Between the runaway success of Barbie, and Beyonce and Taylor Swift’s blockbuster tours, this summer has shown that entertainment by and for women is hugely profitable. (Will Hollywood or record label execs learn from this? I doubt it.) Taylor Swift’s Eras tour may have grossed almost a billion dollars by some estimates, which is wild. Taylor just announced that a concert film of the Eras tour is coming to theaters on October 13. It’s going to be 2 hours and 45 minutes long, and AMC is distributing the movie. They’re upgrading their website to avoid a Ticketmaster-style meltdown when tickets go on sale. But just like her tour tickets had crazy inflated prices, tickets for this movie start at $19.89. A cute tie in to her next album re-release, 1989, but pretty expensive for a movie. When I saw that, I thought, “it had better be in IMAX” but that’s just a standard ticket. Miss Girl, are you not already rich enough?
Both the base ticket prices are expensive!: Tickets are now on sale at AMCTheatres.com, the Cinemark site and Fandango. Prices are as numerically loaded as anything in Swift’s world: $19.89 for adults (plus tax), $13.13 for children and seniors, on standard screens. (Up-charges will kick in, as always, for Imax and Dolby Cinema showings.)
AMC is upgrading its website to handle five times its usual traffic: Are they ready for it — exhibitors, that is, for possible instant swarming from millions of Swifties? The prospect of ticketing systems breaking down is not something film exhibitors have traditionally publicly fretted about, but desperate fandoms call for desperate measures. And so AMC is saying that preventive measures have already been taken to avoid any meltdowns of the sort that made the on-sales for the actual tour a nightmare for many fans… while cautioning that it still may not be as quick or easy an experience as buying a ticket for, say, “Barbie.”
“In anticipation of this announcement,” the company said in a statement, “AMC has upgraded its website and ticketing engines to handle more than five times the largest influx of ticket-buying traffic the company has ever experienced before. But AMC is 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. Guests wanting to be the first to buy their tickets online may experience delays, longer-than-usual ticket-purchase waiting-room times and possible outages. AMC is committed to ensuring any delays or outages are addressed as quickly as possible.”
The run time is a little shorter than the concerts were: On the AMC ticketing site, the running time is listed as 2 hours and 45 minutes, slightly shorter than a set length that ran about 3 hours and 15 minutes in stadiums the past six months. Some of that condensation will likely be due to the elimination of costume and set changes, as word has it that no songs have been cut from the setlist for the film. A “secret songs” mini-set will be included in the film; as for a list of possible candidates for that wild card slot in the movie, on the nights when extra cameras were filming in L.A., the surprise solo choices included “I Can See You,” “Maroon,” “Our Song,” “You Are in Love,” “Death by a Thousand Cuts” and “You’re on Your Own, Kid.”
Some fans already experienced wait times to buy tickets: Fans who immediately followed Swift’s lead on social media to buy seats at the AMC website were herded into a short queue that was showing up for many as a wait of about 15 minutes, while there was no wait at Fandango, where tickets are also on sale.
Not to be mean, but if Ticketmaster couldn’t handle the demand, AMC probably won’t be able to either. I know that people won’t be nearly as frantic to get these tickets as the concert tickets but Taylor’s fan base is very devoted and a lot of people missed the tour because tickets were astronomical or they got boxed out of Ticketmaster when the website melted down. I am still offended by the elevated movie ticket price, I don’t care how cute the 1989 branding is. I’ve seen Oppenheimer 3 times this summer (yes, I am a nerd) and 2 of the 3 were in IMAX. Those showings cost me $22 each but it really added something to the experience see that movie on a giant screen with the enhanced sound. It was immersive. What’s the justification for Taylor’s concert movie being nearly as expensive in standard definition? It comes off like a naked cash grab which is distasteful after a tour where nosebleed seats were like a thousand dollars. It occurs to me that perhaps it’s intended to drive demand down a little bit so that AMC’s servers don’t get overloaded. But the optics of it aren’t great. I’m sure it will make a kabillion dollars and be well received. Taylor might annoy me but she makes a good product.
photos credit: Getty and via Instagram
Gotta hand it to Tay Tay, she will not miss a single opportunity to bleed her little minions for any cent she can get.
Seriously. Does she not have enough money already? This plus her staggered vinyl drops lower my opinion of her, and I was not a fan to begin with.
Sure she’s monetizing her work in many ways. But the “don’t they already have enough money?” argument seems to come up more frequently aimed at successful women than successful men. (Sure there are exceptions, like athletes paid a lot, when people fail to notice they are negotiating with team owners, league execs who are sitting on piles of more money that we peons could ever imagine)
For this, I’m fine with it. It makes her ‘show’ accessible to more people for less than hundreds of dollars a ticket.
