Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Sudden Theater Shutdown Sparks Wild Speculation — What’s Really Going On Behind the Curtains?
Added on October 9, 2025 inMovie News Cards
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Who knew that Taylor Swift’s latest cinematic dazzler, The Official Release Party of a Showgirl, would embody such a cosmic caprice reminiscent of Mercury’s infamous retrograde? Announced with grand promises of a global rollout spanning over 100 countries, Swift’s visual spectacle has, quite suddenly, narrowed its star-studded travel plans to just a handful of markets. Why the celestial shift? Plans for an extended international tour appear to have vaporized faster than a comet’s tail, leaving fans—and astrologers alike—pondering if the swift pivot was written in the stars or just a savvy business move orchestrated by the pop icon herself. Despite the scaled-back exposure, this 89-minute blend of music videos and behind-the-scenes magic didn’t just woo the Swifties; it shattered box office expectations with a $34.1 million domestic debut, outshining blockbusters featuring the likes of Dwayne Johnson and Leonardo DiCaprio. Could this be a sign of artistic control aligning perfectly with cosmic timing? Or just plain old showbiz savvy wrapped in an English-only package? Either way, the universe—and the cash registers—are smiling. Curious to dig deeper into this whirlwind release and the curious case of the vanishing international screenings? LEARN MORE
When AMC Theatres Distribution and Taylor Swift‘s team first revealed the top-secret project Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl on Sept. 19, an AMC press release said the project would ultimately be made available in “100 additional countries or more outside of the United States.” That’s no longer happening, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
The plan was for Showgirl to first play for three days only over the Oct. 3-5 weekend in North America, and in at least 18 overseas markets, including in Canada, Mexico, the U.K., Ireland, France, Germany, Switzerland, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
According to the Sept. 19 release, additional international territories not listed at the time would play Showgirl at a later date in October. More details about international dates and advance ticket sales were set to be announced on or around Oct. 3. But that date came and went, and the additional international rollout wasn’t mentioned again, other than an Oct. 5 box office note from AMC saying that “this concludes” Showgirl’s run.
Studio distributors who have local offices around the world say it appears the decision mainly impacts Latin America and parts of Asia. Showgirl did play in Mexico, where it was a strong performer, as well as in Uruguay.
AMC declined to comment as to the reason for the change-up in plans. Other sources say it’s possible certain territories needed time to review the film per their ratings and censorship rules, and that Team Swift wanted to move on. There’s also the issue of subtitles (the version playing over the Oct. 3-5 frame apparently played in English only). Swift exercises extraordinary control when it comes to business decisions, although any studio would be eager to work with her. In that sense, AMC has been the envy of the town.
It’s hardly like Swift‘s special cinematic experience needed anything else to crow about. It did record-breaking business at the domestic office, where it towered over the competition — including films featuring two of the world’s biggest stars, Dwayne Johnson and Leonardo DiCaprio — with a final weekend tally of $34.1 million.
That’s an astonishing number for what’s being described as a “cinematic experience” that’s neither a concert pic nor a documentary, but rather a promotional event timed to the release of her new album, The Life of a Showgirl, which dropped Oct. 3 and is setting record dales. The 89-minute big-screen event was a mix of music videos, behind-the-scenes footage and a series of lyric videos for tracks on her new album. And it was bookended by the world premiere of her music video for Showgirl single “The Fate of Ophelia,” which she directed.
In terms of demos, as much as 90 percent of those turning out were females, while 74 percent of ticket buyers were under the age of 34. The largest quadrant was 18 to 24 (31 percent), according to PostTrak.
Fueled by diehard Swifties, the film is already the second-top grossing concert pic or special music event in history only behind traditional concert pic Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, which played for several weeks in 2023 and grossed more than $180 million globally. Other musical artists have also done album release parties in theaters, such as Coldplay, but they are lucky if they earn $1 million domestically, or even $500,000 for that matter.
Overseas, AMC reported that Showgirl grossed $16 million from 54 territories — a far different number than the 18 markets originally mentioned — for a dazzling worldwide haul of $50.1 million. Rivals say they haven’t been able to confirm that it indeed played in that many markets, while Comscore reported numbers for just 14 markets out of a total of 22 territories where it showed it playing, although Comscore may have access to all the data and may just not be sharing it.
This is the second collaboration between Taylor Swift and AMC Theatres Distribution, which launched in 2023, with Eras Tour. Teaming with Swift has been a huge coup for AMC CEO Adam Aron.
AMC and Swift’s team are particularly proud that never before has a movie hit No. 1 at the domestic box office with just 14 days between its announcement and its debut. At the numbers they did, perhaps it was wise to go off and enjoy the spoils instead of continuing to worry about further rollout.
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