Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, the singer’s tour film released last Thursday, is already breaking box office records and poised to become the highest-grossing feature film of its kind in history. While Beyonce will release a similar film in December, experts are already expecting their model to become a trend in the coming years.
“It’s an extremely clever marketing operation,” summarizes Australian sociologist Georgia Carroll, who studied Taylor Swift fans as part of her doctoral thesis. The film not only allows the singer to expand her audience, but also to generate revenue herself from footage from her tour, something she would not have been able to do with TikTok videos or live streams. directly produced externally. »
Its business model is unusual. Rather than using major Hollywood studios, Swift produced her film herself and had it distributed by AMC, an American cinema chain. The theaters pocket 50% of the revenue, while the singer and her distributor share the rest.
Cineplex and Landmark Cinemas will present the film in Canada. Both in the United States and here, regular ticket prices are $19.89, in reference to the name of one of Swift’s albums and her year of birth.
Pre-sales alone generated more than $100 million in revenue around the world, a record for a feature-length concert film. According to forecasting software Cinelytic, the film should earn $230 million in the United States alone and be among the ten biggest sellers of the year in all categories. Sales on the first day even “surpassed many high-profile firsts, such as Star Wars, Episode VII. The Force Awakens (Star Wars, Episode VII. The Force Awakens) (2015) and Spiderman. No Way Home (2021)”, still according to Cinelytic.
Failing to see the concert
Béatrice Lemay-Denis, a theater student at UQAM, has listened to Taylor Swift’s music since childhood. Real “ swiftie », she plans to buy a plane ticket to go see her in Milan, Italy, since her favorite singer is not offering a concert in Montreal. “I’m going to watch the film before making my decision, but it’s a completely different experience, which will allow me to focus on all kinds of details that I wouldn’t be able to notice in a big stadium. »
According to her, this is a “good communication strategy” in an era where concert ticket prices are skyrocketing. “A lot of people who could be “swiftie” but those who would not pay hundreds of dollars to see it may become more interested in it thanks to the film. It’s also a good way to catch up with fans, many of whom were disappointed not to have been able to buy tickets. »
Georgia Carroll adds that the film will allow the singer to “stay at the center of media conversations between the American and European legs of her tour”. “Everyone has heard of the “Eras Tour”. With the film, she is no longer addressing just her fans, but anyone who has three hours and twenty dollars to spend. »
A phenomenon to watch out for
Next December, Beyonce will also release Renaissance, his own film about his last tour. Distributed with a strategy modeled on that of Swift, it could exceed the $100 million revenue mark in the United States, according to Cinelytic data. With the restoration of the cult film Stop Making Sense (1984) on the Talking Heads tour — on show since September — are we seeing a renewed interest in this hybrid art form?
Mme Carroll believes so. “We’re going to see an increase in the number of concert films over the next few years,” she says. It’s far from a new phenomenon, but after experiencing years without concerts during the pandemic, people are hungry for this type of event. This also offers artists a significant source of income without having to create new productions. It’s an easy win for them and an attractive product for the public. »
Some cinemas also see it as a way to get out of the crisis caused by the pandemic. The value of shares of distributor AMC jumped 11% on October 6, following the pre-sale of tickets for the Taylor Swift film.
What’s more, pop stars of his caliber largely prefer to present their films in theaters rather than on digital platforms because the theater allows them to recreate the atmosphere of a concert. Fans sing along during screenings of Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour and dress like they’re going to see a live performance, bringing friendship bracelets — in reference to a web phenomenon inspired by one of his songs. What reminds us of the pink madness of barbie.
Béatrice Lemay-Denis, who will go see the film this week, is precisely expecting a “big party At the movie theater “. “It’s not like any other film: people are singing and dancing in the theater. I hope this will encourage others to try it. »