“ But the “don’t they already have enough money?” argument seems to come up more frequently aimed at successful women than successful men.”
You’ve gotta be kidding. This is the first time I’ve ever heard the argument being used against a woman in my 50+ years on this planet. You hear this ALL THE TIME regarding successful men.
I think she could sell this to any streaming company and make a bank. It is good that she chose the theaters and they will make good money with it. With strikes and streaming, the theaters need that kind of attraction. First Barbieheimer, now this, the theaters will be getting a few wins and hopefully won’t be shutting down any time soon.
Right? I mean movie theaters have been struggling before barbenhiemer and now with everything being pushed back she is giving people a reason to go.
Also considering sag (which she is a member of) is on strike with the streamers it would be gross to sell to one of them at this time imo.
God help anyone in an adjacent theater trying to watch a quiet film if she’s encouraging fans to sing along.
Lol totally. At the BTS concert films I went to there was always so much screaming and squealing and singing. It’s not like a regular movie where you’re expected to shut up.
Had the same experience at the BTS and Agust-D shows I went to, they were great. We apologized to the people next to us watching the Little Mermaid lol.
We could never get BTS tickets in a million years so we went and saw all the concert films. While it’s of course not like the real thing, it’s still fun. During the Permission to Dance film a bunch of the audience got up to dance in front of the screen. It was after Covid and the kids were so happy to be together and having fun. My old ass stayed in its seat but watching my daughter and her friends I teared up a little.
Sorry didn’t mean to highjack this thread but my point was concert films can definitely be a great community experience. Not a Taylor fan but if someone I loved wanted to go I’d accompany them.
That is so sweet ! I don’t identify as a “swiftness” but I really enjoyed reputation, and then lover, and now especially midnights. She also has some great songs from her earlier albums. I tried to get tickets in Canada when she opened up six shows but I didn’t even get an email to get off the waiting list for the waiting list so I bought tickets for this movie for my seventy year old mom and myself and we’re going to have a blast I’m sure. 😍
Swiftie not swiftness haha
I paid $42.50 to see a BTS concert film for a concert I saw three times and didn’t blink. It was so fun to be with local ARMY and watch the concert again. I also paid $25 for Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres concert film.
$19.89 is not only good marketing it’s also cheap.
My 10 year old is now obsessed with TS but it happened after Eras came to town so no concert for us. Plus I don’t really enjoy concert crowds, fighting for parking, or standing for 3 hours to enjoy music that I can hear with better quality on Spotify. For all of these reasons, I will gladly spend $20 a ticket to watch Eras in a movie theater.
Yes, if one considers this an experience in lieu of a concert, $19.89 is a great price. Frankly that’s how I am thinking of it. Concerts are eye bleedingly expensive and $20 is not.
I’n with you, I’m excited she made this affordable opportunity for her casual fans. I like her music, but not enough to fork out for the Eras tour experience. This will be a fun way to see it!
I’m also taking my 10 year old daughter. She’s loved TS for a long time, but no way could we afford the tickets and travel. Relatively speaking, this is a bargain and should be a fun mother-daughter night out.
$20 per ticket is pricy for a movie but this is great for anyone whose kids are Taylor fans who can’t afford to take them to a show. I can’t snark because the demand is there and this is a relatively affordable treat for many families and fans.
I was thrilled when we saw this yesterday. There was no concert anywhere near us and I couldn’t afford the tickets anyway. Now my teenage daughter is going with her friends and a second time with me. She is so excited.
During Covid, the Ryman in Nashville did a bunch of concerts that you could watch from home and it was really fun. I see this as similar.
Because I was so excited about her tour, my girls (4 and 6) are currently obsessed with her. We got waitlisted along with everyone else to her 2nd leg in the US.
There is no way in heck I can afford to take all 3 of us to the concert now with all the stupid resale prices, but this I can afford. We will have a blast!
My daughter is 7, and I regret not bringing her with me to the concert in April. She was barely 7 when I got tickets and my husband was worried about language at her age, I was worried about the lateness of the concert. He and I both said “if only she was 8, she’s just a little too young.” But I went to the concert and it was the most wholesome experience at a concert I’ve ever had, and it was also the best concert I’ve been to. My daughter loves TS and is still sad she didn’t get to go. I’ve been trying to get finances together to go to one of the UK stops, or Paris, next year. We have family and friends at those locations and could probably make it work.
