On Thursday, Oct. 12, the highly anticipated “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” film, directed by Sam Wrench, was released to theaters. The film had a set runtime of two hours and 48 minutes.
The film grossed about $96 million from the box office sales, according to CNBC, with about 4.8 million people attending. Theaters like AMC and Cinemark also sold Swift themed merchandise, including popcorn buckets, tote bags and glow sticks. AMC also distributed free, mini posters of Swift and had decor throughout the lobby, adding to the concert theme.
“The worker who checked our tickets traded friendship bracelets with us,” said Jenna Feng, junior. “They were also handing out posters and…decorated the theater doors.”
The film opened with a 13 second countdown, and Swift’s first song was “Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince.”
Six songs from the tour were cut from the film, including “The Archer,” “No Body, No Crime,” “‘Tis the Damn Season,” “Long Live,” “Wildest Dreams” and “Cardigan.”
“I really wish she hadn’t cut ‘Long Live’ because it’s one of my favorite songs and I didn’t get to see it live,” said Makenna Melia, sophomore. “I was disappointed about all of the songs she had cut.”
(Yusra Shakaib)
Cutting songs, however, didn’t leave any bad blood between fans and Swift. Seeing as though the movie was almost three hours in length, it would have been hard to include all tour songs and still be a reasonable length.
“I get it because it’s [about] the amount of time they have for the film, ” Feng said.
One of my favorite parts of the movie was “All Too Well (10 Minute Version).” I thought they made it really engaging for the entire ten minutes.
I do wish that Taylor was more interactive with fans at the concert itself, though. It’s nice to see that side of artists, especially in film.
“I think [the audience interaction] was good for a movie,” said Sara Izhar, junior. “She was probably more interactive in the actual concert.”
As well, I felt like “You’re On Your Own Kid” should have been the last song for the film, seeing as it was more of an emotional piece. In my opinion, the audience would have felt more affected by the song’s meaning had it been at the end of the film. The audience would have left with the impression the song holds.
During the Folklore set of the film, I got a little bored because it was very mellow. As most of the songs center around strong, piano-heavy instrumentals, it wasn’t as fun to listen to. For example, songs like “Enchanted” were more fun as the instrumentals were more diverse.
“I thought [the Folklore set] was alright,” said Zara Islam, junior. “[It was] kinda boring but fun to watch.”
During the song “Tolerate It,” there was a place setting on a table. It was supposed to serve as an element of the story, with the intention to symbolize how she felt. However, it was unnecessary because it didn’t really add any emotion to the song, instead serving as just a prop for the concert.
I also wished they had added some behind the scenes elements or documentary-like scenes to make it a little different than just an actual concert.
Overall, the film was executed well because of the quick set and costume changes, as well as the transitions between albums.
“I feel like it definitely conveyed the concert vibes [with] the camera angles,” said Sanaa Asif, junior. “I also think that they did a good job of including the crowd because they were so loud.”
Another way that audience members brought in concert vibes was by dressing up for the film.
“I wore a Taylor Swift t-shirt, an Eras Tour sweatshirt and pink cowgirl boots,” Melia said.
Some students felt that all major artists should consider doing something similar to a concert film when the circumstances are similar to Swift’s, specifically with her multiple sold out shows.
“The movies are good for people who didn’t go so they’re still able to be a part of it,” Asif said. “Being able to go to the concert is more special, because you have your own memories.”
The film was an enchanting experience for audience members. To read more about it, click here.
