for October, behind Joker’s US$39.3 million.

Internationally, it’s estimated to have earned somewhere between US$31 to US$33 million, bringing its global total in the range of US$126 million to US$130 million.

“This is a phenomenal number,” said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. “To have a blockbuster-style opening weekend for a concert film is unprecedented.”

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.

Beyoncé made a similar deal with the exhibitor for Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé, which will open on December 1. The two superstars posed together at the premiere of ‘The Eras Tour‘ earlier this week in Los Angeles. It was a needed injection of star power, with Hollywood actors over 90 days into a strike that has left most red carpets void of glamourous talent and resulted in several high-profile films being pushed to next year.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at US and Canadian theatres, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released today.

1. Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, US$95 to US$97 million

2. The Exorcist: Believer, US$11 million

3. Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie, US$7 million

4. Saw X, US$5.7 million

5. The Creator, US$4.3 million

6. A Haunting in Venice, US$2.1 million

7. The Blind, US$2 million

8. The Nun II, US$1.6 million

9. The Equalizer 3, US$960,000

10. Dumb Money, US$920,000