Sigue Siendo El Rey: Estadio GNP Seguros Dominates Box Office

Another year in the books for the live entertainment industry and the story lying within grosses and ticket sales hasn’t changed much with Mexico City’s Estadio GNP Seguros as the king of ticket sales, earning the top spot on Pollstar’s 2024 Year End Stadium Chart as well as sister publication VenuesNow’s Year End Top Venues Over 30,000.

Estadio GNP Seguros, formerly known as Foro Sol and operated by major Mexican promoter OCESA, finished the year with a gross of $144,977,470 off 1,586,722 tickets sold. It’s a feat the stadium has accomplished before, ranking first in ticket sales in the magazine’s 2022 and 2023 year-end lists, but 2024’s No. 1 finish is by far the most impressive considering that the venue shut down in February for a major renovation and reopened in August.

“It’s exciting that for over 30 years, the best audiences and the greatest musicians have made this venue the most successful concert hall in the world,” OCESA CEO Alejandro Soberón Kuri told Pollstar. “To uphold that legacy, we undertook a major renovation project to modernize the space this year. This included creating new areas for food and beverage services, upgrading to more comfortable seating and enhancing hospitality sections. Additionally, we incorporated sustainable features such as energy-efficient LED lighting and a rainwater collection and reuse system.”

The beloved 65,000-capacity stadium is nestled within the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez racetrack, and both venues are essential to OCESA, which is owned by Live Nation. While Estadio GNP Seguros was out of commission, the racetrack hosted a few solo headline shows along with its usual slate of festivals like Vive Latino (which grossed $12.8 million) and Electric Daisy Carnival Mexico ($23.2 million).

Together, the Formula 1 racetrack and stadium make Mexico City a premier destination for music fans and artists, drawing major acts like Paul McCartney, Green Day, Bruno Mars, Metallica and The Killers in the past four months.

McCartney’s two shows at the stadium in November hauled in $15,324,148 and moved 119,601 tickets, according to Pollstar Boxoffice.

The venue’s No. 1 finish only lends credence to Live Nation CEO and President Michael Rapino’s belief that the success of live entertainment lies in globalization.

“When you’re doing all these Latin American shows, when you’re doing shows now in India, Middle East, Singapore, Asia, growing our Australian business, it just provides us more and more inventory to open new borders and new relationships,” Rapino said during a third-quarter earnings call in November.

It’s a big reason why OCESA has invested more than $130 million in the venue since opening it in 1993, and the most recent refurbishment included a roof that covers most of the seats, improved access to sections and, most importantly, the addition of premium box seats that not only bring in more ticket revenue but also sponsorships. The fan experience was vastly improved, and concertgoers responded by spending more money at the venue. According to Live Nation, Estadio GNP Seguros reopened “with average net per fan spending up 20% compared to pre-renovation levels.”

With the Estadio GNP Seguros’ reopening, OVG360, Oak View Group’s full-service venue management division, became the building’s hospitality provider helping increase fan per caps significantly. (Oak View Group is Pollstar‘s parent company).

“Estadio GNP Seguros has hosted countless artists and millions of fans, leaving a remarkable impact on Mexico’s global standing. Ultimately, the infrastructure developed in our country for large-scale events has played a crucial role in enhancing Mexico’s position in the international live entertainment circuit,” Soberón Kuri said. “Being part of Live Nation will enable us to further position Mexico in the landscape of international tours that cannot overlook our country. We are excited about the future!”

The OCESA exec has plenty to be excited about next year with the stadium hosting Linkin Park, Twenty One Pilots, Olivia Rodrigo and Oasis, the most anticipated reunion of 2025. Colombian superstar Shakira will also be visiting Estadio GNP Seguros, not for one but for seven nights after selling out six shows, which is a venue record.

Additional tour announcements are likely on the horizon. Earlier this year, Rapino stated “2025 looks like to be a banner year again” with stadium onsales for Coldplay, Shakira and Rüfüs Du Sol delivering double-digit growth in show grosses relative to previous tours.

Such news bodes well for Estadio GNP Seguros, and all signs point to the stadium contending for the No. 1 spot yet again on year-end charts in 2025.