Forget a cruel summer, cinemas feared a devastating autumn for moviegoing this year amid the ongoing writers and actors strikes. But luckily for Hollywood, Taylor Swift is in her cinema-saving era. As she embarks on the European leg of her Eras Tour, Swift announced on Thursday that a concert film documenting the event will hit the big screen in North America on October 13.
“The Eras Tour has been the most meaningful, electric experience of my life so far and I’m overjoyed to tell you that it’ll be coming to the big screen soon,” Swift posted on her social media, alongside a trailer for the film. “Starting Oct 13th you’ll be able to experience the concert film in theatres in North America! Tickets are on sale now at Taylor.linkto.com. Eras attire, friendship bracelets, singing and dancing encouraged…1, 2, 3 LGB!!!! (iykyk).”
The concert film will be released in the United States, Canada, and Mexico with AMC Theatres ensuring at least four dedicated showtimes per day from Thursday to Sunday upon opening, according to The New York Times. In light of the Ticketmaster terror that greeted fans purchasing concert tickets, AMC further promises that it has “bolstered its ticket server capacity to handle traffic at more than five times the current record for the most ever tickets sold in an hour.” The company added, however, that it was “also aware that no ticketing system in history seems to have been able to accommodate the soaring demand from Taylor Swift fans when tickets are first placed on sale.” And these tickets are a steal compared to some of the astronomical figures paid for the actual tour, starting at $19.89 (£15.69) for adults and $13.13 (£10.36) for children.
Swift, who has previously been at the centre of the 2020 Netflix documentary Miss Americana and the 2018 Reputation concert film, is coming to the fall film schedule at a key moment. There has been a fear that studios will have little to offer in order to capitalise on the Barbie–Oppenheimer box office afterglow as major projects shift away from the release calendar. With actors prevented from promoting their new projects, the hotly anticipated Dune: Part Two, Zendaya’s sexy tennis saga Challengers, and live-action Spider-Man spin-off Kraven the Hunter have all been rescheduled to dates in 2024. But Swift’s tour has been good for more than gifting the world Channing Tatum in a homemade “Hi, it’s me, I’m the daddy, it’s me” shirt or Flavor Flav adorned with armfuls of friendship bracelets. It’s boosted the economies of every city it reaches — a boon our cinemas desperately need.
However, for all its moneymaking potential, the Eras film could fall into at least one relatable cinema trap: a supersized running time. Step aside, Martin Scorsese’s three-hour-plus Killers of the Flower Moon. Given the 44-track set list and three-hour concert time, Swift may break yet another record by releasing the longest film of the year.
There’s still no word on when the film will land in the UK, but we can only hope it’s sometime soon!
This article originally appeared on VANITY FAIR.