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 music performance or musicals.
Early history
One of the earliest-known concert films is the 1944 film Adventure in Music. 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.
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. The earliest known rock concert film is Rock’n’Roll, a 1959 feature film produced by the promoter Lee Gordon. As it also features some Jazz performances and was released prior to Jazz on a Summer's Day, it arguably has claims to being the first Jazz concert film as well.
A latter notable concert film, the T.A.M.I. Show, featured acts such as The Beach Boys, James Brown, Marvin Gaye, and the Rolling Stones.
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 Rockumentary 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". The term was subsequently used to describe concert films containing appearances by multiple artists. Then, in 1976, the term was used by the promoters of the live musical production Beatlemania which documented the evolving career of The Beatles. The 1984 mockumentary film This Is Spinal Tap notably parodied the rockumentary genre.
Others 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 Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, which has grossed $267 million worldwide, is the highest-grossing concert film of all time. The record was previously held by Justin Bieber: Never Say Never (2011).
+RankTitleYearPerformerType Worldwide gross 1Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour 2023 Taylor SwiftMusic $267,100,000 2Justin Bieber: Never Say Never 2011 Justin Bieber $99,034,125 3Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert 2008 Miley Cyrus $70,712,099 4One Direction: This Is Us 2013 One Direction $68,233,799 5Eddie Murphy Raw 1987 Eddie Murphy Stand-up $50,504,655 6Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé 2023 Beyoncé Music $44,389,684 7 2000 Steve HarveyD.L. HughleyCedric the EntertainerBernie Mac Stand-up $38,236,338 8Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip 1982 Richard Pryor $34,970,309 9Woodstock 1970 VariousMusic $34,699,266 10Katy Perry: Part of Me 2012 Katy Perry $32,700,439 12Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain 2013 Kevin Hart Stand-up $32,327,255 13Metallica Through the Never 2013 MetallicaMusic $31,900,000 14Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience 2009 Jonas Brothers $30,428,831 15BTS: Yet to Come in Cinemas 2023 BTS $29,291,883 16Madonna: Truth or Dare 1991 Madonna $29,012,935 17Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D) 2026 Billie Eilish $26.7 million 18U2 3D 2008 U2 $26,170,402 19Kevin Hart: What Now? 2016 Kevin Hart Stand-up $23,591,043 20Martin Lawrence Live: Runteldat 2002 Martin Lawrence $19,184,820 21Glee: The 3D Concert Movie 2011 Glee Music $17,462,398 22Richard Pryor: Here and Now 1983 Richard Pryor Stand-up $16,156,776 23Christmas with the Chosen: The Messengers 2021 Religion $13,388,000 24You So Crazy 1994 Martin Lawrence Stand-up $10,184,701 25Burn the Stage: The Movie 2018 BTSMusic $9,881,954 26U2: Rattle and Hum 1988 U2 $8,600,823 27Live Broadcast from Buenos Aires 2022 Coldplay $8,400,000 28Kevin Hart: Laugh at My Pain 2011 Kevin Hart Stand-up $7,712,436 29Mayday Life 2019 Mayday Music $7,272,220 30 2012 Stage production $7,106,631 31Prima Facie 2022 Prima Facie $6,646,622 32BTS World Tour: Love Yourself in Seoul 2019 BTSMusic $6,587,004 33Stop Making Sense 1984 Talking Heads $5,694,759 34Hamlet 2015 Hamlet Stage production $5,350,452 35Divine Madness 1980 Bette Midler Music $5,318,098 36Les Misérables: The Staged Concert 2019 Les Misérables Stage production $5,042,935 37IM Hero: The Final 2023 Lim Young-woong Music $4,514,656 38National Theatre Live: The Audience 2013 Stage production $4,330,068 39Romeo and Juliet (Secret Cinema 2018) 2018 Romeo and Juliet $4,282,983 40André Rieu 2018 Maastricht Concert 2018André RieuMusic $3,869,719 41André Rieu: 70 Years Young 2020 $3,788,405 42Miss Saigon 25th Anniversary Performance 2016 Miss Saigon Stage production $3,720,532 43Coldplay: A Head Full of Dreams 2018 ColdplayMusic $3,500,000 44André Rieu 2019 Maastricht Concert 2019 André Rieu $3,495,372 45National Theatre Live: Frankenstein 2011 Frankenstein Stage production $3,351,486 46Let's Spend the Night Together 1983 Music $3,282,561 47Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Conor McGregor 2017 Floyd Mayweather Jr.Conor McGregor Sports $3,250,019 48André Rieu's 2016 Maastricht Concert 2016 André Rieu Music $3,220,727 49 2015 Stage production $3,097,621 50André Rieu's 2017 Maastricht Concert 2017 André RieuMusic $3,097,621 51 2013 Aida $2,943,797
Music The top 15 are among the highest-grossing concert films. André Rieu is the most frequent performance with 13 titles on the list.
