Emma Bodnar '25
Taylor Swift—once a small country singer from Tennessee—has become one of the most influential and significant figures in today’s music industry. Renowned for not only her versatility across multiple genres but for her brilliant business acumen, Swift has been able to accumulate $740 million and an army of diehard fans. She is currently on her way to becoming the youngest female self-made billionaire at only 33 years of age.
With the announcement of a rerecording of her best-selling album, 1989, fans were delighted to also hear of a movie being released of her ever-popular world tour—The Eras Tour—that would hit theaters in October.
As an objectively newer fan of Swift—not a diehard, self-proclaimed “Swiftie”, but more of a casual listener—my less biased take on her film may be beneficial to those who are unsure of seeing it.
Even if Taylor Swift is a household name in the music industry, does she succeed in the theaters—and is her feature even worth the watch?
The film itself is a full recording of one of Swift’s last performances in Los Angeles from early August this year. The setlist itself was stacked with 45 hits and favorites—but fans of Speak Now may find it lacking, as the only song from her third studio album included in the concert was “Enchanted.”
If you’re a fan of her other albums, however, you’ll be pleased to see at least five songs per era—minus her debut album.
There’s been some anger online, however, due to some of the songs Swift cut from the movie—from hits like “Cardigan” and “Wildest Dreams” to ballads like “No Body, No Crime” and the opportunity to give Speak Now two songs with “Long Live”.
The movie is 2 hours and 45 minutes long—30 minutes shorter than the live performance—but it did genuinely feel like I was watching the real concert in person. The atmosphere was terrific, with everyone in my theater singing and dancing to every song. The recording of one of Swift’s sets gives fans who couldn’t afford to attend the expensive live performance the opportunity to still experience the excitement of her show and the warmth of her fans. I left the theater with a hoarse voice and an armful of handmade bracelets from strangers.
It’s a genius business move—the chance to make more revenue while making the concert more accessible to a larger audience. In just the first weekend of showings, The Eras Tour Movie accumulated $96 million—making it the highest-grossing concert film ever.
If you’re on the fence about seeing the film, it’s an amazing experience—regardless of whether or not you like a lot of Swift’s songs, the show she puts on is one you’ll never forget.
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