Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson may be a king of the box office, but even he cannot compete with the awesome and terrifying commercial power of Taylor Swift. The Smashing Machine, the Johnson-starring, Benny Safdie-directed film, opened with just $6 million across Friday and Saturday, becoming Johnson’s lowest-grossing debut ever, according to Deadline. The Smashing Machine debuted at number three, behind One Battle After Another at number two and, of course, Taylor Swift at number one.
The Official Release Of A Showgirl, a companion theatrical event to Swift album The Life Of A Showgirl, took in $33 million over Friday and Saturday, a feat that Deadline reasonably dubs unprecedented. Billboard reports that the album has already sold 2.7 million copies; only Adele’s 25 has sold more in its first week in the modern era. To have the top album and movie in the same week is no small feat, either; Deadline notes that neither Prince nor Whitney Houston were able to pull this off with Purple Rain or The Bodyguard, respectively. In fairness, even the more sympathetic critics have noted that Release Of A Showgirl cannot really be considered a movie. The theatrical event features Swift’s music video for “The Fate Of Ophelia” (twice), some behind-the-scenes footage, some talking heads from Swift about the genesis of the albums’ songs, and lyric videos for the rest of the tracks.
Elsewhere, Good Boy, boosted by a virally successful trailer, opened at number nine with $2.25 million, which Deadline notes is the third-best opening for IFC ever. You can check out the whole top ten below.
- Taylor Swift: The Official Release Of A Showgirl
- One Battle After Another
- The Smashing Machine
- Gabby’s Dollhouse
- The Conjuring: Last Rites
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba – The Movie Infinity Castle
- Avatar: The Way of Water
- Strangers: Chapter 2
- Good Boy
- The Long Walk
