For many people, there’s no greater thrill than the electric energy of a live concert. But no matter how dedicated of a fan you may be to a certain musician, it’s not always possible (or practical) to attend one.
Luckily for concert lovers, musicians often find ways to capture that lightning in a bottle in the form of concert movies. There’s no standard set up for these movies. Sometimes they focus on a certain performance and all the work and anticipation leading up to it. Other times, they follow more elements of what’s happening in the artist’s life behind-the-scenes. But they always bring the excitement of live music to the big screen.
And, as a bonus, concert films can also be lucrative. Here are some of the highest-grossing concert movies of all time, plus one that may smash all box office records going forward.
20. ‘Standing in the Shadows of Motown’
Artisan Entertainment / Posteritati
Artist: Funk Brothers
Year: 2002
Total domestic gross: $1,808,679
Total worldwide gross: $2,344,256
Though many concert movies blend showing music and documentary-style footage together, the uniqueness of this story makes it the closest to a true documentary of all the movies on this list. But, because it highlights and exalts the music, it’s still considered a concert movie.
It follows the story of the relatively unknown Funk Brothers, who were the musicians who played with all the most famous Motown acts. The interviews feature not only stories about each of the musicians who were considered part of the “brothers,” and how impressive they were in their own right. But they also feature how incredibly demanding the work was, and how these unsung heroes are basically the biggest music superstars you’ve never heard of.
19. ‘’N Sync: Bigger Than Live’
Wilfredo Lee / AP Photo
Artist: ‘N Sync
Year: 2001
Total domestic gross: $1,808,679
Total worldwide gross: N/A
Like many other bands on this list, this ‘N Sync proved that its loyal following would support them on the big screen for a different type of concert experience. This IMAX movie experience allowed fans of the group to have an up-close-and-personal concert experience without waiting in line.
Released at the height of its popularity, the boy band already had several big hits under its belt. ‘N Sync would enter a “temporary hiatus” the following year and never make music as a group again.
18. ‘Neil Young: Heart of Gold’
Paramount Vantage / Amazon
Artist: Neil Young
Year: 2006
Total domestic gross: $1,904,606
Total worldwide gross: $2,201,933
The same director who created The Talking Heads' “Stop Making Sense,” Jonathan Demme, apparently reached out to Neil Young to capture his concert essence in all its glory. Filmed over two nights at the original home of the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, the film focuses on Young and his music. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and had a limited theatrical release that garnered positive reviews.
17. ‘Sign 'o’ the Times’
Universal Pictures / YouTube
Artist: Prince
Year: 1987
Total domestic gross: $3,000,073
Total worldwide gross: N/A
Though many people may be more aware of Prince’s beloved “Purple Rain,” the rock musical drama isn’t considered a concert film. And with this movie, the superstar embodied what it was like to see him live, as best as a film could capture in the late ‘80s.
Though it’s hard to find copies now and even more difficult to stream online, this high-grossing concert film showed snippets from Prince onstage during his European concert tour and featured songs from his popular album of the same name.
16. ‘BTS World Tour: Love Yourself in Seoul’
eBay
Artist: BTS
Year: 2019
Total domestic gross: $3,509,917
Total worldwide gross: N/A
This movie focuses on international K-Pop sensation BTS as it performs for sold out and electric crowds in back-to-back concerts.
The movie delivers a chance to see the performances live and feel some of the energy present in its hometown. And its focus is on the songs, performances and the interactions with the crowd. At 130 minutes, it’s longer than most concert movies and played theatrically in early 2019 for a very limited release.
15. ‘BTS Burn the Stage: The Movie’
Bighit Entertainment / YouTube
Artist: BTS
Year: 2018
Total domestic gross: $4,201,819
Total worldwide gross: $20,347,513
This movie is also one of the more recent additions to the concert movie space, and also focuses on the beloved K-Pop band BTS again. This boy band first formed in South Korea in 2013 and includes seven members. Because there are many band members and personalities involved in their popular music, it includes behind-the-scenes moments that fans of the group love.
In fact, the movie was so dependent on people who were already fans of the group showing up, it wasn’t even marketed to non-fans. And looking at the worldwide gross, it seems their marketing strategy was effective.
