Taylor Swift and Beyoncé could be facing off during the next award season. This time, it could be over dueling concert films rather than the best music video. “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” hits theaters Oct. 13, while “Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé” comes out in December.
Showing her business acumen, Swift decided to bypass traditional Hollywood studios and went directly to AMC theaters for the release, which could have been an important factor if the writers’ strike hadn’t been resolved.
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Both films will likely break records for box office revenue from a concert film, especially as The Eras Tour film sold $26 million in presale tickets in just 24 hours, coupled with the difficulty of seeing either artist live. Let’s see how much each film will have to make to top the chart. Here are the highest-grossing concert films in history in this week’s Five For Friday.
#5: The Original Kings of Comedy
“The Original Kings of Comedy” made household names of the late Bernie Mac, Cedric the Entertainer, D.L. Hughley and Steve Harvey. Spike Lee directed the 2000 film, which was shot at North Carolina’s Charlotte Coliseum. The concept of four powerhouse comedians hitting the road and shooting a film was unprecedented at the time but spawned similar products like Blue Collar Comedy Tour and The Comedians of Comedy. The film was a huge success, taking home $38 million at the time, or $67 million when adjusted for inflation. It’s Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and has some of the best scores of any movie on this list.
#4: One Direction: This is Us
About a decade ago, One Direction was one of the toughest tickets to get on the planet, although it pales in comparison to what Swifties have to go through today. The next best option for 1D fans was “One Direction: This is Us.” Morgan Spurlock, who made a name for himself eating McDonald’s for 30 days in “Super Size Me,” directed the flick. The movie followed the British boy band’s London stop on its Take Me Home tour and featured footage from before its days on The X Factor. The movie was released in 3D, like most major releases of the time. It has above average reviews and made $68 million globally, or $89 million when adjusted for inflation.
#3: Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert
“Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert” made more than $70 million at the box office, or $101 million in 2023 dollars. It opened the same weekend as the 2008 Super Bowl, which is regarded as one of the best, and it’s the biggest opening ever for a film released on the weekend of the Big Game. There probably wasn’t a ton of overlap in the audience, as this was 15 years before Taylor Swift got teen girls to tune into football games. The reviews are moderate, but if you had a young daughter in the mid-2000s, you likely saw this one.
#2: Eddie Murphy Raw
Before he starred in “Shrek” and “The Nutty Professor,” Eddie Murphy was bigger than life on stage. In 1987’s “Eddie Murphy Raw,” he takes on New York’s famed Madison Square Garden fully clad in purple leather. “Raw” brought in more than $50 million at the box office, the equivalent of $133 million today. It has good reviews, and is often seen as one of the best stand-up specials of all time, despite Murphy admitting that some of the jokes make him cringe today. He planned to make a return to the stage in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic threw a wrench in those plans.
#1: Justin Bieber: Never Say Never
Justin Bieber was once the biggest pop star on the planet, well before he was catching flack for the way he dresses to get donuts. “Justin Bieber: Never Say Never” raked in $99 million in 2011, or $137 million adjusted for inflation. Even though it’s the top-grossing film on the list, it’s also the worst-reviewed. And the follow-up, “Justin Bieber’s Believe,” didn’t do much better.
SIMONE DEL ROSARIO:
UH OH… COULD WE GET A RECREATION OF THIS MOMENT DURING AWARDS SEASON?
KANYE WEST:
“YO TAYLOR… I’M REALLY HAPPY FOR YOU. I’M GONNA LET YOU FINISH. BUT BEYONCE HAD ONE OF THE BEST VIDEOS OF ALL TIME.”
SIMONE DEL ROSARIO:
TAYLOR SWIFT’S ERA’S TOUR CONCERT FILM HITS THEATERS OCTOBER 13TH AND A NEW MOVIE ABOUT BEYONCE’S RENAISSANCE WORLD TOUR HITS THEATERS IN DECEMBER.BOTH WILL PROBABLY SMASH RECORDS WITH HOW HARD IT IS TO GET TICKETS THESE DAYS. LET’S SEE WHAT IT WILL TAKE. WE HAVE THE HIGHEST GROSSING CONCERT FILMS IN HISTORY IN THIS WEEK’S FIVE FOR FRIDAY.
