‘The Eras Tour’ takes Taylor Swift’s business empire to theaters

“They said that because of the nature of the film, they couldn’t put any restrictions on it, but with dancing, they don’t know how much room there is technically,” Rao Lehman said after speaking to one of the people. The stage employee, who assured her that singing with her would be fine. Theater chains such as Your mother And Cinemark, which has been hit with similar questions, has since published guidelines, including whether you can bring glamor to the stage. (“Please refrain,” says Sinmark.)

These are just some of the things Swifties are thinking about as they count the hours until the film’s October 13 release. This is no ordinary concert movie, simply because it involves Swift, who has evolved into a seismic cultural force in the past year: Her tour is… On her way to becoming the first to hit $1 billion in ticket sales, she’s pumped millions of dollars into local economies every time she tours a new city, and she and her fans have created vibrations equivalent to a minor An earthquake of concert noise, and I have given 3 1/2 hour concerts that are extremely emotionally intense Fans reported that He suffers from amnesia afterward.

Now comes Swift’s movie empire. The US box office faced a slowdown after the summer and was disrupted by Hollywood strikes fall release calendar, Swift announced an unusual direct-to-video distribution deal with AMC Theaters. The film “The Tour of Ages”. It quickly broke the company’s record for first-day advance ticket sales ($26 million), With global advance sales of more than $100 million, according to AMC, it is already one of the highest-grossing concert films in box office history.

the reason? Fans. Rao-Lehman remembers the show she saw at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis in June, but, like countless Swifties, she’s thrilled to be able to experience it all again: “There’s so much going on that it’s impossible to take it all in.” . Just one time.”

The spectacle of the Eras Tour show is truly amazing as Swift performs songs from almost all 10 of her albums over her 17-year career. Swift is very detail-oriented, to put it mildly, and her TikTok and Instagram are filled with concert snaps that fans are poring over for things they might have missed: drawings Breaking glass on stage When Swift stomps her foot during “Delicate” or the many elaborate backup dancer costumes during “Look What You Made Me Do.” Swift has trained her fans to look for clues in her work that might have greater meaning, a mission that fans take to heart in the film as well.

“I used to be looked down upon for being a Taylor Swift fan, and now in 2023, it’s bringing people together and contributing to the economy,” said Beck Ducharme, 23, who suspects the irony was because liking Swift meant you liked Taylor Swift. She was “super girly.” But this summer, with the IRAS Tour, Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour, and the “Barbie” movie, she said, “It’s nice that women can be passionate about the things they love without being ridiculed.”

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Ducharme has seen millions of views on Her Tik Tok It provided costume ideas for duos, trios and groups to wear in the film. (She and her boyfriend, they live in Texas, She plans to wear outfits inspired by the “You Belong With Me” music video.) Clothes have become a crucial element of the Eras Tour experience — and viral TikTok fodder — whether you’re dressing for a specific era or a specific song. However, fans dressed in sparkly outfits, high heels and elaborate costumes are planning to take it easy in the cold and dark movie theater, where the showtime is approaching three hours.

“I’m not going to go all out with fishnets and sparkles,” said Shannon Hyde, 40, who attended one of the Los Angeles screenings filmed for the film, wondering if she would appear in one of the audience reaction shots. . (“I’m sure I’m going to ugly cry or something, but that’s okay.”) This time, though, she’ll leave the “Lover”-era sequins at home and opt for a cardigan or sweatshirt. . “I’m going to follow Taylor’s style, but in a more relaxed way.”

The film also expands the show’s accessibility to fans who were unable to attend concerts, and were unable to purchase or afford tickets during the infamous Ticketmaster crisis last fall. They sadly watched the TikTok live streams and watched partygoers exchange friendship bracelets, a Swift concert tradition, and are thrilled to be part of the Eras Tour tradition with the film.

Revival of box office and concert films

Swift’s innovative deal isn’t just a win for fans. Industry experts also consider it a victory for AMC’s theater distribution and fall box office season, which has otherwise been seeing a commercial hangover after “Barbenheimer’s” summer highs.

“This is a big moment not only for AMC, but for theater in general,” Jeff Bock said. Box office analyst with exhibitor relations.

“This is unprecedented in terms of the level of excitement for this musical,” Bock added, noting that “we haven’t seen anything like this since the Beatles movies” in the 1960s.

AMC and its sub-distribution partners have reportedly struck deals to show “Eras” in about 100 countries in more than 8,500 theaters.

Combined with the film’s $100 million in global pre-sales, Bock expects the film to gross more than $100 million for its domestic debut, once direct sales are included.

Even the unique nature of the ticket prices adds to the hype, he said: Tickets for adults are $19.89 before taxes — a reference to Swift’s album title and year of birth — and $13.13 for children. (Swift considers 13 her lucky number.)

AMC said in a statement last week that audience demand for the film “has been amazing from the moment it was first announced,” with many fans purchasing tickets to see the film in big-screen formats. (AMC declined a request for comment.)

The biggest North American concert film release of all time is 2011’s “Justin Bieber: Never Say Never,” which grossed about $73 million domestically, not including inflation. (The film grossed $99 million worldwide.) Globally, the record holder remains 2009’s “This Is It by Michael Jackson,” which grossed more than $260 million — not an unattainable number for a Swift film.

Following Swift’s film, Beyoncé’s concert film from her Renaissance World Tour will hit theaters in December, another industry-challenging distribution deal struck with AMC without the studio’s involvement.

Choreographer and director Vincent Patterson, whose many credits include tours and film projects with Jackson and Madonna, sees this moment as a revival of concert films, in part because of the rising prices of touring mega-cultural events like those by Swift and Beyoncé.

“A lot of people can’t afford to go to concerts anymore, so I think it’s a great thing that this is happening,” Patterson said. “A lot of people who appreciate” artists like Swift and Beyoncé “can at least buy a movie ticket.”

Even some fans who attended these tours couldn’t sit close to them. “You’re sitting so far back that you’re basically looking at the jumbotrons, because the performers on stage are so small,” he said. “I think one of the joys of watching a concert film is that you’re right there in line.” Front, I think that makes a big difference for a lot of people.

AMC, the largest movie chain in North America with nearly 8,000 screens as of last year, scored the “golden ticket” once Swift’s team decided it would circumvent Hollywood studios and work directly with movie theater chains as distributors and sub-distributors, Bock said.

The entertainment analyst said that the Swift deal represents a radical change in traditional distribution for studios, and could be a game-changer for theater chains, which have faced major challenges in adapting to changing consumer trends in the era of streaming, especially since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.

“The balance of power has been favorable to studios for some time, and generally not favorable to theaters,” Bock said.

Swift’s deal was also announced while studios and streamers were at odds with Hollywood writers and actors. Although the Writers Guild of America strike was settled, most Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists performers were still on strike and could not promote the striking work, creating a commercial hole for Swift’s film, and possibly Beyoncé’s film, to fill. .

Even other releases scheduled for the fall were disrupted by “Eras.”

Jason Blum has postponed the release of ‘The Exorcist: Believer’ from October 13 to October 6 (depriving some fans of ‘Exorswift’) double advantage). On August 31, the founder of Blumhouse chirp: “Look what you made me do.”

“On Friday the 13th, they moved a horror movie,” Bock said. “That’s the power of Taylor Swift.”