Taylor Swift Delivers Box Office Magic And Uproarious Screenings With The Eras Tour
Taylor Swift is making quite the hoopla at the box office ... and so are the Swifties.
Fans of the Grammy-winning artist were stunned in August when Swift revealed that she was releasing a concert film of "The Eras Tour," her critically acclaimed and massively profitable live show. Arguably one of the most significant musical experiences to take place in contemporary times, "The Eras Tour" — which is set to continue until later next year — has propelled Swift to a rarified level of stardom. Seeing as it was (and still is) a Herculean task to get tickets to her performances, it was a brilliant move on Swift's part to cook up a filmed version of the concert available for all to see.
The film finally released on October 13, after an intense drop of early access screenings on Thursday, October 12, and naturally, "The Eras Tour" is a certified box office bop. Deadline says the concert pic raked in $37.8 million on Friday, though distributor AMC Theaters is going with a more liberal $39 million haul. It's now on track to make anywhere between $90 to $109 million, meaning it might miss the anticipated $100 million weekend debut. That's nothing to worry about, though, as Swift and distributors AMC Theaters and Cinemark Theaters are already laughing all the way to the bank.
Beyond the profits, there's also the uproar (and love) that's manifesting inside those soldout auditoriums, which feature Swifties belting out their favorite tracks. Naturally, several videos of fans dancing, screaming, and singing have gone viral, proving once again that no one knows how to party more than Swifties.
The Eras Tour film is a communal experience
Take to social media and you'll find dozens of videos of hardcore fans at their local multiplexes, screaming their hearts out to iconic songs like "22" and "Karma." Even Taylor Lautner is at screenings doing backflips. In short: the fan reaction to "The Eras Tour" film has been nothing short of magical and overwhelming.
"[A]t the end of 'the eras tour' movie our tiny little audience sang long live together i am EMOTIONAL," shared X, formerly known as Twitter, user @bexsversion. This is a sentiment that fans will find both online and in person at their local screenings. For many, getting tickets to the actual Eras Tour was simply not possible, thanks in part to predatory scalping prices and limited supply.
Having the opportunity to witness Swift's concert at a local theater alongside fellow fans is a communal experience that many Swifties had dreamed of. "[A]pparently it's a universal swiftie experience to cry during the intro of 'the eras tour' movie," shared X user @midnightstaylor. For some Swift fans, witnessing the singing, dancing, and sharing of friendship bracelets might be a bit too overwhelming. But as X user @DarthandDogs points out, the experience is more than just a screening for many hardcore Swifties. "The movie is the only way many fans will be able to even see 'the Eras Tour,'" they wrote.
That's a salient point, as the footage coming out of those theaters is truly infectious, which is probably why the film landed an extremely coveted A+ CinemaScore. But as great as that score is, it's also important to realize that "The Eras Tour" film is probably extremely frontloaded, meaning it may have a sharp drop at the box office.
Can The Eras Tour sustain momentum at the box office?
Before it was even released, Taylor Swift's film broke pre-sale records, emerging as a must-see theatrical event. For theaters, Swift's "The Eras Tour" film was a saving grace, especially after a dire fall line-up that shifted significantly due to the currently ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike and recently ended WGA strike. A week prior to release, AMC said that the film had crossed $100 million in pre-sales globally (via Variety). As it stands, "The Eras Tour" film is already on track to casually outgross Michael Jackson's "This Is It" flick, which raked in over $250 million back in 2009.
While it's unclear what a domestic debut will look like as of now, it's obvious that the film is frontloaded with hardcore Swifties. Nationwide, showings are pretty much sold out, especially in PLF (Premium Large Format) screenings like IMAX. It will be interesting to see just how much of a drop the film has next weekend and if casual cinemagoers will venture out for the film, which would lead to consistent momentum. This cautious sentiment isn't meant to diminish Swift's massive achievement — "The Eras Tour" film has the second-highest opening day for a film in October, just $300,000 shy of "Joker." Remember that the R-rated, controversial Joaquin Phoenix-led film eventually legged its way up to $1 billion.
Can Swift rake in $1 billion with her film? Some pundits definitely aren't ruling it out. It has the screens (over 8,000 worldwide) and has the organic momentum on social media, which is increasing FOMO, compelling those hesitant to shake it off at their local multiplex. But only time will tell.