(Image source: Republic Records, Pinterest)
Two years ago, Taylor Swift's "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour" concert film swept the global box office with $260 million. Last weekend, Swift brought a "release party" for her new album, "The Life of a Showgirl," to North American cinemas, and it predictably became another box office phenomenon. The event raked in $33 million in its opening weekend domestically and an additional $13 million internationally, for a global debut of $46 million.
(Image source: A24 Films)
The case of "The Life of a Showgirl" is unique; it's not a traditional film or a concert documentary, but rather a screening of music videos and behind-the-scenes footage. Despite a very short promotional window and a sudden announcement of its release, its ability to top the box office against other films underscores Swift's undeniable drawing power.
However, it wasn't good news for everyone. Dwayne Johnson's new biographical film, "The Smashing Machine," which opened the same weekend as Swift's event, cost nearly $60 million to produce but only managed to pull in $6 million in its opening week. This marks the lowest opening weekend box office for a film starring Johnson in his career. Typically, box office numbers decline in subsequent weeks, suggesting "The Smashing Machine" may struggle to even cross the $20 million mark in North America.