In October 2023, Taylor Swift brought her Eras Tour concert film to the big screen, delighting fans who simply could not get enough of her record-breaking Eras concert. TAYLOR SWIFT: THE ERAS TOUR earned over $93M in its opening weekend and was a welcome addition to the fall movie release schedule.
This weekend, Ms. Swift is back again on the big screen with the TAYLOR SWIFT: THE OFFICIAL RELEASE PARTY OF A SHOWGIRL movie event, which dropped into theatres on the same day as her album “The Life of a Showgirl.” And once again, the singer has stolen the show with a box office-leading three-day total of $33.0M. The total box office for all movies this weekend was $82.3M, slightly less than the $88.3M earned on this weekend last year when Warner Bros.’ JOKER: FOLIE A DEUX opened with $37.7M.
Without the Taylor Swift movie, which was announced only two weeks ago, this weekend would have been very disappointing, with all other films only producing $49.3M. Next weekend, the box office should upshift with the release of Disney’s action, adventure, sci-fi sequel TRON: ARES. It will do much, much better than the top film of that weekend last year, the horror flick TERRIFIER 3 from Cinevision, which earned $18.9M.
First Place
TAYLOR SWIFT: THE OFFICIAL RELEASE PARTY OF A SHOWGIRL is unconventional, neither a movie nor a documentary. Why would anything about the world’s top entertainer be conventional? The movie experience includes the world premiere of the music video for “The Fate of Ophelia,” behind-the-scenes footage of the star, and a running commentary from Swift about the music on the album.
Perhaps the best description of the event is an album-concept film. Two years ago, TAYLOR SWIFT: THE ERAS TOUR took in $93.2M domestic and $2617M worldwide in its 13-week run. The new movie was conceived as a way to promote the singer’s new album, with both being released on the same day.
As a salute to this being the 12th studio album of Swift’s career, tickets for the film were priced at $12 per person, regardless of format, and not including taxes and service fees. Its theatrical run will be limited to the three days of the weekend.
While AMC is credited as the distributor of the film, virtually all of the details of its release were dictated by Swift and her team. As soon as tickets went on sale at 12:12 PM on September 19th, online ticket sellers were inundated with a feverish demand, with fans purchasing $15M of tickets in the first 24 hours.
Even after the initial rush, advance ticket sales have been brisk, culminating in this weekend’s total box office number of $33.0M. While it is rare for a movie to win the box office in its opening and not continue for a second weekend, it has happened twice in the past six weeks, following Netflix’s KPOP DEMON HUNTERS box office leading two-day event on August 23 and 24.
While most exhibitors are happy to have this “bonus” feature to play, they are also left wondering the additional money that could have been earned if the movie had been allowed to play for a typical length run.
Swift describes the film as a “dazzling soirée” and encourages fans to dig out their orange cardigans and other Eras Tour outfits and come to the cinema for a dance party. That said, theatres have needed to remind revelers of safety rules that prohibit stepping up on seats or blocking the aisles.
Having a runtime of 89 minutes, the experience is long enough to play music videos, behind-the-scenes commentary, and other bonus content, but short enough to keep it all moving along and feel like a special event. Many of the songs on the new album were recorded during the off days during the European leg of her Eras Tour, with much of the movie produced while she was in transit and backstage.
Rotten Tomatoes has not yet published a critics’ score for RELEASE PARTY OF A SHOWGIRL. With an estimated production budget of only $1M, the movie had already become profitable after its first day of global sales! The obvious comparison for the new movie is TAYLOR SWIFT: THE ERAS TOUR, comparing results from the opening weekend of the two movies. While RELEASE PARTY OF A SHOWGIRL has not fared quite as well as THE ERAS TOUR, both movies have opened as the top-grossing title in their debut weekends.
TAYLOR SWIFT: THE OFFICIAL RELEASE PARTY OF A SHOWGIRL vs. TAYLOR SWIFT: THE ERAS TOUR
Second Place
ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER, the Warner Bros. actioner from director Paul Thomas Anderson, grossed $11.1M and dropped 49% in its second weekend. This brings its 10-day total to $42.8M domestically and $101.7 worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film in the director’s career. Until now, his top-selling movie had been THERE WILL BE BLOOD, with $76.4M worldwide back in 2007, which is equivalent to $119.4Mafter adjusting for inflation.
The challenge faced by ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER is that $140M was spent to make the film, which translates to a daunting $350M in worldwide box office to break even. While the new movie has been well received by both critics and audiences and is being talked about as having Oscar potential, its box office is not even halfway to that $350M target. We expect that by next weekend we will have enough data to project its final box office.
ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER vs. TAKEN after 10 Days
Third Place
THE SMASHING MACHINE slayed at the 2025 Venice Film Festival and was considered a strong candidate for winning the festival’s Golden Lion award for Best Picture. Its director, Benny Safdie, did win the Silver Lion for Best Director. Its festival premiere screening ended with a 15-minute standing ovation from the audience, moving its star Dwayne Johnson to tears.
The film is a solo project for filmmaker Benny Safdie, who wrote, directed, produced, and edited the film. This distinguishes it from movies created by Benny with his brother Josh Safdie, such as UNCUT GEMS in 2019, GOOD TIMES in 2017, and DADDY LONGLEGS in 2009.
THE SMASHING MACHINE is a biographical sports drama based on the life of Mixed Martial Arts fighting legend Mark Kerr, whose nickname, The Smashing Machine, comes from the 2002 documentary The Smashing Machine: The Life and Times of Extreme Fighter Mark Kerr. The current movie follows Kerr’s journey from his roots in wrestling through his experiences in the brutal and unregulated world of Mixed Martial Arts in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson delivers a raw and vulnerable performance in the title role, with some reviewers saying that he “disappears” into the character. Many are calling it the best performance of Johnson’s career. He prepared for the role by rigorous physical training and diet, gaining 30 pounds of muscle before the first day of shooting. The crew added heavy prosthetics, using as many as 22 pieces to alter his facial features to make him look as close to the real-life Mark Kerr as possible.
Johnson also dialed down his own bombastic voice to match Kerr’s natural soft-spoken one. At 53, Johnson is 20-30 years older than Kerr was during many of the events that are depicted in the film. Johnson has frequently expressed frustration at being pigeonholed into big-budget, action hero roles. His choice to play Mark Kerr is seen as a pivot toward more dramatic, character-driven work. Emily Blunt plays Dawn Staples, the emotionally complex partner and eventual wife of Kerr.
Her character serves as both a grounding presence and a source of tension — a woman struggling with her own recovery from alcoholism, torn between loyalty and self-preservation, and continually wrestling with Kerr’s addictions and the volatility of his life.
Critics at Venice raved about the picture, but the buzz has cooled off somewhat since then. It holds a 73% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, with the audience weighing in with a 78%. The Washington Post praises Johnson’s transformation and Blunt’s emotionally complex role, while also noting that the film drifts toward distance in its fight cinematography.
Deadline notes that on paper, the movie should be an Oscar vehicle for Safdie and Johnson, but in reality, its execution is somewhat mixed. The Hollywood Reporter calls the film “a well-performed and punishing fight flick, both in and out of the ring.” The Los Angeles Times notes that the film enters the “awards octagon” as a serious contender, although they suggest it may not deliver a knockout punch.
Made on a production budget of $70M, the movie needs to earn $175M worldwide to be profitable, and after a skinny $6.0M opening weekend, it has no chance of getting there. We have chosen Darren Aronofsky’s THE WRESTLER as a worthy film to compare it to, which also portrays the emotional and physical toll on an athlete dedicated to combat sports.
THE SMASHING MACHINE vs. THE WRESTLER
Universal’s animated feature GABBY’S DOLLHOUSE: THE MOVIE grossed $5.2M in its second weekend, a steep drop of 62% from last weekend’s opening. This brings its 10-day totals to $21.6M domestically and $32.5M worldwide. With a production budget of $32M, it needs $80M globally to make a profit, and it is unlikely to get all the way there.
We are forecasting it to finish with around $35M domestically and $55M worldwide. Even though the movie was spawned from a successful streaming series with numerous characters and possible plot paths, this so-so performance in theatres has most likely doomed it to being a one-off as a feature film.
GABBY’S DOLLHOUSE: THE MOVIE vs. PAW PATROL THE MOVIE after 10 Days
Fifth Place
Warner Bros.’ supremely successful horror sequel THE CONJURING: LAST RIGHTS added $4.1M in its fifth weekend, a decline of only 40%. After 31 days in theatres, it has earned $167.8 million domestically and $458.2M worldwide. This success may make the studio rethink its previously announced pledge that this chapter would be the last for THE CONJURING series.
James Wan, the co-creator of The Conjuring universe, is expressing interest in making a spinoff that is focused on the “Crooked Man” character from THE CONJURING 2. He said, “Just as a fan, I would love to do it one day, if I can convince the studio to do so.”
THE CONJURING: LAST RITES vs. Earlier THE CONJURING Movies after 31 Days
Where Are We as of 10/2/2025
After 39 weeks, the 2025 domestic box office stands at 104% compared to the same point in 2024 and 77% compared to 2019.
