Taylor Swift rules North America box office with 'Showgirl' event

Los Angeles, US: Taylor Swift is having a very good weekend: after the blockbuster release of her new album The Life of a Showgirl, she triumphed at...

Los Angeles, US: Taylor Swift is having a very good weekend: after the blockbuster release of her new album "The Life of a Showgirl," she triumphed at the North American box office with her special movie theater event.

"The Official Release Party of a Showgirl" raked in an estimated $33 million in the Friday to Sunday period in the United States and Canada, Exhibitor Relations said.

The three-day-only event -- which featured the debut of her first music video from the album, behind-the-scenes footage, and lyric videos -- also was screened in cities around the world, but international totals were not immediately available.

"No other musical artist on the planet can do this," said analyst David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research, noting that "Release Party" was only announced on September 19.

"The picture would double its box office from here if it continued to play in theaters, but this is it -- it's finished now."