Swift returns at box office for Taylor's concert film
Pop singer Taylor Swift ruled movie box offices over the weekend as her concert film transformed darkened cinemas into dance floors and hauled in an estimated US$126 million-plus around the world. Moviegoers dressed in concert T-shirts and sequins for screenings of "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour." At many showings, fans stood to sing along and move to the beat of "Shake It Off," "Anti-Hero" and other hits from Swift's 17-year career. The turnout provided a welcome jolt to cinemas facing a lacklustre autumn slate after a strike by Hollywood actors prompted studios to delay titles such as "Dune: Part Two." US and Canadian ticket sales for "The Eras Tour" were expected to reach US$95 million to US$97 million by the end of Sunday, distributor AMC Theatres said. That would surpass the US$73 million that Justin Bieber's 2011 release "Never Say Never," the current record holder for a concert film, collected over its entire run. "This is a superstar debut," Jeff Bock, senior box office analyst at Exhibitor Relations, said of Swift's film. "It was a party in a movie theater." "The Eras Tour" added as much as US$33 million in international markets, according to AMC estimates, for a global total of US$126 million to US$130 million. The concert is set to be shown in theatres in more countries including Brazil, South Korea and Malaysia in November. Final weekend results will be released on Monday. (Reuters)