For the fourth time this year, Bad Bunny reigns over Billboard’s monthly Boxscore ranking with the highest grossing tour of September. In February, he became the first Latin act to top the list since the monthly tally began in February 2019. In March, he scored the highest monthly total for an arena tour since the charts launched. In August, when he bulked up to stadiums, he claimed the title for the largest monthly sum for a solo act.
With his September victory, Bad Bunny is running out of records to rewrite. Over 11 shows from Sept. 1 to 30, World’s Hottest Tour earned $123.7 million and sold over 500,000 tickets according to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore. That is the highest one-month gross since these charts premiered, bypassing The Rolling Stones’ Augug 2019 haul of $95 million to become the first act to earn more than $100 million in a single month.
Bunny’s September run included three markets each in Texas (Houston, San Antonio and Arlington) and California (Oakland, San Diego and Inglewood), plus two shows in Las Vegas and one in Phoenix. His Sept. 30-Oct. 1 double-header at Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium was the obvious highlight, earning $31.1 million from 99,816 tickets sold, even though half of that sum will count toward the October rankings.
As previously reported, Bad Bunny’s September (and one October) shows brings the North American total for World’s Hottest Tour to $232.5 million, aided by local records in four out of every five venues it played.
Further, his latest victory puts him in elite company, tying Elton John for the most months atop Top Tours. Each act has crowned four monthly editions – John three times in 2019 and once in 2020, and Bad Bunny all in 2022. Even more impressive for Bunny, he’s undefeated.
He claimed top honors in February and March, when El Ultimo Tour Del Mundo began, took much of the spring and summer off, and returned in August, when he regained the top spot (and again in September). He played a trio of shows in April and July, but if Bad Bunny was properly on tour in 2022, he’s been No. 1 on Top Tours.
Elton John is at the No. 2 spot Top Tours, scoring his seventh month in the runner-up spot among the nine months in 2022. The only times he didn’t place at No. 2 — May and August — he played minimal shows (four and one, respectively). That means it’s the fourth time in 2022 that Bad Bunny and John have led at Nos. 1-2. John’s September shows collectively earned $57.2 million and sold 350,000 tickets.
At No. 3, is another chart-topping British singer-songwriter, but one of a different generation. Harry Styles rounds out the top three with $54.4 million and 223,000 tickets sold. That breaks down to $41.5 million for the final nine of his 15 shows at Madison Square Garden, and $12.9 million for the first four of his six shows at Austin’s Moody Center. Combined with his August shows, Styles’ MSG run amassed $63.1 million and played to 277,000 fans.
Styles’ September portion of his New York residency crowns Top Boxscores, almost by a margin of 2:1. He is followed by three Bad Bunny engagements: two shows at Las Vegas’ Sofi Stadium that earned $22.1 million and sold 92,440 tickets, two shows at San Diego’s Petco Park with $20 million and 79,000 tickets, and two shows at Houston’s Minute Maid Park with $19.6 million and 84,000 tickets.
Even more, after Bad Bunny’s 2-3-4 punch, Daddy Yankee follows at No. 5 with a three-show run at Estadio Monumental in Santiago, Chile. There, he earned $17.7 million and sold 197,000 tickets. That’s almost an entire top five sweep for Latin promoter Cardenas Marketing Network.
The Santiago shows highlight a massive month for Daddy Yankee, at No. 5 on Top Tours with a $43 million sum. Including some reports for October shows, the reggaeton great’s farewell tour has earned $120.2 million since its July 25 kick-off, making it the second highest grossing Latin tour in Boxscore history, only behind Bad Bunny’s World’s Hottest Tour.
The Latin takeover continues with Karol G at No. 9, earning $32 million from 15 shows in September. As opposed to Bunny and Yankee, her tour is promoted by AEG Presents, spotlighted elsewhere by John at No. 2 and, via subsidiary Concerts West, by Roger Waters at No. 12.
Final shows from summer stadium runs pepper the Top Tours chart, from Lady Gaga and Red Hot Chili Peppers at Nos. 6-7 to The Weeknd and Def Leppard & Motley Crue, at Nos. 13 and 17, respectively.
And while Ed Sheeran’s Mathematics Tour will go global in 2023, the final dates of its European leg land him at No. 4 with $50.6 million. That makes four $50 million tours in September, matching August’s record-high.
Styles’ shows at Madison Square Garden help the iconic New York arena repeat at No. 1 on Top Venues, 15,001+. In September, shows at MSG grossed $64.4 million and sold 345,000 tickets. In addition to the former One Direction member, the venue hosted Pearl Jam, Karol G, The Killers, Roxy Music, and, of course, Billy Joel.