Then this film came up, and it’s opening the weekend of my daughter’s 8th birthday. I feel like going to a Europe concert is still up in the air, but we can go to the film. So I reached out to some of her friends’ moms (all who either went to the concert or wanted to), and we got a big group together. I’m having a Taylor swift themed party beforehand with all the girls; we’re dressing up; making friendship bracelets, and then all going to the movie theater down the street. Everyone is so excited.
This didn’t feel like a money grab at all.—it feels like a gift to the fans. I know a lot of people who wanted to go to the concert and couldn’t get tickets, and are excited about this. I know people who went to the concert and would go again – this is the next best thing. I was hoping for a tv special. Getting to go as a group to see it on a big screen is a treat I didn’t expect.
Such a great idea having a pre-party! Way to go, mom.
Thank you! We are thrilled, And she’s planning her outfit already. 🙂
That is so sweet and I hope your daughter has the best birthday!!
After watching the trailer I’m in. Looks fun with all music and dancing and enthusiasm. $20 is not a bad deal for a good time. It could get crazy in theaters, crazy fun.
This is going to be an event, with everyone dressing up and singing along, so it is actually a nice budget alternative to the concert….however…I do not see her fans just going to one showing so it might turn out to be a bit expensive after all.
I am at a complete loss as to the tTaylormania that seems to be exploding all around the world. I just do not see the appeal at all. That being said I think all 3 of the big tours have accompanying documentaries or live shows attached. I know The Weeknd already had a live show on HBO and is filming a documentary for his Europe leg and I am sure Beyonce has one in the works too. However, I do not think either The Weeknd or Beyonce would expect their fans to pay $20.00 to see a film of a concert they already got paid a mint to do. It just seems excessive and greedy which is always something I notice in Taylor. She comes from a capitalist family and has fully embraced it. It is not the epitome of evil since people are not required to go but I just wonder what she plans to do with the billions. How many houses and private jets does she want?
How many houses and private jets can $3 billion buy? And she’s still out there hustling too so what is the point in chastising one?
“How much is Jay-Z and Beyonce together worth?
Beyonce and Jay-Z have a combined net worth slightly shy of $3 billion, according to estimates by Forbes “
right…because giving 55 million in bonuses to her tours crew is the epitome of greedy. let’s just call it like it is, you’re not happy a woman is becoming successful while it’s totally ok for men to capitalize on their success. it’s so interesting to me when one woman starts trying to join the billionaires men’s club, she’s labeled as greedy and capitalistic lmaoooooo.
As one of the posters mentioned above, Taylor Swift is not blazing a trail with this move. BTS and others have been releasing their concert films in theaters for a while. So why is is “greedy” and “capitalistic “ when TS does it? She is offering a product to her fans, many of whom couldn’t get tix or couldn’t afford them. If they’re willing to pay, why shouldn’t she make money off it. No one thinks twice when The Man does this (pun intended).
You are right that plenty of other artists have done it and are doing it but $20.00? It just seems greedy. Maybe I just will never understand the appeal of her and it is bleeding into my general opinions of how she operates
@Michael that’s probably a fair assessment bc you don’t care for or value her work as an entertainer/artist. also, you’re lucky if where you go see movies is anywhere under 17 bucks. that’s the norm now for a lot of major cities.
i’m all for it. make all the dough T swift. i’m happy for her and for the success of Barbie and Beyonce too. Summer of success for women entertainers, directors, actors financially and artistically. idk why there needs to be criticism for her but rarely for other male entertainers who also capitalize on their success. Taylor’s tour has literally boosted the US economy and she has been fair to her crew and given them bonuses. is it bad to have another ultra rich woman when literally the ultra rich is 99% male? and the going rate for movie tickets near me is 17…so 19.89 seems hardly an insane cash grab.
Right, I don’t understand the outrage over the price…. it’s around the same price as a regular movie in my area. I didn’t even bat an eye, especially because the actual concert costs a lot more.
Totally agree – I’m completely here for her success and like you said, the awesome Summer of Success for Women in Entertainment 2023!! Even if she isn’t every person’s cup of tea, I appreciate her work ethic, her message of friendship & positivity, and her absolute hustle to get to this point in a long music career… she could have burned out long ago or lost her fanbase, but she gets wind after wind.
I love seeing all these incredible women succeed (Greta & Barbie Cast, Beyonce, Meghan, and all the rest!), especially when their product is straight-up pure entertainment geared towards women. The world needs more things in it by and for women, and (obvi) the men enjoy it too! (Just like we’ve always had to assimilate and enjoy things made by/for men.)
