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Short answer
BTS's São Paulo concert relay ranked sixth in the US with $2,800,000 over Oct 30-Nov 1, 2026, per Box Office Mojo. The Numbers counts 1,010 theaters, $2,772 each, beating every top-10 film on Mojo's list except You Can See Everything ($3,268) and Clayface ($2,990). It did that in roughly one night, while the films around it played three full days.
- What happened BTS World Tour 'Arirang' in São Paulo: Live Viewing grossed an estimated $2,800,000 in the US over the Oct 30-Nov 1 weekend, No. 6 per Box Office Mojo, distributed by Trafalgar Releasing.
- Why it matters At $2,772 per theater it out-earned every film in the top 10 except the two leaders, and it did so in roughly one show date rather than three days.
- How it compares Busan in June averaged $3,781 on 1,005 theaters; the April Goyang/Tokyo opening averaged $2,052 on 1,189; PTD Seoul in 2022 averaged $8,518 on 803.
- What to watch Monday actuals (weekend figures are Sunday estimates) and whether Trafalgar publishes a worldwide total; The Numbers' running figure is $5,571,793.
Key facts
| US weekend gross (Oct 30-Nov 1, 2026) | $2,800,000, No. 6, Trafalgar Releasing (Box Office Mojo) |
| Theaters and per-theater average | 1,010 theaters, $2,772 (The Numbers) |
| Daily split | $2,000,000 Fri Oct 30, $800,000 Sat Oct 31 (The Numbers) |
| Top-10 averages above it | You Can See Everything $3,268; Clayface $2,990 (Box Office Mojo) |
| International / worldwide so far | $2,771,793 / $5,571,793 (The Numbers) |
| Earlier Arirang relays | Goyang/Tokyo opening $2,052 avg (1,189); Busan $3,781 avg (1,005) |
The number: $2,772 per theater
Each of the 1,010 US theaters carrying BTS World Tour 'Arirang' in São Paulo: Live Viewing took in $2,772 on average over the Oct 30-Nov 1 weekend, according to The Numbers. The total was an estimated $2,800,000, which Box Office Mojo lists at No. 6 on the domestic chart in the entry's first week, with Trafalgar Releasing as distributor.
The rank looks odd on its own. A cinema feed of a stadium concert in Brazil finished ahead of four films that played all weekend on more locations; No. 10 Heart of the Beast, for example, was on 1,695 theaters to the relay's 1,010. The per-theater figure explains how. Only two titles in the top 10 did better on that measure: You Can See Everything at $3,268 across 3,243 theaters ($10,600,685) and Clayface at $2,990 across 3,478 ($10,400,000). No. 3 Wildwood averaged $2,548 on 2,939.
One caveat on wording. Mojo and The Numbers count theaters, meaning locations, not individual screens. A location can run the relay in more than one auditorium, so $2,772 is a per-site number, not a per-screen one.
How does a one-night relay rank sixth against films that played all weekend?
The answer is concentration. The Numbers breaks the domestic take into $2,000,000 on Friday Oct 30 and $800,000 on Saturday Oct 31. Friday was the live date in the Americas; the São Paulo show at Estádio do MorumBIS was the second of three nights there (Oct 28, 30-31), per the Live Nation tour dates. So roughly seven dollars in ten arrived on a single evening. The films around it spread their weekends across three full days of showtimes.
The rest of the top 10 shows how thin the per-location numbers were elsewhere. Per Box Office Mojo: Wicker $1,737, The Only Living Pickpocket in New York $1,725, Resident Evil $1,299, Street Fighter $1,132, Other Mommy $1,073, Heart of the Beast $952. AFP, citing Exhibitor Relations, quoted analyst David A. Gross: "This weekend's numbers are weak. Last Halloween had the same trouble, and this one looks like it's coming in below that." A soft weekend lowers the bar for sixth place but does not change the relay's own average.
It also helps to remember what the entry is not. It is not a film with a multi-week run. Trafalgar bills these relays as live in the Americas and delayed elsewhere for time zones, and The Numbers logs US money on only Oct 30 and 31. Whether any further US showings are added is not confirmed, so for now the weekend column is close to the whole domestic story.
- $2,800,000 ÷ 1,010 theaters = $2,772.28 per location (context from the trackers' own figures)
- Friday share of domestic gross: $2,000,000 of $2,800,000, per The Numbers
How does São Paulo compare with earlier BTS cinema relays?
Rotten Tomatoes' weekend column (Erik Childress) set the $2.8m against four earlier BTS relays. Those were the April Arirang relay ($2.44m), the June Busan relay ($3.8m), PTD Seoul in 2022 ($6.84m) and Yet to Come in 2023 ($8.02m). Childress added that "$3 million isn't bad for a one-night-only theatrical concert experience." The per-theater ladder is more useful than the raw grosses, because footprints changed.
On that ladder, São Paulo sits in the middle of the 2026 tour. The April Goyang/Tokyo opening averaged $2,052 on 1,189 theaters; Busan on Saturday Jun 13 averaged $3,781 on 1,005; São Paulo averaged $2,772 on 1,010. Busan and São Paulo had almost the same number of locations, five theaters apart, and Busan took about $1 million more. A Saturday-versus-Friday gap and different ticket prices mean these averages do not settle whether demand rose or fell between June and October.
The 2022 and 2023 events were a different scale. PTD on Stage Seoul (Sat Mar 12, 2022) took $6,840,000 from 803 theaters, an $8,518 average and No. 2 for the day. Trafalgar later said it grossed $32.6 million worldwide in 3,711 cinemas across 75 countries/regions, then the highest-grossing worldwide event cinema release.
