BTS smash box-office records with tour movie

Burn the Stage: the Movie, the first film from K-pop superstars BTS, has sold the highest-ever number of tickets for an ‘event cinema’ release, beating previous record-holders One Direction.

The film, which opened on 15 November, has sold more than 1.4 tickets – compared to 1.2m total for One Direction: Where We Are – according to distributor Trafalgar Releasing, which last week achieved similar success with Coldplay’s A Head Full of Dreams, shifting 300,000+ tickets in a single night.

That 1.4m figure is a record figure for an event, or alternative content (music, sport, comedy, etc.), cinema release. At press time, Burn the Stage had seen limited release in 79 countries, in more than 2,650 cinemas, for a global box-office tally of around US$14m.

Johnny Carr, alternative content manager for Vue Cinemas (UK and Ireland), says: “At Vue, we were delighted to have welcomed so many fans to screenings of both A Head Full of Dreams and Burn the Stage: the Movie.

“Events like these bring in new audiences to experience the power of the big screen. They afford artists the opportunity to give their fan base a unique and unforgettable night out.

“Events like these bring in new audiences to experience the power of the big screen”

“The feedback from audiences has been incredible, with many BTS fans booking to see an additional encore performance.”

Burn the Stage and A Head Full of Dreams close a profitable 2018 for music releases from Trafalgar Releasing, which also saw the UK-based distributor bring Distant Sky: Live in Copenhagen and Muse: Drones World Tour to cinemas around the world.

CEO Marc Allenby says: “It’s been extraordinary to witness yet again, through these two very distinct acts, the power of the big screen to bring fans together. I’m proud of the team at Trafalgar for pulling off an incredibly busy week and look forward to seeing what 2019 brings for us.”

The follow-up to the Wings tour (on which Burn the Stage is based), the Love Yourself world tour, was announced in April, with a history-making stadium date at Citi Field in New York wrapping up a US leg last month.

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