BTS stage return with live shows in Seoul, global cinema screenings

SEOUL • Global K-pop phenomenon BTS made a triumphant return to the stage in South Korea over the weekend, staging their first in-person concerts in their homeland in more than two years.

The BTS Permission To Dance On Stage: Seoul shows were held on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday and limited to 15,000 attendees a show, American entertainment magazine Variety reported.

Fans could also pay to watch the boy band's concert in cinemas, with screenings of the band's Saturday show bringing in US$32.6 million (S$44.5 million) from cinemas across the world.

Variety reported that the concert was screened at 3,711 cinemas across 75 markets.

In Singapore, fans had the option of heading to selected Golden Village cinemas on Saturday to catch the show live or as a repeat performance. Tickets, at $65 or $68, sold out quickly.

The US$6.8 million raked in by the screenings of the BTS concert in North America put the show in third place in the regional theatre charts over the weekend, behind The Batman (US$66 million) and Uncharted (US$9.2 million).

A senior analyst at media analytics company Comscore told Variety that the box-office performance of the BTS concert was "astonishing".

Mr Paul Dergarabedian said: "For a one-day gross to come in at this level, particularly the global number, is mind-boggling and speaks to the power of a one-chance-only event to drive moviegoers to the cinema."

Besides cinema screenings, BTS fans also had the option of paying to stream the band's Thursday and Sunday shows online, with prices ranging from 59,500 Korean won (S$66) to 90,000 won, according to Asian music media website Bandwagon.