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 (March 10), Saturday and Sunday and limited to 15,000 attendees per show, American entertainment magazine Variety reported. Additionally, fans were not allowed to clap, shout or stand.

Fans could also pay for tickets 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 millon) 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 to catch the show live or as a repeat performance on Saturday. Tickets, at $65 or $68, quickly sold out.

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", especially with tickets in the US and Canada selling for US$35 - almost four times as much as an average movie ticket.

"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," said Mr Paul Dergarabedian.

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.