Sell out shows by global stars Billie Eilish and Sabrina Carpenter last year helped the operators of the 3Arena in Dublin to a box office of $70.95m (€60.54m).
Figures from US trade industry journal Pollstar show that 924,278 patrons delivered the $70.95m box office for the Dublin venue last year.
Pollstar ranked the 3Arena as the eighth highest grossing arena in Europe in its top 200 grossing arenas globally last year. The Sphere in Las Vegas was ranked at number one with a 2025 box office of $367.23m and Madison Square Garden in New York city at number two with a $270.5m box office.
The 3Arena performance last year helped one of the main promoters of gigs at the venue, MCD, to generate $210.98m from 2.56 million tickets sold in 2025 including the likes of the Dua Lipa gig at the Aviva.
The MD of MCD, Denis Desmond, said earlier this month that he expects 2026 to surpass 2025 in terms of ticket sales with 2.3 million tickets already sold for MCD gigs this year.
MCD Productions is owned by LN Gaiety Holdings Ltd which is a joint venture between Mr Desmond’s Gaiety Investments and Live Nation.
The detailed Pollstar figures for the 3Arena last year – based on returns made by acts performing at the venue – show that Billie Eilish’s two gigs at the venue last July generated a combined €3.18m at the box office.
Two gigs by the Espresso singer, Sabrina Carpenter, in March of last year generated €2.5m at the box office.
Female solo artists were popular with music fans across the year with “Lush Life” singer, Zara Larsson recording a box office of €676,317 in November while Gracie Abrams enjoyed a box office of €820,174 in March.
Lewis Capaldi is playing a string of gigs around Ireland this Summer and his two night stint at the 3Arena last September was very lucrative with his gigs generating a combined €2.15m at the box office.
Irish acts feature prominently on the detailed Pollstar figures which extend from November 2024 to November of last year. Fontaines DC generated a box office of €1.2m from two gigs in December 2024 while The Script recorded a box office of €2.6m from three gigs at the venue in November 2024.
Five gigs by Brendan O’Carroll’s Mrs Brown Boys generated just over €700,000 at the box office in December 2024 During the same month, The 2 Johnnies generated a box office of €741,597.
The figures also show that in March, Mario Rosenstock’s Gift Grub Live ’25 celebration generated a box-office of €250,496 after a near sell-out at the 3Arena.
UK stand-up acts continued to be a big draw for fans at the 3Arena with three Peter Kay gigs at the venue last July making €1.92m at the box office while Ricky Gervais’s two gigs last March generated €900,273.
Snow Patrol – best known for anthems such as Chasing Cars – generated over €1m at the box office from one night last February.
So called “heritage acts” continued to be a major crowd puller at the venue in 2025. Lionel Richie – best known for global hits such as ‘Hello’ and ‘All Night Long’ from the 1980s – generated a box office of €1m from his one appearance at the 3Arena last June.
Another star who made his name in the 1980s, Bryan Adams, generated a box office of €1.24m from two gigs last May.
Box office receipts are shared between performer, promoter, ticket seller and venue operator.
Reporting by Gordon Deegan
