Taylor Swift Concert Film Brings ‘Eras Tour’ to Movie Theaters

Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” cultural phenomenon is coming to movie theaters this fall.

“Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” will show at movie theaters in the U.S., Canada and Mexico starting Oct. 13. AMC Theatres said it is acting as a theatrical distributor in North America and securing showings with other companies. AMC, along with Cinemark and Regal Cinemas, plan to screen the film.

“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 said in posts on social media announcing the concert film. “Eras attire, friendship bracelets, singing and dancing encouraged.”

With a set list spanning Swift’s career, the Eras Tour is on track to become the biggest concert tour in history. Millions of fans clamored to secure tickets when they went on sale in the U.S. last fall, resulting in an unprecedented demand that overwhelmed ticketing giant Ticketmaster. Swift’s stops in U.S. cities this year helped fuel local economies, as concertgoers filled hotel rooms and restaurants.

Now, Swift’s tour could be a boon to movie theaters across North America.

AMC said it strengthened its website and ticketing capacity in anticipation of a surge in demand for tickets for the concert film. Within minutes of Swift’s announcement Thursday morning, ticket buyers waited in short virtual queues on AMC’s app and website. The company warned fans they could experience delays and potential outages. A representative for 

AMC Entertainment Holdings AMC -1.41%decrease; red down pointing triangle
 declined to comment beyond the company’s statement Thursday.

Movie tickets are selling for $19.89 for adults and $13.13 for children and older adults. The ticket prices are a nod to Swift’s birth year and her pop album from 2014—she is releasing a “Taylor’s Version” of “1989” with rerecorded songs in October—and her lucky number 13.

AMC said every U.S. theater location will have at least four showtimes a day for the concert film on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

It wasn’t immediately clear how many theaters will screen the film or for how long it will run. 
 

Taylor Swift’s “Eras” is forecast to become the highest grossing tour of all time. This could considerably add to her already sizable wealth made from music sales, strategic business moves and past tours. Photo: Getty Images

 

Swift’s film could rival opening-weekend box office for a blockbuster movie, said Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst at media-research firm Comscore. 

Similar concepts have been in theaters before. In 2009, “Michael Jackson’s This Is It,” a documentary and concert film, earned more than $72 million domestically and more than $262 million worldwide, according to Comscore. “Justin Bieber: Never Say Never,” earned more than $73 million domestically in 2011.  

Dergarabedian said he anticipates Swift’s film will perform better at the box office.

“To me, this is unique because Taylor Swift is unique,” Dergarabedian said. “To have her out on tour and have this movie hit during the tour just adds another layer of more potential box office due to that incredible promotional footprint that Taylor Swift has right now,” he added.

Swift’s movie will also boost movie theaters this fall, he said. Studios have delayed releases of anticipated films such as “Dune: Part Two” because of the Hollywood strikes, during which actors and writers aren’t promoting their work.

The Eras Tour movie forced another film to change its plans. The horror film “The Exorcist: Believer,” was supposed to come out that same October weekend. The schedule prompted comparisons online to this summer’s much-hyped “Barbenheimer” double feature of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” with some posts referring to an “Exorswift.” 

“Exorcist” film producer Jason Blum said it would now premiere Oct. 6 instead. 

“Look what you made me do,” Blum said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday, referencing one of Swift’s songs. A representative for his company, Blumhouse Productions, confirmed the changed release date.

Swift has been on the road since March, with stops in more than a dozen cities in the U.S. and in Mexico City. She will tour through 2024 in Latin America, Australia, Asia and Europe as well as North America.

A trailer for the concert film captures shots inside and outside SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., where Swift performed six shows earlier this month to close out the first set of U.S. dates. The concert film was directed by Sam Wrench, who has also recently directed concert films for Billie Eilish, Lizzo and Brandi Carlile. 

The film, at two hours and 45 minutes, is shorter than the concert’s three-hour-plus runtime. This isn’t Swift’s first foray into film. Her 2020 documentary “Miss Americana” and 2018 concert film of her “Reputation” stadium tour are both on Netflix.

Write to Jennifer Calfas at jennifer.calfas@wsj.com