Global sensation Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour premiered on the big screen on October 13, 2023 and has already surpassed $100 million in global advanced ticket sales revenue. Director Sam Wrench shot the film over the course of her leg at LA’s SoFi Stadium, from August 3rd to August 5th. Though her concert set spans over three hours and 30 minutes, the film is only two hours and 48 minutes, causing mass disappointment over long-time fan-favorite songs being cut: The Archer, no body, no crime, Long Live, cardigan, Wildest Dreams, and ‘tis the damn season.
One of the biggest topics of discussion since the film’s announcement, however, has been which surprise songs made the cut. Swift decided to air “Our Song” from her debut album, Taylor Swift, and “You’re On Your Own, Kid” from her newest studio album, Midnights. Credits also rolled to Swift’s “Long Live,” with concert footage of fans and bloopers from the tour playing on the side. Before credits ended, Swift left a heartfelt thank you to her supporters in the format of friendship bracelets.
In an Instagram caption for the movie’s promotion, Swift posted that “eras attire, friendship bracelets, singing and dancing [are] encouraged” before the movie’s release. This idea was adored by fans who missed out on the actual concert experience, but not so much those who hoped for a normal trip to the movies. Throughout the early success of the movie, debate has sparked over appropriate behavior in theaters. Many movie-goers have posted about the aggressive behavior from some fans, as many have taken to screaming along and dancing in theaters. During Swift’s song “Marjorie” from her ninth studio album evermore, many attendees took out their phones and shone their flashlights from their seats, similar to what concert-goers have done at her live shows.
AMC Theaters later released a statement to fans that they “encourage dancing and singing throughout this concert film event, but please [to]not dance on our seats or block other guests from viewing, safely walking or exiting the auditorium.”
Some attendees blame Swift directly, believing that she shouldn’t have encouraged her fans to behave in such a way in the first place. Others believe that hardcore fans simply took her encouragement too seriously and needed to respect the rest of the audience. Fans who partook in this behavior have defended their actions by referring to the film as an immersive concert experience. Many considered their movie theater experience to be that of a concert experience, as they were not able to attend the tour in person due to high demand for tickets.
Swift is no newcomer to the big screen, as Eras Tour follows her previous three films, each seeing similar rates of success. Taylor Swift: The 1989 World Tour, Swift’s first concert film, was released on December 20, 2015 and grossed a total of $250 million. The 1989 World Tour was acclaimed by critics, who commended the 26 year old’s stage presence. This was followed by Taylor Swift: Reputation Stadium Tour, reaching more success as it grossed a total of $345.7 million in box office revenue. The 2018 tour was labeled as Swift’s best tour yet by critics and received many “Tour of the Year” awards. Swift’s 2020 film, Miss Americana, branches away from professionally filmed concerts and follows the struggles of her life in the public eye.
