Pop sensation Taylor Swift is set to break more records with her Eras concert tour, as the film of her live show rakes in more than £80 million in advanced ticket sales.
Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, which captures her 52-stop concert across the US, is already another huge success for the cinema industry after a bumper summer that saw hits Barbie and Oppenheimer bring in almost £200 million in the US.
Takings from Ms Swift’s film are projected to reach £196 million during its month-long run. The tour itself is forecast to be the highest-grossing of all time.
But the megastar has bypassed Hollywood’s movie distributors by cutting them out of a deal to show the film. She instead reached an agreement directly with cinema chains.
The star wanted to get her film into cinemas quickly to satisfy huge demand from fans. But as a result of Hollywood’s writers’ and actors strikes studios were suggesting a launch as late as 2025.
Takings from Ms Swift’s film are projected to reach £196 million during its month-long run. The tour itself is forecast to be the highest-grossing of all time
It was reported that Ms Swift’s frustrated father, Scott, a former stockbroker, got in touch with Adam Aron (pictured) chief executive of cinema chain AMC, and within weeks a deal was clinched to show the film in the company’s 4,000 North American theatres, along with thousands more run by rival chains
It was reported that Ms Swift’s frustrated father, Scott, a former stockbroker, got in touch with Adam Aron, chief executive of cinema chain AMC, and within weeks a deal was clinched to show the film in the company’s 4,000 North American theatres, along with thousands more run by rival chains.
Some, such as Missouri-based B&B Theatres, plan to give Friday’s premier a party atmosphere – rolling out pink carpets, installing photo booths and encouraging fans to dance during screenings.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Mr Aron said the deal was ‘a monumental development for our company’. Another chain, Cinemark, says pre-sales are ten times higher than for any previous ‘event showing’.
Such is the buying power of Ms Swift’s fans, called ‘Swifties’, that her film has forced other release dates to change. Keen to avoid the same rivalry of Oppenheimer and Barbie, which were released on the same date, producer Jason Blum brought forward the premier of Exorcist: The Believer by a week because it clashed with Eras. He ruefully posted: ‘#Taylorwins.’
Movie insiders claim the singer’s decision to bypass traditional contract arrangements will challenge Hollywood distributors’ dominance – and ensure she gets a larger slice of box office takings. Many also believe it will encourage more stars to follow suit. Beyonce has already reached an agreement with AMC to screen her Renaissance tour.
Tim Richards, chief executive of cinema chain Vue, says concert films have ‘will be a significant lifeline to cinema operators’.
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