Concert film

(Redirected from Rockumentary)

A concert film or concert movie is a film that showcases a live performance from the perspective of a concert goer, the subject of which is an extended live performance or concert by either a musician[2] or a stand-up comedian.[3]

Taylor Swift performing at the Eras Tour in 2023
Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (2023) is the highest-grossing concert film of all time—a feat recognized in the Guinness World Records.[1]

Early history

edit
Poster for Concert Magic in 1948 at the Towne Cinema in Toronto, Ontario

One of the earliest-known concert films is the 1944 film Adventure in Music.[4] Another early film is the 1948 picture Concert Magic. This concert features virtuoso violinist Yehudi Menuhin (1916–1999) at the Charlie Chaplin Studios in 1947. Together with various artists he performed classical and romantic works of famous composers such as Beethoven, Wieniawski, Bach, Paganini and others.[5]

The earliest known jazz concert film is the 1959 film Jazz on a Summer's Day. The film was recorded during the fifth annual Newport Jazz Festival.[6] The earliest known rock concert film was the T.A.M.I. Show, which featured acts such as The Beach Boys, James Brown, Marvin Gaye, and the Rolling Stones.[7]

One of popular music's most ground-breaking concert films is Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii (1972), directed by Adrian Maben, in which Pink Floyd perform a short set of songs inside the amphitheatre of Pompeii without an audience (save for the recording crew).

Examples

edit

Rockumentary

edit

The term "rockumentary" was first used by Bill Drake in the 1969 History of Rock & Roll radio broadcast and is a portmanteau of "rock" and "documentary".[8][9] The term was subsequently used to describe concert films containing appearances by multiple artists.[10][11] Then, in 1976, the term was used by the promoters of the live musical production Beatlemania which documented the evolving career of The Beatles.[12] The 1984 mockumentary film This Is Spinal Tap notably parodied the rockumentary genre.[13]

Others

edit

Other examples of this type of film include Menudo's 1981 film, Menudo: La Película, and Duran Duran's 85-minute 1984 video, Sing Blue Silver. The former mixes a Menudo concert (in Merida, Venezuela) with movie scenes and a plot, while the latter follows Duran Duran as they travel around Canada and the United States doing concerts and actual tourism.

Highest-grossing concert films

edit

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (2023), which has grossed $267.1 million worldwide,[14][15] is the highest-grossing concert film of all time; the previous record for the concert film was held by Justin Bieber: Never Say Never (2011).[16][17]

 Background shading indicates films playing in the week commencing 14 June 2024 in theaters around the world.
Highest-grossing concert films[18]
RankTitleYearPerformerTypeWorldwide gross
1Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour2023Taylor SwiftMusic$267,100,000[15]
2Justin Bieber: Never Say Never2011Justin Bieber$99,034,125
3Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert2008Miley Cyrus$70,712,099
4One Direction: This Is Us2013One Direction$68,233,799
5Eddie Murphy Raw1987Eddie MurphyStand-up$50,504,655
6Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé2023BeyoncéMusic$44,389,684
7The Original Kings of Comedy2000Steve Harvey · D.L. Hughley · Cedric the Entertainer · Bernie MacStand-up$38,236,338
8Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip1982Richard PryorStand-up$34,970,309
9Woodstock1970VariousMusic$34,699,266[19]
10Katy Perry: Part of Me2012Katy Perry$32,700,439
12Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain2013Kevin HartStand-up$32,327,255
13Metallica Through the Never2013Metallica$31,900,000
14Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience2009Jonas BrothersMusic$30,428,831
15BTS: Yet to Come in Cinemas2023BTS$29,291,883
16Madonna: Truth or Dare1991Madonna$29,012,935
17U2 3D2008U2$26,170,402
18Kevin Hart: What Now?2016Kevin HartStand-up$23,591,043
19Martin Lawrence Live: Runteldat2002Martin Lawrence$19,184,820
20Glee: The 3D Concert Movie2011GleeMusic$17,462,398
21Richard Pryor: Here and Now1983Richard PryorStand-up$16,156,776
22Christmas with the Chosen: The Messengers2021The ChosenReligion$13,388,000
23You So Crazy1994Martin LawrenceStand-up$10,184,701
24Burn the Stage: The Movie2018BTSMusic$9,881,954
25U2: Rattle and Hum1988U2$8,600,823
26Live Broadcast from Buenos Aires2022Coldplay$8,400,000[20]
27Kevin Hart: Laugh at My Pain2011Kevin HartStand-up$7,712,436
28Mayday Life2019MaydayMusic$7,272,220
29The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall2012The Phantom of the OperaStage production$7,106,631
30Prima Facie2022Prima Facie$6,646,622
31BTS World Tour: Love Yourself in Seoul2019BTSMusic$6,587,004
32Stop Making Sense1984Talking Heads5,694,759
33Hamlet2015HamletStage production$5,350,452
34Divine Madness2018Bette MidlerMusic$5,318,098
35Les Misérables: The Staged Concert2019Les MisérablesStage production$5,042,935
36IM Hero: The Final2023Lim Young-woongMusic$4,514,656
37National Theatre Live: The Audience2013The AudienceStage production$4,330,068
38Romeo and Juliet (Secret Cinema 2018)2018Romeo and Juliet$4,282,983
39André Rieu 2018 Maastricht Concert2018André RieuMusic$3,869,719
40André Rieu: 70 Years Young2020$3,788,405
41Miss Saigon 25th Anniversary Performance2016Miss SaigonStage play$3,720,532
42Coldplay: A Head Full of Dreams2018ColdplayMusic$3,500,000[21]
44André Rieu 2019 Maastricht Concert2019André Rieu$3,495,372
44National Theatre Live: Frankenstein2011FrankensteinStage production$3,351,486
45Let's Spend the Night Together1983The Rolling StonesMusic$3,282,561
46Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Conor McGregor2017Floyd Mayweather Jr. · Conor McGregorSports$3,250,019
47André Rieu's 2016 Maastricht Concert2016André RieuMusic$3,220,727
48The Winter's Tale2015The Winter's TaleStage production$3,097,621
49André Rieu's 2017 Maastricht Concert2017André RieuMusic$3,097,621
50The Met: Live in HD – Aida2013Aida$2,943,797