14. ‘Shine a Light’
Artist: The Rolling Stones
Year: 2008
Total domestic gross: $5,505,267
Total worldwide gross: $15,773,351
While many concert movie directors on this list had some notoriety, none are as famous as this film’s director, Martin Scorsese. And Scorsese brought the heat in terms of footage, enlisting nine Oscar-award-winning or Oscar-nominated cinematographers to capture every moment of a relatively intimate Rolling Stones performance at the Beacon Theater in New York City. Because of the skill level (and sheer amount) of the footage combined with the director’s clear vision, this is often touted as one of the most intimate rock concert films ever created.
13. 'BTS Permission to Dance On-Stage - Seoul: Live Viewing'
Trafalgar Releasing / YouTube
Artist: BTS
Year: 2022
Total domestic gross: $6,840,000
Total worldwide gross: $32,600,000
BTS continues to dominate the pop landscape and their most recent concert film is their highest-grossing to date. The film, shot in Seoul South Korea, featured some of the band's first shows post Covid and all the hits they could pack into a two and a half hour concert film.
The movies was streamed to theaters in 75 countries with an audience of 1.4 million viewers.
12. ‘U2: Rattle and Hum’
Paramount Pictures / Walmart
Artist: U2
Year: 1988
Total domestic gross: $8,600,823
Total worldwide gross: N/A
“Rattle and Hum” mostly follows the rock band as it performs rather than interspersing too much behind-the-scenes footage or a separate storyline. As an openly ambitious and outspoken band, seeing U2 in all its early glory was an opportunity that many fans were happy to experience. And despite earlier criticisms of the film, some critics still defend it today as both an excellent pioneer of the genre and an accurate portrayal of an iconic band.
11. ‘Stop Making Sense’
Evan Agostini / Invision/AP Photo
Artist: The Talking Heads
Year: 1984
Total domestic gross: $9,095,970
Total worldwide gross: N/A
With an impressive 97 percent positive critic rating (and a 98 percent positive audience rating) on Rotten Tomatoes, this concert film is one of the highest-rated concert movies of all time. Rather than including some of the (now-standard) behind-the-scenes footage or interviews with the singers or even excited crowd shots, this movie focuses on the charming eccentricities of the band and its lead singer, David Byrne.
And because the tone of both the music and their performance style is markedly different than the average rock band, this film embodies and embraces that in a way that seemed to resonate with moviegoers.
'Stop Making Sense' was re-released to an enthusiastic new generation of viewers in fall 2023 and it was the first time the members of the Talking Heads had seen each other in years.
10. ‘Glee: The 3D Concert Movie’
20th Century Fox/20th Television / eBay
Artist: The Cast of “Glee”
Year: 2011
Total domestic gross: $11,862,398
Total worldwide gross: $17,462,398
Interestingly, unlike many concert films, this doesn’t follow a specific band. Instead, it follows the cast of the hit TV show “Glee.” Cast members show their chops to live audiences, bringing high-energy singing to the stage.
It also has the same message the show tried to provide: It’s okay to be an outsider or to feel like a loner. It blurs the lines between reality and actors portraying something close to reality, but plenty of fans still came out and seemed to enjoy both the live performances and the subsequent movie.
9. ‘U2 3D’
AP Photo / Juan Manuel Villasenor
Artist: U2
Year: 2008
Total domestic gross: $12,898,847
Total worldwide gross: $26,170,402
This is the band’s second concert film, released 20 years after its first. It was filmed during the group’s 2006 “Vertigo Tour.” Though there were other 3D concert films (and many done in IMAX), this was technically the first concert film shot for and produced in the 3D space.
At first, the band wasn’t totally on board to participate. But the idea of experimenting with emerging technology was interesting enough to play along. The massive set up took a ton of resources to travel from one venue to another.
8. ‘Madonna: Truth or Dare’
Miramax Films / Amazon
Artist: Madonna
Year: 1991
Total domestic gross: $15,012,935
Total worldwide gross: $29,012,935
Madonna was easily one of the biggest pop stars in the world when she went on her worldwide “Blond Ambition” tour and subsequently released this film, which is part concert movie and part documentary. Unlike many concert-oriented movies, the focus is more backstage than onstage. While it does have musical moments, it follows a lot more of her relationships, especially with her dancers (and there’s even a cameo from her then-boyfriend Warren Beatty).
