Taylor Swift Steals the Spotlight as ‘Release Party of a Showgirl’ Hits No. 1 at Box Office

Taylor Swift’s The Official Release Party of a Showgirl is off to a spectacular start with a No. 1 debut at the domestic box office.

The pop superstar’s limited theatrical event — a one-weekend-only experience giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at the making of her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl — is expected to bring in between $28 million and $32 million from 3,702 theaters, according to projections from Swift’s team and distribution partner AMC Theatres (per The Hollywood Reporter). Rival studio estimates are even higher, with some predicting the film could surpass $35 million in its opening weekend.

Females made up nearly 90% of opening-day audiences on Friday (Oct. 3), according to THR.

Dwayne Johnson’s A24 wrestling drama The Smashing Machine is struggling in its debut, projected to earn $6 million, which is below initial expectations of $12–$14 million.

The Official Release Party of a Showgirl has been met with rave reviews from fans, earning a coveted A+ CinemaScore, matching the audience response to Swift’s 2023 record-breaking concert film Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour.

Running 89 minutes, The Official Release Party of a Showgirl features the premiere of the music video for the album’s opening track, “The Fate of Ophelia.” It also includes exclusive behind-the-scenes footage from the video shoot, lyric videos for the set’s tracks, and personal reflections from Swift herself on the creative process behind the music.

The special event is showing in theaters only from Oct. 3-5. Check out Billboard‘s eight biggest takeaways from the theatrical takeover here.

This isn’t Swift’s first box office triumph. In 2020, she released the critically acclaimed Netflix documentary Miss Americana, followed by The Eras Tour concert film in 2023, which went on to gross $179.2 million domestically, becoming the highest-grossing concert film of all time.