Arthur Fogel from promoter Live Nation’s The Next Adventure, which promotes the seemingly ageless diva worldwide, told Pollstar 1,165,000 punters paid US$193.7 million to see the 60-date run.

John Giddings from London-based Solo, who arranges and coordinates the European legs of Madonna tours, said the 22-date, sold-out run she started at Cardiff Millennium Stadium July 31 drew more than 500,000 people.

The European leg wrapped at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium September 12 – the biggest show ever staged in Russia – and pulled 50,000 people.

Like any Madonna tour, and almost anything else she does, the European dates were shadowed by controversy as various church leaders threw up their arms in protest over the mock “crucifixion” scene that’s part of her live show.

But complaints from The Vatican, German Lutherans and the Russian Orthodox Church, whose leaders tore up and set fire to Madonna posters in the street, had zero impact outside the media. In fact, her fans reportedly saved a particularly warm response for that part of her performance.

In Moscow particularly, Tim Dowdall from Live Nation’s Budapest office had problems with the press.

What he described as “a litany of rumours and accusations” were fueled by the national and local papers – which spread as far as the U.K.’s The Sun – and included a report that said the show wouldn’t happen because a clairvoyant told Madonna she’d die if it did.

Even some journalists who said it would happen still had a down on the event, saying she’d mime, the production would be a disaster or – even more dramatically – Russian police would beat up the audience.

Some of the scare stories were a result of the show having to be switched from Vorobyovy Gory, an open-air site overlooking Moscow State University, because the local authorities feared 250,000 people would turn up.

Not only did the show happen, but Dowdall said the production ran as smoothly as any he’s worked on. He was quick to praise the cooperation from local police and the “immense help” from Moscow mayor Yury Luzhkov.

Fogel was also happy the final European show had gone “really well,” and described the whole tour as “a tremendous success on all levels.”