This weekend’s box office was dominated by two major stars: Taylor Swift and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

Swift’s film, The Official Release Party of a Show Girl, debuted at number one in North America, earning an impressive USD 33 million, according to Sunday estimates from Comscore. The film, released by AMC Theatres, was announced just two weeks ago with minimal promotion and ran for three days in all 540 AMC theatres across the US, as well as screenings in Mexico, Canada, and Europe.

The 89-minute film acts as a companion to Swift’s 12th studio album, combining music videos, behind-the-scenes footage, and clean lyric visuals into a unique experience for fans.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DPVTqeXDlzL/?img_index=1

Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore, praised Swift’s approach, saying, “For Taylor Swift to harness the power of the movie theatre to build her brand, create excitement among her fans, and create a communal experience outside of her touring, outside of her live performances, is really a stroke of genius. To be able to add another USD 33 million to the box office bottom line is much welcomed by theatre owners who were looking for content for their big screens.”

This success follows Swift’s earlier dominance with her 2023 concert film, The Eras Tour, which opened to USD 96 million, further cementing her box office appeal.

What about Dwayne Johnson?

Meanwhile, Dwayne Johnson’s more modest opening came with the A24 drama ‘The Smashing Machine’, co-starring Emily Blunt, which took third place with USD 6 million. The film trails behind Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘One Battle After Another’, which earned USD 11.1 million this weekend and has now made USD 107 million globally.

Despite strong critical acclaim and a standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival, where Johnson was praised for his portrayal of MMA legend Mark Kerr, ‘The Smashing Machine’ marked one of the lowest openings for Johnson as a lead actor.

Dergarabedian offered insight into Johnson’s career choices: “When major movie stars branch out into more indie roles, like Tom Cruise in Magnolia, they’re trying to redefine their career. They can straddle both universes, so Dwayne Johnson and all the acclaim he’s getting. That prestige factor. That’s the currency. He knows box office. He studies this and he’s a business person. But also realise that when you go outside of your comfort zone, it puts him in a certain light... Dwayne Johnson is redefining what he can do.”

Other releases

Other notable releases this weekend included DreamWorks Animation’s ‘Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie’, which opened in fourth place with USD 5.2 million. The family-friendly film expands the popular Netflix preschool series to cinemas.

Warner Bros’ supernatural thriller ‘The Conjuring: Last Rites’ followed in fifth place with USD 4 million, bringing its global total to USD 458.2 million.

Japanese anime hit ‘Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Infinity Castle’ earned USD 3.5 million in sixth place, while a re-release of ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ grossed USD 3.1 million, ahead of the upcoming sequel ‘Avatar: The Fire and Ash’, due December 19.

Rounding out the top ten were horror sequel ‘The Strangers: Chapter 2’with USD 2.8 million, IFC’s dark comedy ‘Good Boy’ with USD 2.2 million — the company’s second-best opening weekend ever — and the Indian film ‘Kantara: A Legend – Chapter 1’ with USD 1.7 million.