Music

edit

The top 15 are among the highest-grossing concert films. André Rieu is the most frequent performance with 13 titles on the list.

 Background shading indicates films playing in the week commencing 14 June 2024 in theaters around the world.
Highest-grossing music concert films[18]
RankTitleYearPerformerWorldwide gross
1Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour2023Taylor Swift$267,100,000[15]
2Justin Bieber: Never Say Never2011Justin Bieber$99,034,125
3Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert2008Miley Cyrus$70,712,099
4One Direction: This Is Us2013One Direction$68,233,799
5Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé2023Beyoncé$44,043,065
6Woodstock1970Various$34,699,266[19]
7Katy Perry: Part of Me2012Katy Perry$32,700,439
8Permission to Dance on Stage – Seoul: Live Viewing2022BTS$32,600,000
9Metallica Through the Never2013Metallica$31,900,000
10Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience2009Jonas Brothers$30,428,831
11BTS: Yet to Come in Cinemas2023BTS$29,291,883
12Madonna: Truth or Dare1991Madonna$29,012,935
13U2 3D2008U2$26,170,402
14Burn the Stage: The Movie2018BTS$20,347,513
15U2: Rattle and Hum1988U2$8,600,823
16Live Broadcast from Buenos Aires2022Coldplay$8,400,000[20]
17Mayday Life2019Mayday$7,272,220
18BTS World Tour: Love Yourself in Seoul2019BTS$6,587,004
19Stop Making Sense1984Talking Heads$5,694,759
20Divine Madness2018Bette Midler$5,318,098
21IM Hero: The Final2023Lim Young-woong$4,514,656
22André Rieu 2018 Maastricht Concert2018André Rieu$3,869,719
23André Rieu: 70 Years Young2020$3,788,405
24Coldplay: A Head Full of Dreams2018Coldplay$3,500,000[21]
25André Rieu 2019 Maastricht Concert2019André Rieu$3,495,372
26Let's Spend the Night Together1983The Rolling Stones$3,282,561
27André Rieu's 2016 Maastricht Concert2016André Rieu$3,220,727
28André Rieu's 2017 Maastricht Concert2017$3,097,621
29The Met: Live in HD – Aida2013Aida$2,943,797
30The Beatles Get Back: The Rooftop Concert2022The Beatles$2,881,726
31André Rieu's 2015 Maastricht Concert2015André Rieu$2,862,599
32André Rieu: Christmas with Andre 20162016$2,809,890
33André Rieu's Sydney Town Hall Concert – An Australian Celebration2018$2,806,603
34Greatest Hits Live2019Take That$2,549,176
35Depeche Mode: Spirits in the Forest2019Depeche Mode$2,442,030
36André Rieu's 2014 Maastricht Concert2014André Rieu$2,190,155
37Metallica & San Francisco Symphony S&M22019Metallica · San Francisco Symphony$2,179,640
38Billie Eilish Live at the O22023Billie Eilish$2,117,195
39André Rieu 2023 Maastricht Concert: Love is All AroundAndré Rieu$1,897,239
40André Rieu Live in Dublin$1,826,384
41N'SYNC: Bigger Than Live2001NSYNC$1,808,679
42Cliff Richard Live: 60th Anniversary Tour2018Cliff Richard$1,686,021
43Rammstein: Paris2017Rammstein$1,658,090
44Twenty One Pilots: Cinema Experience2022Twenty One Pilots$1,560,000
45André Rieu: Christmas with André 20212021André Rieu$1,559,304
46Take That Live 20152015Take That$1,553,608
47Take That: Wonderland Live from the O22017$1,422,889
48Big Bang Made2016BigBang$1,404,745
49André Rieu's: Magical Maastricht – Together in Music2020André Rieu$1,295,288
50David Gilmour Live at Pompei2017David Gilmour$1,273,347

