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While greeting the crowd at the premiere of her new movie, Taylor Swift looked a little embarrassed.
“You’re stuck with me, because I’m going to sit with you and watch this,” he told the crowd at the packed premiere of “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour,” held at the sprawling Grove shopping complex on Wednesday. evening. Good, one from the crowd, anyway: Thirteen of the theaters at the Grove’s AMC multiplex were packed with eager fans, and Swift passed by all of them to give a special introduction, eventually settling into an auditorium audience that included stars like Adam Sandler and Julia Garner.
Regular moviegoers can only hope that Swift, apologetically, shows up for more house calls as her concert documentary hits theaters this week. Although it was originally scheduled for release on Friday, Swift has just announced that the film will begin screening one day early due to fan demand.
Still, even if you can’t see “The Eras Tour” alongside the singer herself (who attended the premiere in a pale blue Oscar de la Renta dress and danced in her seat for most of the running time), the film is ready to deliver in a big way.
For movie exhibitors, whose business has been in jeopardy since the actors’ strike scuttled their plans to release marquee films like “Dune” this fall, “The Eras Tour” is being compared to Barbenheimer’s second coming: It has the best friends. The instant appeal of “Barbie,” the shock-and-awe soundscape of “Oppenheimer” and the box office following to rival both. Optimistic film analysts expect an opening weekend of between $150 million and $200 million, meaning “The Eras Tour” has a chance to snatch this year’s box office tiara from “Barbie,” which scored a debut of 162 million dollars.
In the meantime, here are four of the takeaways from the premiere.
Don’t expect extras, although you’ll get a front-row seat.
If fans are looking for information about how Swift put together her show, or what was going on in her life behind the scenes, they won’t find it in “The Eras Tour”: there are no additional details in this concert documentary, which was culled from the six-year period. Swift nights in August at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, a Los Angeles suburb. For those who caught one of the 53 shows Swift performed in North America last year, or for fans hoping to see Swift on her remaining U.S. dates (an international tour begins in February), this movie is pretty much what Same as buying a ticket to the concert.
Of course, there’s one crucial difference: No seat in the stadium could offer as close a look at Swift’s performance as this documentary, vigorously filmed and directed by Sam Wrench. And since the 33-year-old singer designed “The Eras Tour” as a journey through the shifting musical genres of her last 10 albums, from the country-pop “Fearless” to recent records and singles “Folklore,” “Evermore,” ” and “Midnights” – this film is the closest thing there is to a definitive document of one of the world’s most important artists.
In that way, it’s perfect viewing for newcomers and superfans alike: Curious people who weren’t willing to pay tour prices can now see Swift at a discounted price, while Swifties who already attended the concert they can revive it in a compelling closing. -above. My teenage niece, who went to one of SoFi’s shows, accompanied me to the premiere and was delighted to get a better look at Swift’s facial expressions and choreography. I realized that hardly a song goes by without big smiles from Swift and her backing vocalists—there’s enough joy on these faces to light up entire blocks of Barbie Land.
Only a few songs are cut.
“The Eras Tour” lasts two hours and forty-eight minutes, and although it’s almost as long as “Oppenheimer,” Swift’s real-life concerts during this tour were even more gigantic, usually lasting just under three and half. hours. Do fans have reason to fear that there have been major cuts to the repertoire?
By my count, only a handful of her regular songs are lost on the way to the big screen, including “The Archer,” “Cardigan,” “Wildest Dreams” and “no body no crime,” which Swift performed at SoFi with the Haim band.
Still, fans will get a lot for their money, as Swift performs nearly 40 songs during the film, including a 10-minute version of “All Too Well” and two additional bonus songs, “Our Song” and “You’re On.” ”. Your Own, Kid,” which Swift pulled from a rotating selection of her surprise songs during her tour. And another adjustment will surely be appreciated: Swift now moves between different eras and changes costumes in the blink of an eye on screen, eliding the entire time those transitions were on stage.
In Hollywood everyone is a Swiftie
Blockbuster releases have been hard to come by since the actors’ strike began, and an eclectic cross-section of celebrities turned out for the “Eras Tour” premiere, including Sandler, Mariska Hargitay and singers Maren Morris and Hayley Kiyoko. Fashion options ranged from silver sequins to cowgirl fringe, and Alex Atallah, co-founder of NFT marketplace OpenSea, entered the theater lobby wearing the colorful, tie-dyed “I Am Kenough” hoodie seen on Ryan Gosling in “Barbie.”
“I have very few shirts with so many pastel colors,” Atallah told me before posing for a photo with “Barbie” co-star Simu Liu.
Nearby, I caught Flavor Flav in conversation with Swift’s father, Scott. Although they were an unlikely duo, the 64-year-old rap icon is not a fan of passing nights: he said he had seen the “amazing” Swift on two previous tours.
“I’ve been a Swiftie the longest, bro,” Flav insisted.
But Swift’s biggest invitation was reserved for another star (and no, it wasn’t her new boyfriend Travis Kelce, busy with a football game the next day): Before the premiere began, Swift had dinner and posed for photos with Beyoncé , who has her own concert film “Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé” premiering December 1. Like “The Eras Tour,” Beyoncé’s film bypassed traditional Hollywood studios and will be distributed by AMC Theaters.
Finally, Swift will enjoy some success on the big screen.
Although she is a superstar in the music industry, Swift’s forays into film have not been as well received. Her last three film credits as an actress include the minor young adult drama “The Giver,” the memorable and catastrophic adaptation of “Cats,” and last year’s “Amsterdam,” directed by David O. Russell, which convinced Swift to appear. in a movie. quick cameo and then he quickly ran over her.
Unlike Lady Gaga, who has lately alternated between music and movies in equal measure, Swift has treated Hollywood more as a sideline, committing only to the occasional supporting role. But last year, after signing a deal with Searchlight to write and direct an upcoming original film, questions arose all over town: Was Swift ready to take her film career a little more seriously?
It remains to be seen whether Swift will star in her directorial debut, but “The Eras Tour” still gives her some much-needed juice on the big screen. With a playful presence on her biggest songs, like the upbeat “Shake It Off” and the rocking “Look What You Made Me Do,” Swift is even more engaging in acoustic numbers that trade up busy choreography for a simple touch of guitar. And on the centerpiece song, “Tolerate It,” she shows off acting chops during a well-choreographed routine about a dinner date gone wrong: It begins with her pleading with a deadpan lover and ends with her slamming a vase of roses on the table. .
His true talent, however, is selling humility with a megawatt charisma that few celebrities can muster. Introducing a song, Swift insists that she had to make up a huge version of herself in order to write it: “In my fantasy, I’m not a lonely millennial woman covered in cat hair,” the singer says, even though she’s passed All the song. The film looks incredibly glamorous in sky-high Christian Louboutin heels
And yet, you’re still tempted to believe him. What is that but a movie star?