“Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” is not the greatest concert film of all time. That honor goes to the Talking Heads’ “Stop Making Sense,” which in an odd twist of fate is also playing in theaters, restored for IMAX in honor of its 40th anniversary. But Swift’s film isn’t trying to be the best. It’s just trying to be good enough — a bar it clears easily. Taylor Swift is a cultural phenomenon, after all. Everywhere we turn, there are reports of war, death and governments tearing themselves apart. But in movie theaters around the country this weekend, there will also be — in three-hour increments — bursts of joy.
Swift’s spectacle was a triumph of staging that deserves to be preserved on film.
It helps that the concert is itself a spectacular show. Those lucky enough to get tickets (despite Ticketmaster’s best efforts) witnessed a three-and-a-half hour powerhouse event that doubled as musical autobiography. Swift’s spectacle was a triumph of staging that deserves to be preserved on film. That this film is being released worldwide for all those fans unable to see the show live is a brilliant business move with a lovely accessibility bonus.
“The Eras Tour,” which edits out costume change breaks and tightens up changeovers, clocks in 30 minutes shorter than the stage version. But it gives most viewers something they could never afford: a front row seat. This is a Taylor Swift personal performance, filmed over multiple nights at her final U.S. stop at California’s SoFi stadium, packed to capacity every night. The film also includes a few of Swift’s “surprise” songs from those tour dates, carefully chosen for their importance.
Of course, every theater will have its own rules about dancing in the aisles and singing along, but this film was made with both in mind. And at my screening, both were encouraged. The results were slightly surprising. Adults who obviously didn’t realize how many lyrics they had picked up via sheer osmosis began to sing along, and the dancing intensified throughout. By the closing song — “Karma” — it felt like we were really at a concert; everyone hollering along, in an atmosphere that was utterly joyful, if a little exhausted. I predict theaters will be advertising “Eras Tour Singalong/Dance-along” screenings in the very near future, and they are going to be very popular.
Speaking of how popular this film is going to be, “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” is already sold out in many places. Swift fans bought out Friday opening night showings to the point that a Thursday preview night was added at the last minute. According to box office stats as of the beginning of the week, 1 out of every 3 showtimes on opening day were fully sold out, with major cities (New York, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles) accounting for the highest percent of sold-out theaters.
With the SAG-AFTRA strike still ongoing (talks are once again at a standstill), this is very good news for theaters, which have already struggled to return to some sort of normalcy since 2020. Swift’s people did not go through the usual channels while making this film or distributing it. Everything was done inhouse, with Swift’s parents reportedly negotiating directly with AMC Theaters and Cinemark to screen it. According to reports, the Swifts are letting theaters keep a full third of the profits and splitting the other two-thirds with AMC Theaters as the distributer.
Sadly, that won’t singlehandedly save theaters; however, it’s the same model Beyoncé followed with her own concert film based on this summer’s “Renaissance” tour. Together they should be a welcome burst of enthusiasm, following closely on the windfall that was this summer’s “Barbenheimer” phenomenon. And perhaps, when you add it all up, it may be enough.
But we can worry about the long-term health of the theater industry another day. For now, it’s enough that “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” film isn’t going anywhere, with a 13-week exclusive window in theaters before it hits streaming. It could even run straight up until Beyoncé arrives in mid-December, and we all sing along again to a new set of songs. Call it karma; she and Taylor vibe like that.