Stand-up

edit
Highest-grossing stand-up concert films[18]
RankTitleYearPerformerWorldwide gross
1Eddie Murphy Raw1987Eddie Murphy$50,504,655
2The Original Kings of Comedy2000Steve Harvey · D.L. Hughley · Cedric the Entertainer · Bernie Mac$38,236,338
3Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip1982Richard Pryor$34,970,309
4Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain2013Kevin Hart$32,327,255
5Kevin Hart: What Now?2016$23,591,043
6Martin Lawrence Live: Runteldat2002Martin Lawrence$19,184,820
7Richard Pryor: Here and Now1983Richard Pryor$16,156,776
8Martin Lawrence: You So Crazy1994Martin Lawrence$10,184,701
9Kevin Hart: Laugh at My Pain2011Kevin Hart$7,712,436
10The Fluffy Movie2014Gabriel Iglesias$2,827,393
11Sarah Silverman: Jesus is Magic2005Sarah Silverman$1,324,244

Stage production

edit
 Background shading indicates films playing in the week commencing 14 June 2024 in theaters around the world.
Highest-grossing stage production concert films[18]
RankTitleYearPerformanceWorldwide gross
1The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall2012The Phantom of the Opera$7,106,631
2Prima Facie2022Prima Facie$6,646,622
3Hamlet2015Hamlet$5,350,452
4Les Misérables: The Staged Concert2019Les Misérables$5,042,935
5National Theatre Live: The Audience2013The Audience$4,330,068
6Romeo and Juliet (Secret Cinema 2018)2018Romeo and Juliet$4,282,983
7Miss Saigon 25th Anniversary Performance2016Miss Saigon$3,720,532
8National Theatre Live: Frankenstein2011Frankenstein$3,351,486
9The Winter's Tale2015The Winter's Tale$3,097,621
10Billy Elliot the Musical Live2014Billy Elliot the Musical$2,815,788
11The London Palladium: The King and I2018The King and I$2,692,907
12George Balanchine's The Nutcracker2011The Nutcracker$2,119,994
13National Theatre Live: Present Laughter2019Present Laughter$2,033,526
14A Little Life2023A Little Life$2,033,043
15Kinky Boots – The Musical2020Kinky Boots – The Musical$1,997,631
16National Theatre Live: A View From the Bridge2015A View From the Bridge$1,943,723
17Met Opera: Porgy and Bess2020Porgy and Bess$1,913,398
18National Theatre Live: Follies2017Follies$1,842,192
19Met Opera: La Boheme2018La Boheme$1,774,848
20National Theatre Live: One Man Two Guvnors2011One Man Two Guvnors$1,714,891
21National Theatre Live: All About Eve2019All About Eve$1,710,659
22Met Opera: Madama Butterfly2019Madama Butterfly$1,696,923
23National Theatre Live: Good2023Good$1,674,053
24National Theatre Live: Of Mice and Men2014Of Mice and Men$1,664,500
25Royal Opera House: The Nutcracker2017The Nutcracker$1,635,459
26National Theatre Live: The Lehman Trilogy2019The Lehman Trilogy$1,531,395
27Royal Opera House: The Nutcracker2018The Nutcracker$1,512,712
28Met Opera: Turandot (2018) Encore (2018)2018Turandot · Encore$1,500,000
29Met Opera: Der Rosenkavalier2017Der Rosenkavalier$1,498,974
30The Nutcracker Royal Ballet2015The Nutcracker$1,494,137
31All My Sons2019All My Sons$1,454,828
32Met Opera – Agrippina2020Agrippina$1,453,796
33No Man's Land – NT Live 20162016No Man's Land$1,380,144
34Allelujah!2018Allelujah!$1,347,137
35De Club van Sinterklaas & Het Grote Pietenfees2020De Club van Sinterklaas$1,336,192
36National Theatre Live: Hansard2019Hansard$1,318,622
37National Theater Live 2017: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead2017Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead$1,245,590
38NT Live: Yerma2017Yerma$1,238,299
39Branagh Theatre Live: Romeo & Juliet 20162016Romeo and Juliet$1,223,663
40National Theatre Live: Twelfth Night2017Twelfth Night$1,210,769
41National Theater Live: Cyrano de Bergerac2020Cyrano de Bergerac$1,195,764
42The Nutcracker – Royal Opera, London2016The Nutcracker$1,188,225
43National Theatre Live: Small Island2019Small Island$1,180,476
44National Theater Live Amadeus2017Live Amadeus$1,151,772
45NT Live: Les Liaisons Dangereuses2016Les Liaisons Dangereuses$1,135,686
46Royal Opera House Swan Lake2018Swan Lake$1,131,961
47Royal Opera House The Sleeping Beauty2020Sleeping Beauty$1,097,859
48National Theater Live Hedda Gabler2017Hedda Gabler$1,085,982
49National Theatre Live: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof2018Cat on a Hot Tin Roof$1,071,526
50Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake2019Swan Lake$1,068,862

