SWIFT'S NEXT ERA? BLOCKBUSTER

Taylor Swift's film The Eras Tour, due 10/13, is on pace for a record-setting opening this weekend, with early forecasts predicting $100m+ domestically and $150m+ worldwide. Per Deadline, some box-office nerds are highlighting presale analytics stronger than Barbie's. When it’s all said and done, The Eras Tour gross will top concert films from Justin Bieber and Michael Jackson, who lead all-time domestic and worldwide grosses for a concert film, respectively.

The New York Times quoted box-office newsletter publisher David A. Gross, who suggested the possibility of a U.S. opening of $150m, saying, “The fever and scale are unprecedented.”

With this blockbuster flick paving the way, could 1989 (Taylor's Version) (Republic), out 10/27, be the biggest debut of Tay's career?

All signs point to a colossal bow for Swift's re-recording of the biggest album of her career. Should we expect anything less after gargantuan concert receipts, the biggest concert film ever and pop-cultural domination so total that she singlehandedly boosted interest in the NFL among young females?

The last two Taylor's Versions both sold 500k+ in vinyl in their opening weeks. Her most recent studio album, Midnights, cleared 1 million in first-week vinyl sales. How many platters could 1989 (TV) move in its first week? A true impresario of the format, Swift is once again offering multiple colors, covers and artwork—as befits the reboot of a pop landmark.

2022’s Midnights opened with 1.57m units; could 1989 (TV) surpass it as Swift's career-best debut? In this Tay-centric year, who'd bet against it?