LOS ANGELES – Call it a Tay-quake. A seismic ground shift that will overtake movie theaters on Thursday, but first trembled Wednesday night, when Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour” concert film made its world premiere.
The movie, which the savvy Swift innovated primarily as a way for fans who couldn’t experience her colossal – and equally impressive – Eras Tour, received a debut befitting the comely superstar, whose every footstep seems to require breathless attention.
At the AMC Grove 14 in LA, about 2,200 people – a mix of fans, celebrities including Adam Sandler and Maren Morris, and entertainment industry insiders – filled every theater inside the complex. The surrounding ritzy outdoor shopping mall was closed for the day to allow for the setup and to better patrol ticketless Swifties yearning for a glimpse of their (decidedly not anti) hero.
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After popping in to visit invited moviegoers in 13 of the theaters, Swift arrived at the one offering Dolby sound – the most effective presentation of this faithful-to-the-live-show movie – with a casual, “Hi, guys.”
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Swift stood at the front of the theater for a few minutes to express how much fun she’s had performing during her Eras Tour and praised her backup singers and dancers, several of whom sat alongside her, pumping fists and singing along as the film unfolded.
“We pranced on that stage grinning because of what met us on the other side,” Swift said. “You are main characters in this film. You cared so much about these shows.”
Fans enthralled by the Eras concert will undoubtedly thrill at the opportunity to relive the magic and enjoy “The Eras Tour” as a communal concert experience more than a staid movie.
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At just under three hours, the celluloid version of Swift’s live spectacle is about 30 minutes shorter than her in-person performances throughout her six-month U.S. tour (her overseas dates kick off in November).
Her live shows offered an incredibly fulfilling set list of 45 songs – once she added “Long Live” to the rundown in July – and the film, directed by Sam Wrench, shaves off only a handful of tunes for a more efficient run time.
The songs that didn’t make the cut: “The Archer,” “No Body, No Crime,” “Long Live,” “Illicit Affairs,” “Cardigan” and “Wildest Dreams.”
The concert footage comes from Swift’s final U.S. shows of 2023 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California – she played an astounding six nights at the 70,000-capacity venue – and the film pulls from her Aug. 4 and Aug. 5 dates for her customary “surprise” songs.
Swift opted for “Our Song” to “thank the people who liked me when I was a little teenager writing songs for my ninth-grade talent show,” she says on stage in the film.
After leading a crowd singalong of the sweet acoustic strummer, Swift takes her place behind the piano for “You’re On Your Own, Kid,” from her “Midnights” album.
The entire film offers a front-row seat to the grandeur. The staging is so massive that even the best seats in a stadium – and the King Kong-sized video screens – could provide only so much detail.
But on the big screen, the close-ups are glorious, whether zooming in on Swift’s cat-eye makeup outlining her crystal blue eyes, the moss covering her piano and the sweat sticking to her bangs during “Champagne Problems” and her meticulous table setting at the start of “Tolerate It.”
Among the performances, “Look What You Made Me Do” sizzles. The detailed shots of the various Swift incarnations in glass cases spotlight the intricacy of the number, while Swift is in her snarling, sexy glory as the camera whirls around her.
“Blank Space” – already one of the meatiest songs in her extensive catalog – also receives a boost from Swift’s uncanny ability to find the camera for a coy wink and to unleash her long-legged strut.
Theaters will set their own rules, but the general consensus is that fans are encouraged to have fun, just not at the expense of fellow moviegoers.
At the premiere, it was difficult to tell the screams from the crowd on film from the cheers in the audience, and throughout, several fans stood to sing and dance along. By the time the show-closing “Karma” rolled out, the atmosphere felt like the encore at a concert, a joyful encounter full of love that indicated Swift isn’t the only one having a blast at her shows.
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