The Eras Tour has been a cultural phenomenon that has broken records, amassed billions of dollars, and created countless memories for “Swifties” worldwide. On October 13th, Taylor Swift released a movie titled “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour,” showcasing this concert on the big screen. In the first weekend, the movie made 96 million dollars, becoming the highest-grossing concert film domestically for an opening weekend. However, despite the flood of positivity spread by fans who watched the movie, heated debates have also followed the release of the concert film.
Taylor Swift is a singer and songwriter who has hundreds of millions of fans from around the globe. She has over 275 million followers on Instagram alone. The world famous artist has released a total of 10 original studio albums. However, she has re-recorded 4 of those albums due to the conflict over the rights to the music.
Some of her hit songs include “Cruel Summer” and “Bad Blood,” and Swift has broken several streaming records on multiple different platforms. In early March, she began her world famous “Eras Tour,” which will continue into late 2024 as she travels around the world, visiting big cities across the globe.
While watching Taylor Swift sing and dance on the big screen is a big part of going to the movie, the outfits, friendship bracelets, popcorn buckets, and singing are also a huge part of the memorable experience. In the movie’s announcement, Swift herself said: “Eras attire, friendship bracelets, singing and dancing encouraged.”
When attending the Eras Tour concert, fans bring friendship bracelets and trade them with fellow concert-goers. This trend has been carried on into the cinemas as fans either buy or create friendship bracelets to trade with other “Swifties” in their movie theater.
Also, outfits inspired by different Taylor Swift songs, albums, and lyrics have become the common dress code for attending the movie, another trend carried on from the Eras Tour concert. Popcorn buckets and drink cups featuring a Taylor Swift themed graphic have also become popular souvenirs for moviegoers to buy when seeing the movie.
However, the singing and dancing of the fans have also created a wave of controversy. Across social media, videos and photos are being shared showing fans up close to the screen, on their feet, dancing and singing along to the movie. While many think that this is an amazing feature of the movie watching experience, others disagree.
Claiming that the people singing and dancing “ruin the experience” and make it so they can’t even hear Taylor Swift singing, some fans are raising heated arguments over the proper movie etiquette. AMC has even released a statement saying: “We encourage dancing and singing throughout this concert film event, but please do not dance on our seats or block other guests from viewing, safely walking or exiting the auditorium.”
The movie has a runtime of around two hours and forty-five minutes, about thirty minutes shorter than the concert itself. To shorten the movie, Swift cut out a couple of songs, including “The Archer,” “Wildest Dreams,” and “Cardigan”.
The movie was filmed over a few nights while Swift performed in Los Angeles, California, and was directed by Sam Wrench. Wrench has previously worked on projects such as the filming of concert movies for Billie Eilish and Lizzo. The movie has been well-received by critics, having a high rotten-tomatoes rating of 99%.
Taylor Swift has been named “the Queen of the Music Industry” and is the idol of people all around the globe. Her name brings to mind the record-breaking tour she is currently having, the countless songs she has released, and now, a new movie that has greatly impacted the cinemas and lives of her fans. While some may dislike Swift or criticize her, it is clear that she has made a significant impact on pop culture today.