References

edit
  1. ^ "Highest-grossing concert or performance film at the global box office". Guinness World Records. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  2. ^ Sandahl, Linda J. (1987). Rock films: A viewer's guide to three decades of musicals, concerts, documentaries and soundtracks 1955-1986. Facts on File, Inc. p. 7. ISBN 0-8160-1281-4. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  3. ^ Bailey, Jason (4 April 2016). "Glenn Ligon Deconstructs Richard Pryor's Stand-Up". Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  4. ^ Wickham, Ina (October 15, 1944). "Catching the Beat in Music World Today". Quad-City Times. p. 30. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
  5. ^ "Yehudi Menuhin and Alma Trio Player Scheduled to Appear in New Concert Film". Los Gatos Times-Saratoga Observer. December 17, 1948. p. 8. Retrieved October 17, 2023. Gordon...reports that the success of "Concert Magic", the first full length concert film to be produced, prompted plans for the filming of the second picture.
  6. ^ Eil, Philip (29 July 2016). "This 1960 Jazz Film Shaped Concert Documentaries as We Know Them | NOISEY". Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  7. ^ Richards, Kevin (16 December 2009). "Legendary T.A.M.I. Show Featuring James Brown, The Rolling Stones, and More Coming To DVD « American Songwriter". Archived from the original on 25 August 2016. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  8. ^ "The Reel Top 40 Radio Repository - The History of Rock and Roll Demo". Reelradio.com. Archived from the original on 2009-06-20. Retrieved 2009-06-15.
  9. ^ Hopkins, Jerry (April 5, 1969). "'Rockumentary' Radio Milestone". Rolling Stone. No. 30. p. 9.
  10. ^ Aletti, Vince (August 31, 1972). "Our Latin Thing". Rolling Stone. No. 116. p. 42.
  11. ^ Landau, Jon (July 19, 1973). "'Let the Good Times Roll' indeed". Rolling Stone. No. 139. pp. 62–63.
  12. ^ Spires, Shari (December 26, 1980). "A 'Rockumentary' About the Beatles Comes to Sunrise". The Palm Beach Post.[permanent dead link]
  13. ^ Lewis, Randy (9 May 2013). "'This Is Spinal Tap' LP to be reissued June 11 -- on black vinyl". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  14. ^ "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  15. ^ a b c D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 29, 2024). "'Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour' Writes Her Name As No. 7 In Deadline's 2023 Most Valuable Blockbuster Tournament". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
  16. ^ "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour — Financial Information". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
  17. ^ Moreau, Jordan; Lang, Brent (2023-10-13). "Box Office: 'Taylor Swift: Eras Tour' Kicks Off With $2.8 Million in Previews". Variety. Retrieved 2023-10-14. The movie has already made $100 million in advance ticket sales, according to its distributor AMC Theatres. That makes it the highest-grossing concert film ever, surpassing Justin Bieber's "Never Say Never" ($99 million).
  18. ^ a b c d "All Time Worldwide Box Office for Concert/Performance Movies". The Numbers. Retrieved 2023-09-01.
  19. ^ a b "Woodstock". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
  20. ^ a b "Coldplay to Premiere Buenos Aires Concert on Veeps". IQ. 2 May 2024. Archived from the original on 3 May 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  21. ^ a b "Documentary Coldplay: A Head Full of Dreams Takes $3.5M Box Office in One Night for Trafalgar Releasing". Deadline. November 15, 2018. Archived from the original on October 25, 2023. Retrieved October 25, 2023.