Swifties, it’s time to bust out your friendship bracelets again. The concert film “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” is heading to theaters.
While the movie was originally scheduled to roll out in theaters on Friday, Swift made an announcement on social media Wednesday, saying that theaters in the U.S. and Canada would start showing the movie early “due to unprecedented demand.”
That means you can expect enthusiastic moviegoers to sing, dance and swap friendship bracelets starting tonight.
Here’s what else to know about the theatrical concert film experience.
What was the Hollywood premiere like?
AMC Theatres hosted a world premiere for the movie Wednesday at The Grove mall in Los Angeles.
In typical “Mastermind” fashion, the event was full of surprises.
Swift showed up in a blue dress at around 5:30 p.m. P.T., according to Today.com. She posed with fans on the carpet. Later, inside, Swift addressed attendees.
The 12-time Grammy winner also had a special VIP guest — and no, it wasn’t her rumored boo Travis Kelce. Fellow music legend Beyoncé showed up to support Swift.
“Im so glad I’ll never know what my life would’ve been like without @beyonce‘s influence,” Swift wrote in an Instagram post caption of a photo of her and Beyoncé. “The way she’s taught me and every artist out here to break rules and defy industry norms. Her generosity of spirit. Her resilience and versatility. She’s been a guiding light throughout my career and the fact that she showed up tonight was like an actual fairytale.”
According to Today.com, around 2,000 people — including celebrities like Adam Sandler and Julia Garner — were lucky enough to snag a seat at one of 13 of AMC’s theaters inside.
“You care so much about these shows and that made all the difference for us,” Swift said to attendees inside. “It made us want to add even more shows and just keep doing the tour and I think that I just have never felt this way about anything, the way that I feel about this experience that we have had and continue to have. So, I am so proud.”
When was the movie filmed?
The concert film features footage from three of Swift’s Los Angeles shows at SoFi Stadium, where she performed a set list of over 40 songs. Professional filming equipment was spotted onstage during the shows Aug. 3-5.
SoFi Stadium is also where Swift concluded the first leg of the U.S. tour and on Aug. 9 announced the re-release of her album “1989.”
Where can I catch the movie?
The film will play in more than 4,000 movie theaters in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, including in all U.S. AMC locations, AMC said in a news release. It will also play at every ODEON Cinemas location throughout Europe.
In U.S. theaters, the film will have at least four showtimes per day on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at all AMC locations, the theater chain said.
Some showings are, of course, already sold out for this weekend — but you’ll likely be able to snag a seat at some point during the 13 weeks it’s expected to be in theaters.
Which surprise songs are in the movie?
There were two surprise songs at each of the concerts that were filmed, meaning there were six possible songs that had the potential to make final cut.
Those songs were: “I Can See You,” “Maroon,” “Our Song,” “You Are in Love,” “Death by a Thousand Cuts” and “You’re on Your Own, Kid.”
Spoiler alert: The surprise songs that made it into the film are “Our Song" and “You’re on Your Own, Kid,” from Swift's debut album and "Midnights," respectively.
Is the 'Eras Tour' movie a documentary?
No, this is a concert film — not like Swift’s Netflix documentary “Miss Americana.”
The movie has a runtime of 2 hours and 48 minutes, which is about half an hour shorter than her actual live show.
This means it is unlikely there will be behind-the-scenes or other documentary-style footage beyond the live concert itself.
Will people be dressing up in theaters?
AMCs might not be stadium arenas — where Swift’s concerts took place — but the concert film will likely not be a typical movie theater experience.
“Eras attire, friendship bracelets, singing and dancing encouraged,” Swift said in her announcement post on Aug. 31.
Swifties are likely going to show up to the theater in everything from their Eras Tour merch to handmade costumes.
“I think there needs to be 2 separate theaters for the eras tour movie- one for cozy merch and chilling and the other for going absolutely feral in the outfit you didn’t get to wear to the live show,” one fan posted on the social media platform X.
Is Swift boosting the economy and reviving the theatrical experience with this movie?
Since the Eras Tour kicked off in March in Glendale, Arizona, it has been projected to become the highest-grossing tour of all time.
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Now, the movie is expected to break records, too. Advance ticket sales have surpassed $100 million worldwide, according to The Associated Press. "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour" is projected to surpass Justin Bieber's 2011 "Never Say Never" movie as the biggest concert film ever. Bieber's film grossed over $73 million, not accounting for inflation.
Even producer Jason Blum said Blumhouse Productions changed the date of its latest release, "The Exorcist: Believer," due to Swift.
"The one thing that scares me to death is Taylor Swift," he told EW.
"We had this amazing Friday the 13th in October, which is the single best day to release a scary movie... Obviously, we moved off that [date] and we bowed our head to Taylor Swift," he said.
Are movie theaters prepared for Swifties to take over?
Like with "Barbenheimer," this will likely be another big cultural moment. Movie theaters seem ready.
"Take your phone out," Greg Marcus, the chief executive and chair of the Marcus Corp., told the AP. "Take selfies. Dance, sing, get up, have a good time. We want to create an atmosphere."
He said in a TikTok video that there will be friendship-bracelet-making stations.
AMCs will be offering limited-edition items like “Eras Tour”-themed cups and popcorn buckets.
Can the 'Eras Tour' concert film win an Oscar?
Swift is now a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, but unfortunately the “Eras Tour” concert film will not be eligible for an Oscar.
Per academy rules, “Works that are essentially promotional or instructional are not eligible, nor are works that are essentially unfiltered records of performances.”
Under the current guidelines, “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” and Beyoncé’s upcoming movie, “Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé,” are both ineligible for Oscar contention.
