Taylor Swift's 2023 'Eras Tour' brought in more than a billion dollars. Which, science confirms, is rather a lot. It also makes the tour one of those record breakers, it being the first to ever top a billion at the box office.
This is all according to figures published on Friday by US live industry news service Pollstar. That big billion dollar stat is an estimate based on Pollstar's Boxoffice reports and, it says, “extensive research including ticket prices in each market, record capacities at each venue and comparable tour data”.
Swift's shows from March through to November, Pollstar states, "grossed over $1 billion - $1,039,263,762 - making it the single highest-grossing trek of all time and the first tour ever to cross the ten digit threshold. That Swift accomplished this in only eight months ... makes her accomplishment even more remarkable".
Pollstar notes that the previous three highest grossing tours - by U2, Ed Sheeran and Elton John - all included many more performances than Swift’s 60. Elton John's 'Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour' was previously the biggest cash generator of them all, topping $939 million, but that was from 328 shows.
Swift's tour did coincide with the post-pandemic surge seen at the upper end of the live music business, with arena and stadium shows doing very well in the last year. But still, topping a billion dollars in revenues is still a major feat.
Her ‘Eras’ touring is not done yet, either. She has shows lined up in Asia, Australia and Europe - including a five night run at London’s Wembley Stadium - next year, before returning to the US for more dates there in October.
