“Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” film is here, and Swifties are selling out movie theaters across the globe to experience the iconic concert on the big screen. Moviegoers have transformed theaters into concert venues, donning their concert best and running up to dance in front of the screen.
When global popstar Taylor Swift announced that a filmed version of her sold-out Eras Tour would hit theaters on Oct. 13, Swifties dropped everything and ran to the AMC website to purchase tickets.
Swift self-produced the film and partnered directly with AMC. This partnership allowed the film to hit theaters just weeks after its announcement. Though tickets were nearly $20 — pricier than the average movie ticket — this did not stop fans from pre-ordering their tickets the day Swift announced the film.
“Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” had the best opening weekend for a concert film ever, making up to $97 million domestically and $130 million worldwide. After breaking records with the first leg of The Eras Tour, it is no surprise that the film has done the same.
After seeing both the live concert and the filmed version, I can truly say that “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” was a perfect translation of the live concert and made for another wonderful night of singing and dancing.
Swift carefully crafted every detail of her film, down to the ticket price. The $19.89 cost represents her upcoming re-recorded album,“1989.”
Since I saw the first available showing, at first, viewers were unsure whether to stand up and dance or sing quietly in their seats. However, as the movie progressed, more fans got up from their seats to dance along to the film, and it made the experience just as enjoyable as when I saw the concert live.
The incredible audio quality allowed Swift’s voice to shine and let moviegoers hear every instrument clearly through the speakers.
As the credits rolled, Swift thanked her fans in a heartfelt message. Video clips of Swifties at the concerts trading friendship bracelets and enjoying the concert were shown.
Several UM students attended the film’s first few showings and have reported that the experience of seeing the movie in a room full of Taylor Swift fans was immensely fun.
“My favorite part of the movie was being able to get up and dance to all of my favorite songs,” said Layne Nagele, a senior psychology major. “Everyone in the theater was having so much fun, especially during [the] ‘Reputation’ and ‘1989’ eras.”
Junior neuroscience major Andres Hernandez shared that the movie reminded him of Swift’s Tampa show back in April.
“The show was so exhilarating and the energy from the crowd was insane,” Hernandez said. “Similarly, the crowd from my movie experience was full of energy, sang every lyric throughout the three hours and danced and cheered throughout the entire film.”
Movie-goers also enjoyed the perks of seeing the film during opening weekend.
“I loved the photo-ops and different kinds of merchandise that AMC offered, such as the popcorn buckets and posters,” Nagele said. “It really added to the experience and made it feel like a real concert.”
The film allowed viewers to notice details that were difficult to see during Swift’s live concerts. Fans discussed on TikTok that even celebrities like Swift have chipped nail polish and frizzy hair sometimes.
“I loved seeing all her facial expressions and the details of her costumes that I had missed in person,” said Cassidy Martens, a junior studying psychology and Spanish.
Another aspect that was enhanced during the movie was the theatrical qualities of some of the songs. For example, “Tolerate It” was a dramatic masterpiece that captured Swift’s acting skills.
The live Eras Tour was 3.5 hours long. In order to make the film an appropriate length for movie theaters, Swift shortened the transitions between her costume changes and cut songs with less choreography to make the movie roughly 2 hours and 45 minutes. Though the removed songs were missed, it did not detract from the overall enjoyment of the film.
Although shorter than in the actual concert, the transitions between the eras were a highlight of the movie, as they displayed a beautiful 3D logo of the next era. The logos matched the album cover aesthetic and fonts used for each album title.
The logo for the “Reputation” era could even be an easter egg for the re-recording of the 2017 record. Fans think this because the original album was titled “reputation,” with a lowercase “r.” However, in the film, “Reputation” had a capital “R.”
Don’t miss the experience and see “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” in theaters now until January 2024.
Rating: 13/10