For anyone in America who missed out on buying tickets for Taylor Swift‘s record-breaking stadium tour, there might be a little solace – and whoever did, might be in for some instant nostalgia. A documentary, “Taylor Swift: The ERA Tour,” is set to release in cinemas nationwide this autumn, with the opening day being Friday (definitely) October 13.
This is a far cry from the special one or two-night extravaganzas with music fanatics who’ve become accustomed to the concert experiences at cinemas. AMC Theatres is promising the film to run at least four times a day on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in all U.S. locations, ensuring multiple showings on its IMAX and Dolby Cinema screens to accommodate the heightened demand. The singer’s larger-than-life presence is now making its mark on the big screen. The film will also be running in the U.S. at Cinemark and Regal screens, with hopes of expanding to other theaters and chains.
Taylor Swift shared the trailer on her social media with the caption, “The Eras Tour has been the most meaningful, electric experience of my life, and I’m so happy to tell you that it’s coming to a big screen near you soon.” Thin curtain. “From October 13, you can experience the concert film in cinemas across North America! Tickets are on sale now at amctheatres.com. Age, friendship rings, singing, and dancing have been encouraged… 1, 2, 3 LGBTQ+!!!! (iykyk).”
Tickets are now on sale on AMCTheatres.com, Cinemark’s site, and Fandango. Prices are numerically loaded much like Swift’s world: $19.89 for adults on standard screens, $13.13 for children and seniors. (As always, there will be additional charges for IMAX and Dolby Cinema showings.)
Are they ready for it – the audience, that is, the potentially swifties, to a rush of ticket sales? The ticket system’s failure is not something that filmgoers have traditionally been publicly concerned about, but disappointed fans are calling for drastic measures. Hence, AMC is already prepared to handle more than five times the traffic of tickets sold ever before with this film’s debut, causing multiple fans an outright nightmare… whereas buying tickets for “Barbie,” for instance, may be a breeze.
“In anticipation of this announcement,” the company said in a statement, “AMC has upgraded its website and ticketing engines so that the company can handle more than five times the flow of ticket-purchase traffic ever before experienced by the company. AMC, however, also recognizes that no ticketing system has proven capable of adjusting to the soaring demand for Taylor Swift tickets when they are first made available.Those who want to be the first to buy tickets online should expect potentially longer-than-usual wait times and possible interruptions.” Other special considerations will apply, such as no passes, no AMC A-List Stubs membership use, and no refunds. Subsequent rules are causing potential resellers to think twice and, if they’re unable to unload them, to collectively demand their money back.
While AMC is a major partner, the concert film series is not limited to the AMC screen. For the first time, AMC is working alongside a distributor and presenting itself as a viewer. The company will offer independent theaters presentations, which AMC describes as “a new line of business for AMC Entertainment.” So far, upcoming theaters in the United States include Cinemark and Regal, in Canada Cineplex, and in Mexico Cinepolis. AMC hopes to contract with other theaters before October. Variance Films is helping with bookings at non-AMC venues.
The announcement on Thursday solved the mystery of why, in August, an extra battery was planned to be placed in LA’s Sofi Stadium for Swift’s six-night stand. Speculation was rife that the star was shooting for the big screen, as such arrangements could have a significant impact on the national box office. However, Swift has also worked with several streamers in the past – notably, Netflix for the “Reputation” tour concert film that ran as a New Year’s Eve special and with Disney+ (“The Long Pond Studio Sessions”) and Amazon as well – so it was challenging to rule out the idea of rejoining one of those services when those extra cameras were first seen at L.A.
Taylor Swift’s Global Tour Journey: What to Expect When Eras Hits U.S. Theaters
No mention is made of foreign commitments, which makes sense, as the Eras tour will not venture outside of the U.S. until 2024. Swift will spend most of next year touring Europe, Japan, Australia, and other regions. She is set to return to the U.S. for a highly abbreviated program to conclude the world tour at the end of next year, but it is likely assumed that there will not be a heavy crowd among fans who have been successful in buying tickets for her show, simply because they will have the opportunity to see the movie version ahead of time.Of course, many fans worldwide have already caught a glimpse of her three-hour set through unofficial fan livestreams, but such videos have only worked to drive up resale prices, not down, as the U.S. tour has run concurrently.
The film’s director is Sam Rinch, who has worked with top musicians in previous projects in 2022 with a live iMax concert presentation by Brandi Carlile (“In the Canyon Live”), “Billie Eilish Live at the O2,” “Lizzo: Live in Concert,” and “BTS: Permission to Dance on Stage.”
On the AMC ticketing site, the running time is listed as 2 hours and 45 minutes, which is slightly shorter than the approximately 3 hours and 15 minutes that concerts have run in stadiums over the past six months. Some of that reduction is likely due to costume changes and set changes, as the rumor mill has it that no song from the setlist for the film has been cut. A “secret song” mini-set will be included in the film; as far as the list of potential candidates for that wildcard slot on nights when extra cameras were filming at L.A., it included “I Can See You,” “Maroon,” “Over Song,” “You Are in Love,” “Death by a Thousand Cuts,” and “You Are on Your Own, Kid.”
On the AMC website, fans who quickly followed Taylor Swift’s leadership on social media were ushered into a small queue, where they had to wait for about 15 minutes, while there was no wait on Fandango, where tickets were also on sale.
While there’s no official information about how long the film will stay in theaters, tickets are being sold for the show until November 4th – all Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, with showtimes also available for Halloween night, except for a Tuesday.