Say what you will about singer/songwriter Taylor Swift, from the music industry, to the NFL and even the movie box office, wherever she appears, she seems to lift the financial sails of that industry. Obviously already a juggernaut in the music industry, Swift made major headlines last fall when she released “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” concert doc and made a deal directly with AMC to release the film theatrically, bypassing distribution with all the movie studios—a canny move though one that upset many in the industry. The history-making, cinematic experience, “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour,” directed by Sam Wrench, grossed more than $260 million worldwide at the global box office, making it the top-selling concert film of all time.
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Tickets for Swift’s ‘The Eras Tour’ were selling for exorbitant prices last year, so the concert doc was a savvy move, allowing fans who couldn’t afford or attend those sold-out concerts a chance to experience the Swift stadium tour in a big way that didn’t feel like a letdown. The power of Swift was so monumental that when ‘The Eras Tour’ was released last, movie studio competitors started shifting their release dates away from that weekend, understanding that competing next to Swift was a fool’s errand.
‘The Eras Tour’ was already credited with contributing billions of dollars to the U.S. economy in 2023, this year. And thus maybe it was no surprise when the concert film opened to $93 million in its opening weekend, the 7th highest opening of the year, and bigger than films like Chistopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” and “John Wick: Chapter 4.”
Swift has a “Taylor’s version” trope in her music. To urge her fans from listening to material she does not own, she has released a “Taylor’s Version” of most of her albums owned by the controversial music publisher Scooter Braun, whom she famously fell out with several years ago (his company owns the publishing rights to many of her initial albums). And in keeping with that theme, for the Disney+ release of ‘Eras Tour,” she has named the concert doc “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version).”
What’s the difference, as “Taylor’s Version” always has extras? The song “Cardigans” that wasn’t included in the theatrical version of the concert doc and four additional acoustic songs. Today, Disney+ announced the concert doc was arriving one day early on March 14, at 6:00 pm PT and released the new trailer for “Taylor’s Version” below. Laugh all you want, but Swift should not be underestimated in any media, and don’t be surprised if/when the film breaks records on Disney+.
Disney PlusTaylor SwiftTaylor Swift: The Eras TourTaylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version)