+RankTitleYearPerformerWorldwide gross 1Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour 2023 Taylor Swift $267,100,000 2Justin Bieber: Never Say Never 2011 Justin Bieber $99,034,125 3Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert 2008 Miley Cyrus $70,712,099 4One Direction: This Is Us 2013 One Direction $68,233,799 5Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé 2023 Beyoncé $44,043,065 6Woodstock 1970 Various $34,699,266 7Katy Perry: Part of Me 2012 Katy Perry $32,700,439 8Permission to Dance on Stage – Seoul: Live Viewing 2022 BTS $32,600,000 9Metallica Through the Never 2013 Metallica $31,900,000 10Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience 2009 Jonas Brothers $30,428,831 11BTS: Yet to Come in Cinemas 2023 BTS $29,291,883 12Madonna: Truth or Dare 1991 Madonna $29,012,935 13U2 3D 2008 U2 $26,170,402 14Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D) 2026 Billie Eilish $25,195,000 15Burn the Stage: The Movie 2018 BTS $20,347,513 16U2: Rattle and Hum 1988 U2 $8,600,823 17Live Broadcast from Buenos Aires 2022 Coldplay $8,400,000 18Mayday Life 2019 Mayday $7,272,220 19BTS World Tour: Love Yourself in Seoul 2019 BTS $6,587,004 20Stop Making Sense 1984 Talking Heads $5,694,759 21Divine Madness 1980 Bette Midler $5,318,098 22IM Hero: The Final 2023 Lim Young-woong $4,514,656 23Queen Rock Montreal 1981 Queen $4,100,000 24André Rieu 2018 Maastricht Concert 2018André Rieu $3,869,719 25André Rieu: 70 Years Young 2020 $3,788,405 26Coldplay: A Head Full of Dreams 2018 Coldplay $3,500,000 27André Rieu 2019 Maastricht Concert 2019 André Rieu $3,495,372 28Let's Spend the Night Together 1983 $3,282,561 29André Rieu's 2016 Maastricht Concert 2016André Rieu $3,220,727 30André Rieu's 2017 Maastricht Concert 2017 $3,097,621 31 2013 Aida $2,943,797 32 2022 $2,881,726 33André Rieu's 2015 Maastricht Concert 2015André Rieu $2,862,599 34André Rieu: Christmas with Andre 2016 2016 $2,809,890 35André Rieu's Sydney Town Hall Concert – An Australian Celebration 2018 $2,806,603 36Greatest Hits Live 2019 Take That $2,549,176 37Depeche Mode: Spirits in the Forest 2019 Depeche Mode $2,442,030 38André Rieu's 2014 Maastricht Concert 2014 André Rieu $2,190,155 39Metallica & San Francisco Symphony S&M2 2019 MetallicaSan Francisco Symphony $2,179,640 40Billie Eilish Live at the O22023 Billie Eilish $2,117,195 41André Rieu 2023 Maastricht Concert: Love is All Around André Rieu $1,897,239 42André Rieu Live in Dublin $1,826,384 43N'SYNC: Bigger Than Live 2001 NSYNC $1,808,679 44Cliff Richard Live: 60th Anniversary Tour 2018 Cliff Richard $1,686,021 45Rammstein: Paris 2017 Rammstein $1,658,090 46Twenty One Pilots: Cinema Experience 2022 Twenty One Pilots $1,560,000 47André Rieu: Christmas with André 2021 2021 André Rieu $1,559,304 48Take That Live 2015 2015Take That $1,553,608 49Take That: Wonderland Live from the O2 2017 $1,422,889 50Big Bang Made 2016 BigBang $1,404,745 51André Rieu's: Magical Maastricht – Together in Music 2020 André Rieu $1,295,288 52David Gilmour Live at Pompei 2017 David Gilmour $1,273,34753Bring Me the Horizon: L.I.V.E. in São Paulo2026Bring Me the Horizon$490,794