LIVE COMEDY SHOWS ARE IN FACT CONCERTS. 2000’S THE ORIGINAL KINGS OF COMEDY MADE HOUSEHOLD NAMES OUT OF THE LATE BERNIE MAC, CEDRIC THE ENTERTAINER, D.L. HUGLEY AND NOW-FAMILY FEUD HOST STEVE HARVEY. DIRECTED BY FAMED-DIRECTOR SPIKE LEE AND SHOT AT NORTH CAROLINA’S CHARLOTTE COLISEUM, THE FILM WAS A HUGE SUCCESS TAKING HOME $38 MILLION OR $67 MILLION ADJUSTED FOR INFLATION. IT’S CERTIFIED FRESH ON ROTTEN TOMATOES AND BOASTS SOME OF THE BEST SCORES ON THE LIST.
BEFORE HE STARRED IN FAMILY FILMS LIKE THE NUTTY PROFESSOR AND SHREK, EDDIE MURPHY WAS ONE OF THE BIGGEST STAND UPS ON THE PLANET. 1987’S EDDIE MURPHY: RAW STARTS WITH A SKIT ABOUT A YOUNG EDDIE THAT INCLUDES A CAMEO FROM SAMUEL L JACKSON BEFORE HE WAS HUGE. THEN HE TAKES THE STAGE OF MADISON SQUARE GARDEN FULLY CLAD IN PURPLE LEATHER. IT’S A LOOK. RAW BROUGHT IN MORE THAN $50 MILLION AT THE BOX OFFICE, THE EQUIVALENT OF $133 MILLION TODAY. INFLATION IS OUT OF CONTROL FOLKS. IT’S GOT GOOD REVIEWS EVEN THOUGH IT HAS SOME THINGS THAT ARE PROBLEMATIC BY TODAY’S STANDARDS. MURPHY IS WIDELY SEEN AS ONE OF THE BEST TO EVER DO IT, AND PLANNED A RETURN TO THE STAGE FOR 2020, BUT WE KNOW WHAT HAPPENED THERE.
LOOK… IF YOU CAN’T SHELL OUT BIG BUCKS TO SEE HARRY STYLES… ERR… ONE DIRECTION IN PERSON, 1D: THIS IS US IS THE NEXT BEST OPTION;. THE FILM FOLLOWED THE BRITISH BOY BAND’S LONDON STOP ON THEIR TAKE ME HOME TOUR ALONG WITH FOOTAGE BEFORE THEY WERE PUT TOGETHER ON X FACTOR. FOR SOME REASON IT WAS DIRECTED BY MORGAN SPURLOCK, THAT GUY WHO ATE MCDONALDS FOR 30 DAYS IN SUPER SIZE ME. IT WAS 3D BECAUSE EVERYTHING AT THE TIME WAS, AND HAD BETTER THAN AVERAGE REVIEWS ON ITS WAY TO MAKING $68 MILLION GLOBALLY OR $89 MILL TODAY.
HANNAH MONTANA & MILEY CYRUS: BEST OF BOTH WORLDS MADE MORE THAN $70 MILLION WORLDWIDE, THAT WOULD BE $101 MILLION TODAY. IT OPENED THE WEEKEND OF THE SUPER BOWL 2008, WHICH WAS A PRETTY GOOD ONE, AND IS THE BIGGEST OPENING EVER FOR A FILM RELEASED THE WEEKEND OF THE BIG GAME. BEST OF BOTH WORLDS MARKED THE TRANSITION FROM HANNAH INTO MILEY AS AN ARTIST. AND HAS A COUPLE SONGS BY THE JO BROS. IT WAS ALSO IN 3D, IT’S LIKE YOU’RE THERE. ITS REVIEWS ARE OK, BUT IF YOU HAD A YOUNG DAUGHTER IN THE MID-2000S, YOU SAW THIS ONE.
BEFORE BIEBER WAS CATCHING FLACK FOR THE WAY HE DRESSES TO GET DONUTS, HE WAS ONE OF THE BIGGEST POP STARS ON THE PLANET. 2011’S JUSTIN BIEBER: NEVER SAY NEVER RAKED IN $99 MILLION DOLLARS OR $138 MILL TODAY. THE FILM’S AUDIENCE WAS 84 PERCENT WOMEN AND GIRLS. TAYLOR HAS A BIGGER BASE CONSIDERING FANS ARE PRETTY EQUALLY SPLIT. IT’S ALSO THE WORST REVIEWED FILM OF ANY ON THE LIST, AND THE FOLLOW UP JUSTIN BIEBER’S BELIEVE DIDN’T DO ANY BETTER.
SURPRISE, SURPRISE, NOT ONE OF THESE LANDED ON ROLLING STONES BEST CONCERT FILMS OF ALL TIME. WHO ARE THE TALKING HEADS OR LED ZEPPELIN ANYWAY? SARCASM. THAT’S FIVE FOR FRIDAY, I’M SIMONE DEL ROSARIO. IT’S JUST BUSINESS.
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