EXCLUSIVE//Justin Timberlake's Spring Run Tops Tours with $77.3 Million

By Bob Allen | 

April 26: Justin Timberlake performs at Stade de France in Paris.
David Wolff - Patrick/Getty Images

Justin Timberlake’s 20/20 Experience world tour heads up the weekly ranking of Hot Tours, with sales reported from its European leg that kicked off at the end of March and ran through June 10. Ticket sales totaled $77.3 million from the trek that hit 23 cities in 14 countries on the continent, along with a handful of dates in Middle Eastern markets. 

Touring in support of his most recent studio albums released last year, "The 20/20 Experience" and "The 20/20 Experience - 2 of 2," Timberlake launched the world tour in New York City on November 6, playing 38 cities in the U.S. and Canada during a four-month stretch. 

The subsequent European leg began in the U.K. on March 30 and included two-show engagements at arenas in seven cities as well as London’s O2 Arena, which hosted the tour for three nights. Six stadiums were also on the schedule, including the Stade de France in Paris, which drew the largest crowd. 57,286 fans filled the national stadium of France on April 26 for a single performance, the highest attendance reported at one venue during both legs of the tour. Overall box office counts since launch place the pop superstar among the top-grossing touring artists of the year with $148 million in ticket sales from 1.3 million fans at 78 performances.  

 

Ranked second among the 10 top-grossing touring artists of the week, One Direction adds $42.6 million to the Where We Are tour’s overall box office gross that is nearing the $100 million mark. This week’s tally includes revenue from sold-out shows at four U.K. stadiums, as reported by concert promoter SJM Concerts in Manchester. With 5 Seconds of Summer on the bill as opening act, the tour included performances on June 6, 7 and 8 at London’s Wembley Stadium, one of three venues to host the tour for three shows. The London run grossed $20 million (£11.9 million) with an attendance count logged at 236,566, the highest draw from a single venue since the world tour began in April. Also included in this report is Manchester’s Etihad Stadium that hosted the pop stars for three nights. The May 30-31, June 1 engagement produced a sold ticket count of 158,579 and $12.9 million in sales. Box office stats from Croke Park in Dublin, the other venue with a three-show run, were reported in a previous week. 1D remains on the road in Europe through July 13 and will kick off a North American run at the beginning of August.

George Strait is third on the slate of Hot Tours, with reported sales from his record-breaking tour finale on June 7 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. With $18.1 million in sales from a sold-out crowd of 104,793 at the home stadium of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, the country music legend smashed multiple attendance records with his final tour performance. 

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The concert set a new record for single-show attendance at a U.S. stadium, as well as any indoor venue worldwide. The event also established Strait as country music’s most successful artist ever, based on single-show gross and attendance counts. The three top-grossing performances from the farewell tour -- Dallas, Houston and San Antonio -- top the all-time list of single performances among country artists according to Billboard’s Boxscore archives.

As well, the first sales figures have been reported from the world tour in support of Lady Gaga’s 2013 album "ARTPOP." With box office grosses topping $13.9 million from the first 14 performances, the pop star locks down the No. 4 slot on Hot Tours with more than 171,000 tickets sold. The arena tour, dubbed artRAVE: The ARTPOP Ball, launched on May 4 at BB&T Center in the Ft. Lauderdale market, the first date of a North American leg that will play 36 cities through August 9. Dates in Asia, Australia, the Middle East and Europe are on the books through late November.

Also included in this week’s tally is Lady Gaga’s seven-show run at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City earlier this year. The event grossed $1.5 million from 24,532 sold tickets at shows on March 28, 30, 31 and April 2, 4, 6 and 7 to mark the closing of the historic Manhattan entertainment venue.