7. ‘Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience’
Walt Disney Productions / Posterazzi
Artist: Jonas Brothers
Year: 2009
Total domestic gross: $19,162,740
Total worldwide gross: $30,428,831
Just one year after he directed the “Best of Both Worlds” tour with Miley Cyrus, Bruce Hendricks created and directed these Disney prodigies. Like many “rockumentaries,” it follows the personalities behind-the-scenes of the singers, who are real-life brothers. And it also delivers lots of sing-along experiences and fun cameos from other major stars, including Taylor Swift and Demi Lovato.
Plenty of reviewers weren’t exactly blown away by the film. But even people with criticisms about the movie made it clear that if you’re already a major fan of the group, this is a concert movie will be enjoyable. And based on the overall gross, millions of people were happy to pay to experience the Jonas Brothers on the big screen.
6. ‘Katy Perry: Part of Me’
Felipe Dana / AP
Artist: Katy Perry
Year: 2012
Total domestic gross: $25,326,071
Total worldwide gross: $32,700,439
This concert film features interspersed clips of her high-energy, over-the-top colorful performances from her “California Dreams” tour, and more behind-the-scenes footage of the pop star. It includes early videos of Perry as a young artist. And it includes private emotional moments during the breakdown of her marriage to comedian Russell Brand.
It generally got favorable reviews from both audience and critics alike. And the sheer ticket sales showed that people were interested in both the glitter and glamour of her onstage persona and the more grounded human behind it.
5. ‘One Direction: This Is Us’
Mogens Flindt / AP Photo
Artist: One Direction
Year: 2013
Total domestic gross: $28,873,374
Total worldwide gross: $68,233,799
This concert movie shows behind-the-scenes shenanigans from the fivesome and plenty of live concert songs from London’s O2 Arena.
Rather than focusing on their humble “X-Factor” TV Show beginnings, the film’s story centers on the group, its members’ chemistry and the band’s international chart-topping hits.
4. ‘Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert’
Chris Pizzello / A-PIZZELLO/AP Photo
Artist: Miley Cyrus
Year: 2008
Total domestic gross: $65,281,781
Total worldwide gross: $70,712,099
Capitalizing on the popularity of the Disney Channel show, “Hannah Montana,” this concert movie delivered what it promised: both Miley Cyrus and her TV show rockstar alter ego, Hannah Montana, singing their hearts out to thousands of screaming fans.
The 3D concert movie was meant to deliver a fun sing-along experience to the fanbase, balancing songs by the rockstar character, Hannah Montana, and the singer herself, Miley Cyrus.
3. ‘Michael Jackson’s This Is It’
Sony Pictures Releasing / Amazon
Artist: Michael Jackson
Year: 2009
Total domestic gross: $72,091,016
Total worldwide gross: $261,183,588
Though it’s only second on this list because of its domestic gross, this concert movie eclipsed the others with its overall worldwide gross.
The film followed the singer as he prepared for his final worldwide tour, which never took place. Jackson died before the tour started. This movie, which features rehearsal footage, became the last film Jackson starred in.
2. ‘Justin Bieber: Never Say Never’
Joel Ryan / AP Photo
Artist: Justin Bieber
Year: 2011
Total domestic gross: $73,013,910
Total worldwide gross: $99,034,125
This “rockumentary” follows the internet-sensation-turned-global superstar in the days leading up to what seemed like the biggest concert performance of his fledgling career, a show at Madison Square Garden. Though this was released theatrically and did very well, it’s now available on Netflix. So if you missed it the first time (or if you miss this more innocent and baby-faced Bieber), you can currently stream it as much as your heart desires.
The 3D concert film is generally liked by both audiences and critics alike, with the majority giving it generally positive reviews. The movie includes not only performances, but also interviews of his friends and family that give a behind-the-scenes look into the life of a kid who got (and has stayed) famous via YouTube.
1. 'The Eras Tour'
Chris Pizzello / Invision/AP Photo
Artist: Taylor Swift
Year: 2023
Total gross: $93 million plus
In it's first weekend alone Taylor Swift's "The Eras Tour" has usurped Justin Bieber's hold on the top spot of the highest-grossing concert movies of all time. "The Eras Tour" looks as though it will shatter box office records in the weeks going forward.
While we know that Swift will be at the top of the heap for a while, "Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé" will be released on December 1, 2023.