Stage production
+RankTitleYearPerformanceWorldwide gross 1 2012 $7,106,631 2Prima Facie 2022 Prima Facie $6,646,622 3Hamlet 2015 Hamlet $5,350,452 4Les Misérables: The Staged Concert 2019 Les Misérables $5,042,935 5National Theatre Live: The Audience 2013 $4,330,068 6Romeo and Juliet (Secret Cinema 2018) 2018 Romeo and Juliet $4,282,983 7Miss Saigon 25th Anniversary Performance 2016 Miss Saigon $3,720,532 8National Theatre Live: Frankenstein 2011 Frankenstein $3,351,486 9 2015 $3,097,621 10Billy Elliot the Musical Live 2014 Billy Elliot the Musical $2,815,788 11 2018 $2,692,907 12George Balanchine's The Nutcracker 2011 $2,119,994 13National Theatre Live: Present Laughter 2019 Present Laughter $2,033,526 14 2023 $2,033,043 15Kinky Boots – The Musical 2020 Kinky Boots – The Musical $1,997,631 16National Theatre Live: A View From the Bridge 2015 $1,943,723 17Met Opera: Porgy and Bess 2020 Porgy and Bess $1,913,398 18National Theatre Live: Follies 2017 Follies $1,842,192 19Met Opera: La Boheme 2018 La Boheme $1,774,848 20National Theatre Live: One Man Two Guvnors 2011 One Man Two Guvnors $1,714,891 21National Theatre Live: All About Eve 2019 All About Eve $1,710,659 22Met Opera: Madama Butterfly 2019 Madama Butterfly $1,696,923 23National Theatre Live: Good 2023 Good $1,674,053 24National Theatre Live: Of Mice and Men 2014 Of Mice and Men $1,664,500 25Royal Opera House: The Nutcracker 2017 $1,635,459 26National Theatre Live: The Lehman Trilogy 2019 $1,531,395 27Royal Opera House: The Nutcracker 2018 $1,512,712 28Met Opera: Turandot (2018) Encore (2018) 2018 TurandotEncore $1,500,000 29Met Opera: Der Rosenkavalier 2017 Der Rosenkavalier $1,498,974 30 2015 $1,494,137 31All My Sons 2019 All My Sons $1,454,828 32Met Opera – Agrippina 2020 Agrippina $1,453,796 33No Man's Land – NT Live 2016 2016 No Man's Land $1,380,144 34Allelujah! 2018 Allelujah! $1,347,137 35De Club van Sinterklaas & Het Grote Pietenfees 2020 De Club van Sinterklaas $1,336,192 36National Theatre Live: Hansard 2019 Hansard $1,318,622 37National Theater Live 2017: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead 2017 Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead $1,245,590 38NT Live: Yerma 2017 Yerma $1,238,299 39Branagh Theatre Live: Romeo & Juliet 2016 2016 Romeo and Juliet $1,223,663 40National Theatre Live: Twelfth Night 2017 Twelfth Night $1,210,769 41National Theater Live: Cyrano de Bergerac 2020 Cyrano de Bergerac $1,195,764 42 2016 $1,188,225 43National Theatre Live: Small Island 2019 Small Island $1,180,476 44National Theater Live Amadeus 2017 Live Amadeus $1,151,772 45NT Live: Les Liaisons Dangereuses 2016 Les Liaisons Dangereuses $1,135,686 46Royal Opera House Swan Lake 2018 Swan Lake $1,131,961 47Royal Opera House The Sleeping Beauty 2020 Sleeping Beauty $1,097,859 48National Theater Live Hedda Gabler 2017 Hedda Gabler $1,085,982 49National Theatre Live: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof 2018 Cat on a Hot Tin Roof $1,071,526 50Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake 2019 Swan Lake $1,068,862
References