Look What She Made Us Do: The Eras Tour Film
Words by Madison Kent / Edited by Mia Stapleton
Madison Kent discusses the cultural impact of ‘Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour’ film.
You may have had a ‘Cruel Summer’, yet it was anything but for Taylor Swift. The mega superstar has, ever since the age of 15, been a respected and esteemed singer in the industry. However, the release of her tenth studio album ‘Midnights’ in late 2022 catapulted the singer’s fame into new heights. Since then, it has been a freefall of record-breaking and history-making for Miss Swift.
If you are a Swiftie like me, then there is a good chance that you spent October 13th wanting to trade friendship bracelets and watch Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour in cinemas. The nearly three-hour-long film showcased footage from one of her concerts at L.A.’s SoFi Stadium in August, cutting out several songs to keep the film shorter than the length of the concert itself. Ignoring the staggering influence of Taylor Swift’s ongoing tour itself, in addition to the re-recordings of her ‘stolen’ albums, the film alone has cultivated an astounding impression economically, culturally, and politically.
Taylor Swift, an icon and growing authority figure for individuals everywhere, is changing the world– here is a dive into the permanent effect that the release of her film had on society this past month.
The Economic Influence
Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour made an unprecedented yet invigorating impact on the cinema economy; amid the SAG-AFTRA Hollywood strikes, Swift compromised with the Screen Actors Guild to get her film in theatres worldwide. Vanity Fair said it best when claiming that Swift co-premiered this film “just when moviegoing need [ed] it most”. A multitude of film journalists claimed that The Eras Tour film would save the 2023 box office; grossing $123 million worldwide in just one week and making $37 million in first-day presale revenue across the U.S. alone, one could argue that it most certainly did! Seizing the top spot at box offices worldwide, Swift’s film has spent less than a month in cinemas and has already managed to break records. It has become the highest-grossing concert film in U.S. history, reviving the concert-film genre that first entered theatres in the 1960s, yet has been asleep for over a decade.
Moreover, you do not have to be a fan of Taylor Swift to know that the numbers 1989 and 13 have become synonymous with her– 1989 being both her birth year and the name of her first pop album, and 13 being her famously lucky number. Cinemas such as IMAX and AMC decided to incorporate the fun of The Eras Tour in the prices of their tickets. Charging tickets at £19.89 and £13.13, seeing these little numbers truly can make any Swiftie feel that little bit better about spending the contents of their bank account at the cinema.
The Cultural Impact
After the release of her film, it could be argued that Taylor Swift is not only redefining the music industry, but the film industry too. After deals with certain studios fell through, Swift decided not to partner with a mainstream production company, instead distributing her film directly through cinemas and theatres; this was an unconventional and unique move in the industry that worked marvellously to Swift’s advantage, seeing that terms of financing and distribution were dictated by Swift and her company rather than the norm. Now in the ‘Lavender Haze’ of Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour’s success, evidence suggests that she is paving the way for the future of moviegoing and altering the dynamics of film distribution.
However, fans of other film genres may have been slightly disappointed by the decision to release the film on October 13th– whilst this date is yet another fun nod to Swift’s favourite number, it indirectly caused a delay in the premier of other anticipated films, such as The Exorcist: Believer and Priscilla. Recognising the unparalleled excitement around The Eras Tour film, production companies with films premiering either on or around the same day chose to move their releases to a later date. Yet was this a well-calculated decision, or a missed opportunity to capitalise off what could have been the social media frenzy that was ‘Barbenheimer’ from earlier this year?
The Experience: Redefining the Meaning of a Concert-Film
It is highly likely that around the release of Swift’s film, your social media and TikTok feed were flooded with content of Taylor Swift fans dancing around in cinema theatres as the film played. Whilst this may seem unconventional to some, it was a magical experience for most. Taylor Nation, the singer’s social media platform, encouraged moviegoers to dress up, sing, and dance along to the film, as though they were experiencing the concert itself.
For many fans of the singer, attending the concert live sadly may not be an option – whether it is an issue of calendar clashes, excessively expensive concert ticket prices, or the fact that Taylor may not be bringing the tour to their area at all. Perhaps my favourite aspect of Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour film is that it enables fans that are unable to experience the concert in person to get close to the real thing; though you may be in a theatre, as soon as the film starts to play you are instantly transported. The flawless cinematography, captivating visuals, and Swift’s on-screen presence create an electric atmosphere that immerses you completely. I truly can advocate that it was an exhilarating experience that cannot be recommended enough, whether you consider yourself a ‘Swiftie’ or not.
Rolling Stone labelled Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour as one of the “42 Must-See Movies of Fall 2023”– economic and cultural reasons aside, this film will make its mark in cinema history as not just a movie, but an experience filled with love, passion, and incomparable vivacity.
(Image Credits: Getty Images / The Guardian)