Of course its a money grab, like her multiple vinyl releases in different colors are money grabs, etc. But whatever, not my money, so if that’s how people want to spend theirs, more power to them and to Taylor, I guess. I don’t blame her for making money off her fan base, we’re in a capitalist society and that’s what you do. People worse than her do it in worse ways, you know? When her fans stop buying, she’ll stop grabbing, but I don’t blame her for taking advantage of her market potential (thats an awkward way to put it lol.)
She’s never going to spend all of her money but neither is Mick Jagger, or Springsteen, or Billy Joel, or Elton John, or Richard Branson, or whoever else, and we don’t complain about them.
Hmmm you’re right. I wonder why people are complaining about TS and not those other Uber wealthy people. What could it be?
Why her and not all those men?
Oh wait … there it is right there LOL
I am not in this fandom and don’t even have an informed opinion of Taylor Swift, but the snide tone of this post and criticizing her for doing what is becoming standard practice (and at standard prices for it, no less) is ridiculous. Be better.
This will prove to the movie industry how much money they can make from female dominated movies. First Barbie and now Taylor. Wake-up movie execs. You are ignoring a very large audience.
I don’t think it’s such a bad price for the product, considering how high and intense the demand is. People will take their kids, mothers and teens will go together. It’s way cheaper than a concert.
As to Taylor making so much money off of this tour, I’m fine with that too. No, I don’t think ticket prices should be so high, but I’m not sure she’s entirely in control of that? I imagine the stadiums and ticket distribution companies make a cut and have a say in how much they cost. If people are willing to pay that much to see her live, everyone is going to try to make a profit off of it.
She’s incredibly rich and getting richer, but at least she gives back. She pays the crew big bonuses, donates to local food banks, etc. And to be fair, she’s clearly working hard at this tour. It’s long, her shows are long, and it’s all probably pretty exhausting.
For the record, I am not exactly a fan. I think her music is fine but I’ve never been to a concert or bought any of it. But credit where credit is due. She’s insanely successful and people love her music. I won’t begrudge her that.
I agree with you about the price of the tour and think people are also conflating the price of the concert tickets with those up for resale and the ones that were impacted by dynamic pricing (which I think the early US shows were, but was turned off for later ones). The VIP packages and floor seats are super expensive, but my nosebleed tickets in Canada (where our prices were theoretically higher because our dollar is weaker) were $160 each. That still hurts me as someone who remembers when it cost $20-$50 to go to a concert, but it’s not the thousands for nosebleeds being cited in the article.
My tickets in Arlington were nosebleeds, but were $135 a piece with fees. $109 base price. There wasn’t a bad seat–I actually liked where we sat because we could see all the light effects in the audience. I know people who paid resale prices of $250 a ticket, which was a little more than the original price for their seats. Yes it’s expensive, but not every seat was $1,000–it’s the resale companies that jacked up the prices (and dynamic prices that I don’t think she set). And she really gave us our money’s worth with 4 hours of concert/40 of her songs, for that ticket.
And like Abbyw said, she delivers a good product. A long show with 40 songs. She’s not sleepwalking through this tour.
The tour ticket prices she sets (and profits from) vs the ticket prices most people are angry about are two very different things. Fans who actually bought face value tickets instead of scalped tickets paid $40-50 for nosebleeds, which for a 3 hour show with insane production value and high demand seems reasonable to me. The resellers jacked prices up to $1500 for those same nosebleed tickets. That’s more expensive than the most expensive face-value ticket.
I’m no Taylor fan but I enjoy these movie-type experiences. I’ve seen Led Zeppelin and Peter Gabriel “concerts” in the theater. I also went to the Sgt. Pepper’s 50th anniversary in IMAX with Dolby sound and it was incredible!!
I love this idea. There were so many people who couldn’t see the concerts. This is a more affordable option. I hope she does a big, splashy premiere
I think it’s a nice way to memorialize a historic concert run. I only really liked her 1989 album. So I am excited about Taylor’s version in October. And be happy to be able to stick it to Scooter Braun and the investors who still profit off her catalog for her first six albums. As such, she will grab my money out of my hands for it.
It’s a bit of a stretch to say $19.89 is too much for a movie concert. And a much more affordable way for families to see her without having to break the bank.
Beyonce and Taylor are reinvigorating the economy with their tours. They should be praised however they do it.
She will bleed her fans dry at every opportunity
guess it’s a good thing you’re not a fan then. but for those that are “bled dry”, i’m happy to know a large percentage of the proceeds are staying with the LOCAL theaters and i’m supporting a female entertainer that will give back 55 mil of her own money to her employees.
It’s the way she goes about it. They could’ve announced the concert film earlier but they wanted to keep after-market ticket prices high. I still say she scalped her tickets.
This is some Q-Anon level conspiracy crap
I’m going. My kids are going. I know there are haters, but I’m just gonna shake it off.
