K-pop stars BTS performed their first show in South Korea since 2019 over the weekend.
The second day (Saturday March 12) of the three-day BTS Permission to Dance on Stage event in Seoul was live streamed in cinemas worldwide, and grossed $32.6 million at the box office.
The film was released in 3,711 cinemas in 75 countries and regions for just one day.
According to HYBE (the company behind BTS) and event cinema firm Trafalgar, the live-streamed show was the first live worldwide cinema broadcast of a concert from South Korea.
HYBE and Trafalgar also claim that BTS have broken the global event cinema record with the $32.6 million worldwide box office takings.
The previous worldwide record holder, as per HYBE and Trafalgar, for a global cinema event, was BTS’s 2019 Bring the Soul event, which during its two-week limited theatrical run in 2019 grossed around $24.3 million.
In North America alone, BTS’s cinema event grossed more than $6.84 million, according to HYBE and Trafalgar, with a per-screen average of over $8,500 across the 803 movie theaters where it was made available.
The event was HYBE and Trafalgar’s fourth global title with BTS, which includes 2018’s Burn the Stage: The Movie, 2019’s Bring the Soul: The Movie and 2020’s Break the Silence: The Movie.
BTS closed the three nights of BTS Permission to Dance on Stage – Seoul at Seoul Olympic Stadium, on Sunday (March 13).
The live stream attracted 1.02 million viewers from 191 countries/regions, says HYBE and Trafalgar.
The three-day in-person concert was attended by a total of 45,000 people.
“[we] are delighted to offer an alternative experience for fans to enjoy the concert live.”
DJ KIM, Hybe
DJ Kim, HYBE 360 President, said: “As the pandemic made it difficult to access the concert venue, we wanted to create an opportunity for fans to gather and watch the concert together.
“We came up with the idea of ‘LIVE VIEWING’ at cinemas and are delighted to offer an alternative experience for fans to enjoy the concert live.”
“We are delighted with the record-breaking success.”
Marc Allenby, Trafalgar
Marc Allenby, CEO of Trafalgar Releasing, added: “We are delighted with the record-breaking success of this project, not only for Trafalgar Releasing but the event cinema industry as a whole.
“It’s a testament to both the overwhelmingly dedicated fandom of the ARMY and the overall return to cinemas on a global scale.”
News of BTS’s record breaking success is yet another marker of success for the South Korean band.
On February 24, the band were crowned winners of 2021’s IFPI Global Recording Artist of the Year Award.
The news marked a “landmark moment” for the recording industry, IFPI said at the time, as the South Korean group are the first act to win the award for two consecutive years.Music Business Worldwide
