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First day presales for Taylor Swift film The Official Release Party Of A Showgirl have outstripped those of the artist’s concert documentary The Eras Tour, according to two major European exhibition chains.
“Day one presales have outpaced day one presales for The Eras Tour across our European markets with admissions ahead by 80% (40% in the UK),” said Johnny Carr, head of event cinema and distribution at Vue International, which operates 92 cinemas in UK-Ireland plus venues in Germany, Italy and Netherlands among others.
The Official Release Party Of A Showgirl is an 89-minute behind-the-scenes look at the making of pop star Swift’s new album The Life Of A Showgirl.
The film will have a limited cinema release starting in over 50 territories, beginning at 20.00 BST on October 3 and running until October 5.
Tickets went on sale on Tuesday, September 23 in the UK and Ireland. Swift announced the album on August 13 this year; it will also be released on October 3.
“Within seconds of releasing tickets, we have already seen an incredible response and have increased our number of shows to meet the demand for what is expected to be the biggest music event of the year,” said Carr.
“It’s testament to the big screen experience that the record-breaking artist has chosen cinemas to launch her new album and we look forward to welcoming friends, family and fellow fans to enjoy one of the biggest music events of the year.”
“We’ve sold more tickets in the first 24 hours across our Cineworld locations in the UK and Ireland than we did for The Eras Tour film – a title that previously broke global presale records!” said Stuart Crane, VP of international content at Cineworld Group, which has 89 UK-Ireland venues. “This truly underscores the immense excitement among Swifties to celebrate Taylor’s new album and usher in her new era on the big screen, with many screenings already selling out rapidly.”
“This fantastic response highlights the incredible connection Taylor Swift has with her fans. We encourage fans to secure their tickets soon via the Cineworld website or app to avoid disappointment. Sparks will Fly!”
AMC Theatres – the world’s largest chain by number of venues with 860 cinemas and 9,700 screens – reported today (Friday, September 26) that all 540 of its venues in North America will play the release, with tickets having gone on sale on September 19.
Piece of Magic Entertainment and AMC Theatres Distribution are handling the release.
AMC added that select territories including Latin America and additional European and Asian markets will play the film later in October, with dates and ticketing information for those territories launched on or around October 3. The film will play in over 110 countries in total.
The Official Release Party Of A Showgirl will feature the music video for ‘The Fate of Ophelia’, the lead single from the album; as well as behind-the-scenes footage from the music video shoot, new lyric videos, and Swift’s reflections on the songs from what is her 12th studio album.
Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour opened to £5.7m in the UK & Ireland in October 2023 through Trafalgar Releasing, becoming the highest-grossing event cinema release ever after just three days. It totalled £12.3m in the territory, and took $261m worldwide, including $178m in North America.
Exhibitors will need to balance the need to get customers through the doors for The Official Release Party Of A Showgirl with holding space for other films.
Other new releases on the October 3-5 weekend in the UK & Ireland include Benny Safdie’s The Smashing Machine with Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, through Entertainment Film Distributors; Justin Tipping’s horror Him, produced by Jordan Peele, through Universal; and Harris Dickinson’s UK indie title Urchin through Picturehouse Entertainment.
The first week of October is also a big one for event releases, with multiple concert films from Korean boyband BTS through Trafalgar Releasing, from October 1; and Radiohead X Nosferatu: A Symphony Of Horror, pairing F.W. Murnau’s 1922 horror classic Nosferatu with Radiohead albums Kid A and Amnesiac, through CinemaLive from October 2.
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