Shrugs. Cheaper than her concert.
Taylor sure does love capitalism. She would have never made it in the 90s when it was not cool to charge so much and shlep your wares any chance you get. She reminds me of those annoying people in sales. You sure you don’t want another one of my color albums that makes a clock when you put it together?
what are you talking about? the 90s were full of boyband crazes where they literally pushed endless products at consumers. bags, t-shirts, sleeping bag, beach towels, umbrellas, frikin blow up chairs. not to mention the endless product placements in music videos…you’re delusional in thinking no other entertainer (and studio) loved capitalism in the 90s and didn’t sell crap to ppl.
Fascinating look at the finances behind this. She didn’t like the offers she got from movie studios to do a concert film, so they filmed this themselves. Her dad reached out to the CEO of AMC Theaters and through a mutual friend and negotiated the deal. One thing that strikes me is that the theater owners are getting 43%. That’s huge. They normally get 10-20% of the first week or two of a movie. This thing is going to be on every screen in the multiplexes. There are also going to be fancy, expensive keepsake popcorn buckets and drink cups. The theaters running this are going to make up for a lot of lost pandemic money.
Feeling less hurt about the price. Movie theaters do lose out on longer films, because they do lose a showings worth of tickets and popcorn daily. Still very shady on the multiple versions of merch, though.
And she can take it to streaming 13 weeks after theatrical. This is going to be the new financial model for big tours. I’m going to wait to watch Taylor at home, but will pay to see Beyoncé in IMAX. Fingers crossed.
Link: https://puck.news/how-the-swiftie-cinematic-universe-came-to-theaters/
Yet another cash grab from this shameless opportunist. How much money does one person need? How about donating all the proceeds to Hawaii or some other worthy charity?
Is it a cash grab, or does it take a lot of money to turn around a theater-quality film in less than three months? And how much do you want to bet she paid everyone on her team extra–above and beyond tour bonuses–for the film? It’s fine to not like her. It’s not fine to willfully misinterpret everything she does negatively. Ignore her and don’t say ugly things just because you can.
@juststop: please. Just stop.
And how is suggesting she donate the proceeds to charity “ugly”?
Bought tickets for my favorite Regal and there was absolutely no delay or wait. And way more affordable than going to the concert though I managed to score tickets to that too.
I read that it could streaming 13 weeks after debuting for those who don’t want to venture out 🙂
I hope Beyoncé does the same thing. I paid $218 plus parking for nosebleed seats in the heat of Tampa in August. This is a great middle ground if you couldn’t afford the concert.
Oh look, 43 percent of the gross sales price stays with the local theater, and Taylor and AMC’s profits come out of the rest. So she is purposefully boosting local theaters and local economies because that’s a much higher percentage than normal: https://twitter.com/yashar/status/1697476730397811047?s=46&t=2DgrQ8e503Galnk3fNdTjQ
I think that is amazing! Especially when you consider how those local theaters are getting impacted by studios pushing releases because they won’t give the unions a fair deal.
I get people not liking her music but this need some have to see her as evil is insane.
This might be a product of where you live, but the ticket price is pretty standard at least in LA. I just compared it to the race car movie and Taylor’s ticket price is less than a dollar more.
Now this might not be the case throughout the country but I don’t think you can call her greedy when she is pretty in line with prices in at least the major media markets.
Dear god can you imagine a movie theatre packed with screaming/singing Taylor fans?? No thank you. I hope this comes out on Netflix, then I will watch lol.
Nosebleeds were not thousands. Our lower top level tix were $150/each on sale day. Less than I paid to see Hamilton on tour ($175).
Was there a huge re-seller market? Absolutely. Did that cash go to TS? Nope.
Yes she made a huge amount of money but I love that she is going this. I can’t wait to see the movie!!!
I had VIP tickets and didn’t pay $1000 per ticket not even close.
I get that some people don’t understand the appeal of TS but it’s great music and if you have a daughter who loves her, an incredible bonding experience. My 14 yo and I went to her concert in LA, nosebleed seats and had a blast. She is really a tremendous performer.
Some of the Swifties are already salty about her selling vinyls in different colors calling it a money pit… but I say make that money $$$$
Nobody comes for male entertainers or actors half as hard as they have been with Taylor and Beyoncé this year just saying…
Not sure where you live but $19.89 is a very standard movie ticket price at this point. Imo the idea that a woman artist should charge less than she’s worth is questionable at best.
You can see a great live local show when you branch out and find small artists touring in your area. Actual talent that will never experience her type of success but who are much more talented than her. There’s nothing better than sitting in a theater of 100 people listing to live music.