Inglewood, CA – August 07: Taylor Swift performs during The Eras Tour at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood … [+]
Music superstar Taylor Swift is now dominating the streaming landscape with her expanded version of Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour concert film following her blockbuster run in theaters.
Officially dubbed Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version), the streaming version of the film debuted on Disney+ on March 14, a day earlier than anticipated. According to Variety, the film — which features five more songs than the version that debuted in theaters in October 2023 — had 4.6 million views — equating to 16.2 million hours watched — in the first three days it was available on the streaming platform.
As such, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version) set a Disney+ record by becoming the most-streamed music program in the history of the platform.
Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour provided a swift kick to box office coffers when it was released in theaters on October 13, 2023 — the singer-songwriter’s 34th birthday — and it went on to earn $261.4 million at the worldwide box office. The release of the concert film was unique in that it bypassed the Hollywood studio distribution system.
Instead, Swift partnered with AMC Theatres to bring the concert movie — which was filmed over three nights at Los Angeles’ Sofi Stadium in early August 2023 — to the masses.
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – NOVEMBER 19: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY, NO COVERS.) Taylor Swift performs during … [+]
Using a “director’s cut”-type method for its streaming release, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version) adds five more songs to the 40 tunes that were featured in the theatrical version. The new songs for the streaming version include Cardigan, as well as acoustic renditions of Death by a Thousand Cuts, Maroon, You Are in Love and I Can See You.
While Walt Disney Studios missed out on the chance to distribute Taylor Swift’s concert film in theaters, the company wasn’t about to sit out the bidding war to showcase the film on Disney+ for the singer-songwriter’s loyal band of Swifties. According to Variety, Swift sold the worldwide rights to Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version) to the streamer for $75 million in February.
Disney+, of course, got more than their money’s worth for purchasing the rights to stream Swift’s blockbuster concert movie, as the runtime was expanded from 2 hours, 48 minutes for the theatrical version to 3 hours, 31 minutes for the Disney+ version.
While Disney+ is a family-friendly streaming platform, parents should take note that Swift — who dropped four F-bombs in the theatrical version — says two more in the streaming version bringing the total to six F-words. As such, the rating for Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version) on Disney+ is TV-14, as opposed to the PG-13 it received from the Motion Picture Association during its theatrical run.
In addition to Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version) on Disney+, the streamer also is showcasing Swift’s Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions on its platform.
