Cirque du Soleil’s Michael Jackson the Immortal World Tour has wrapped after its three-year run, earning the No. 8 slot on the list of the top-grossing tours of all time with $360 million, based on Billboard Boxscore. The tour played its final performance on Aug. 31 in Guadalajara, Mexico, the last of 501 shows at 157 venues in 28 countries worldwide. The production celebrating the music of the late King of Pop began in Montreal on Oct. 2, 2011, and included legs in four continents during its run that logged a total attendance count of 3,369,207.
U2 reigns atop the all-time Billboard Boxscore ranking (see list below) with $736 million in sales from its 360° tour, which played stadiums from 2009 through 2011. The veteran Irish band also takes the No. 6 slot with its Vertigo tour from 2005-07 ($389 million). The Rolling Stones are the only other act with two tours on the list, with A Bigger Bang (2005-07) at No. 2 with $558 million and Voodoo Lounge (1994-95) ranking 10th with $320 million. The sole female headliner on the all-time top 10 is Madonna at No. 5 with her Sticky & Sweet tour ($408 million in 2008-2009. The top sole male tour goes to Roger Waters‘ “The Wall Live” (2010-13) with $459 million.
Guadalajara’s Arena VFG hosted the Jackson tribute tour for its final engagement of seven performances from Aug. 28 through 31. With $3 million in sales at the Mexican arena, the Cirque du Soleil concert production makes its last appearance on Billboard’s weekly slate of Hot Tours, ranking third this week. Leading the tally at No. 1 is country star Jason Aldean with $5.5 million in sales from his Burn It Down tour, currently on the road in North America through October. WithFlorida Georgia Line and Tyler Farr on the bill, the Macon, Ga., native has packed stadiums, outdoor amphitheaters, arenas, fairs and festivals during his summer outing that kicked off at the beginning of May. Box office revenue since the launch is now at $25 million from almost a half-million tickets sold.
Teenage pop star Austin Mahone grabs the No. 2 Hot Tours ranking for the week with $3.6 million in sales reported from his Secret tour that wrapped in North America on Aug. 21 in Philadelphia. The tour played 19 markets in the U.S. and Canada during a four-week run that kicked off on July 25 in San Antonio. The attendance count topped 78,000 during the tour that featured the Vamps,Fifth Harmony and Shawn Mendes as openers. The top grosses came from two major markets on the schedule: New York and Los Angeles. The Izod Center in East Rutherford, N.J., produced the top gross and attendance totals with $375,786 in sales from a sellout crowd of 7,457 on Aug. 20. Southern California fans filled L.A.’s NOKIA Theatre on July 30 with 5,790 sold seats and $301K at the box office, the second highest gross on the tour.
Top 10 Highest Grossing Tours according to Billboard Boxscore (in millions)
1. U2 – 360° (2009-11) – $736
2. The Rolling Stones A Bigger Bang (2005-07) – $558
3. Roger Waters The Wall Live (2010-13) – $459
4. AC/DC Black Ice (2008-10) – $441
5. Madonna Sticky & Sweet (2008-09) – $408
6. U2 Vertigo (2005-07) – $389
7. The Police Reunion (2007-08) – $362
8. Michael Jackson Immortal (2011-14) – $360
9. Bruce Springsteen Wrecking Ball (2012-13) – $347
10. The Rolling Stones Voodoo Lounge (1994-95) – $320
SOURCE: Billboard
