The top 10 highest-grossing music concert films

Concert films are continuing to result in blockbuster business at the box office, with Usher the latest superstar artist destined for the big screen.

AMC Theatres Distribution, Trafalgar Releasing and Sony Music Vision announced this week that Usher: Rendezvous in Paris will arrive in 2,000 cinemas worldwide for a limited run from 12-15 September.

Usher: Rendezvous in Paris features footage filmed during the 45-year-old American’s eight-night residency at Paris’ La Seine Musicale in September/October 2023.

“He is the perfect artist to support our shared vision of creating global experiences around concert films for artists”

“We are excited to continue our partnership with Sony Music Vision and AMC Theatres Distribution to bring the energy of Usher to movie theatre audiences around the world,” says Trafalgar Releasing CEO Marc Allenby. “He is the perfect artist to support our shared vision of creating global experiences around concert films for artists that advance the evolution of the cinema into venues for all forms of entertainment.”

Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour (2023) earned US$267.7 million globally, according to Box Office Mojo, to become the highest-grossing concert/documentary film in box office history. Upon the film’s release in October 2023, The Eras Tour made $92.8m in North America and $30.7m internationally for a cumulative total of $123.5m, making it the biggest opening weekend of all time for a concert film.

Swift opted for a non-traditional release of the presentation, filmed over three nights in August 2023 at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium, that saw her work directly with AMC and avoid opting for distribution from a major studio.

Taylor Swift heads a top 5 also featuring Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, One Direction & Beyoncé

In terms of classic concert films (thus discounting the 2009 Michael Jackson’s This Is It documentary), Box Office Mojo data puts Eras at #1 in a top 5 also featuring Justin Bieber: Never Say Never ($99m) from 2011, Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert ($70.7m) from 2008, One Direction: This Is Us ($68.2m) from 2013 and last year’s Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé ($44m).

The top 10 is completed by 1970’s Woodstock ($34.7m), Katy Perry: Part of Me ($32.7m) from 2012, BTS’ Permission to Dance on Stage – Seoul: Live Viewing ($32.6m) from 2023, 2013’s Metallica Through the Never ($31.9m) and 2009’s Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience ($30.4m).

Dutch violinist André Rieu has been a forerunner in the space, occupying 13 of the top 50 spots, while Coldplay made history in October 2022 with the first ever live worldwide cinema broadcast of a concert from Latin America.

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