Yet to Come in Cinemas was released on Wed Feb 1, 2023. Over its Fri-Sun weekend it averaged $4,636 on 1,100 theaters. Trafalgar reported it crossed $53 million worldwide from 5,817 cinemas in 128 countries/territories. ScreenX, 4DX and 4DXScreen contributed 25% of revenue from about 10% of screens.
| Event | US date | US gross | Theaters | Per theater | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PTD on Stage Seoul: Live Viewing | Sat Mar 12, 2022 | $6,840,000 | 803 | $8,518 | 2nd (day) |
| Yet to Come in Cinemas (Fri-Sun, The Numbers) | Weekend after Feb 1, 2023 release | $5,100,000 | 1,100 | $4,636 | 5th |
| Arirang Goyang/Tokyo opening | Apr 11, 2026 | $2,440,000 | 1,189 | $2,052 | 6th |
| Arirang in Busan: Live Viewing | Sat Jun 13, 2026 | $3,800,000 | 1,005 | $3,781 | 5th |
| Arirang in São Paulo: Live Viewing | Oct 30-Nov 1, 2026 | $2,800,000 | 1,010 | $2,772 | 6th |
Why São Paulo, and how does Trafalgar's model work?
Trafalgar Releasing's event page bills the Buenos Aires (Oct 24) and São Paulo (Oct 30) broadcasts as the first-ever BTS Live Viewing from South America. The Sept 10, 2026 announcement with HYBE and BigHit Music framed the South American shows as the grand finale of the Latin American leg. That leg opened Oct 2 in Bogotá and ran through Lima, Santiago, Buenos Aires and São Paulo. That official framing is the only stated reason for the choice; no HYBE or Trafalgar statement gives selection criteria beyond it.
The mechanics are simple. Americas screenings run live; other regions are delayed for time zones. The Korea Times reported the two relays would reach more than 80 countries and regions and roughly 3,800 theaters, with audiences in Korea, other parts of Asia and Australia watching one to two days after the shows. Hoyts in Australia listed the São Paulo feed on 31 October with a 195-minute runtime, which fits that delay. The São Paulo relay was also the sixth and closing presentation of HYBE Cine Fest 2026 (Oct 24-31) in over 60 territories; Buenos Aires was its first.
Trafalgar Releasing, the event-cinema arm of Trafalgar Entertainment led by CEO Marc Allenby, describes a reach of 15,000 cinemas across 132 countries and pitches concert relays as a lower-cost alternative to tour tickets.
What no source states is the rental split with exhibitors or Trafalgar's fee on BTS relays, so we do not publish a percentage. No US ticket price for this relay has been published, so we make no claim about premium pricing.
What could change the $2,800,000 figure?
Two numbers to check from here. First, Monday actuals. The $2,800,000 is a rounded Sunday estimate, and actuals can shift it slightly.
Second, the worldwide tally. The Numbers' title page shows $2,771,793 international and $5,571,793 worldwide so far, so the overseas take almost exactly matched the US. Because the entry pairs both South American relays, the international figure may include Buenos Aires while the domestic daily split shows only Oct 30-31, so treat the near-match as a coincidence until Trafalgar publishes a breakdown. As of Nov 2 we found no Trafalgar results release for the South American relays, unlike PTD Seoul and Yet to Come, which both got one.
- Monday actuals for the Oct 30-Nov 1 weekend (the $2,800,000 is a Sunday estimate).
- Any Trafalgar/HYBE statement with a worldwide total for the South American relays
- Whether the trackers separate the Buenos Aires relay from the Weekend 43 'HYBE Cine Fest 2026' line ($4,500,000, No. 6)
What is not confirmed
Two pieces are missing from the public record, and we have left them out of the math above.
- Whether the Weekend 43 'HYBE Cine Fest 2026' figure of $4,500,000 includes the Buenos Aires relay, and how much of it was BTS; no breakdown has been published.
- What the Saturday Oct 31 $800,000 came from; The Numbers does not say whether those were delayed or repeat US showings.
FAQ
How much did the BTS São Paulo live viewing make at the US box office?
An estimated $2,800,000 over the Oct 30-Nov 1, 2026 weekend, ranking No. 6 per Box Office Mojo. The Numbers puts it at 1,010 theaters for a $2,772 per-theater average, with $2,000,000 on Friday Oct 30 and $800,000 on Saturday Oct 31.
How does it compare with the Busan and Goyang relays?
Busan (Jun 13, 2026) took $3,800,000 from 1,005 theaters, a $3,781 average and 5th place. The April Goyang/Tokyo relay opened to $2,440,000 from 1,189 theaters, a $2,052 average, and finished at $6,240,000 domestic and $11,296,835 worldwide per The Numbers.
Was this the first BTS cinema relay from South America?
Yes. Trafalgar Releasing's event page bills the Buenos Aires (Oct 24) and São Paulo (Oct 30) broadcasts as the first-ever BTS Live Viewing from South America, closing the tour's Latin American leg.
What is the worldwide total so far?
The Numbers lists $2,771,793 international and $5,571,793 worldwide for the Buenos Aires and São Paulo entry as of Nov 1, 2026. Trafalgar has not yet published its own total.
Why was the weekend called weak?
AFP, citing Exhibitor Relations, quoted analyst David A. Gross saying the weekend's numbers were weak and likely below last Halloween's.
Sources
- Box Office Mojo – Domestic Weekend 44 (Oct 30-Nov 1, 2026)
- The Numbers – Weekend chart Oct 30, 2026
- The Numbers – BTS World Tour 'Arirang' in Buenos Aires and São Paulo Live Viewing
- Trafalgar Releasing – event page
- Trafalgar/HYBE/BigHit announcement (Celluloid Junkie wire)
- Box Office Mojo – Arirang in Busan: Live Viewing
- AFP via France 24
- Rotten Tomatoes Editorial – weekend box office
Figures change. Check the primary sources above.