Taylor Swift seems set to do for the UK cinema industry what she has pulled off for the live entertainment industry, ie provide a much-needed cash injection.
The pop superstar’s Era Tour movie – a high-production presentation of her record-breaking global tour – has opened at the top of the UK and Ireland box office, having secured unprecedented pre-sales, with Vue Cinemas reporting the same success in Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.
Vue Cinemas boss Tim Richards reported on Saturday:
“Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour… absolutely smashed the previous Event Cinema pre-sales record by more than £1m of box office. We saw an incredible response from Swifties across the UKI who dressed up, sang along and danced away with fellow fans, with sell out sessions despite scheduling an unprecedented number of shows so no one missed out.”
Swift attended the premiere of the film in Los Angeles last week, where the audience screamed, sang and danced throughout the near three-hour run time, and the BBC reports that, in the UK, fans are encouraged to join in with the music on screen.
An Odeon spokesperson told the BBC said Swifties could “absolutely celebrate by singing and dancing” during the film, while Cineworld said fans were welcome to “shake it off and dance along”, but must leave “confetti and glitter” at home.
The film, which was shot over the course of three concerts in Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium in August, surpassed $100m in pre-sales a week before release, and opened a day early in North America due to “unprecedented demand.” Critics have been quick to praise the slicky produced film, congratulating Swift for giving her fans a close-up seat at her record-breaking live show, which features more than 40 songs from ten albums selected from Swift’s singularly successful 17-year career.