Is Taylor Swift saving cinema?
Christopher Nolan is applauding Swift for shaking off studio distributors and offering a new model of theatrical distribution. Nolan, while in discussion with fellow filmmaker Emma Thomas and Pulitzer Prize–winning “American Prometheus” author Kai Bird about “Oppenheimer” at the CUNY Graduate Center, pointed to Swift’s decision to release “The Eras Tour” documentary directly to the AMC Theatre chain.
“Taylor Swift is about to show the studios, because her concert film is not being distributed by the studios. It’s being distributed by the theater owner, AMC, and it’s going to make an enormous amount of money,” Nolan said. “And this is the thing, this is a format, this is a way of seeing things and sharing stories, or sharing experiences that’s incredibly valuable. And if they [the studios] don’t want it, somebody else will. So that’s just the truth of it.”
The concert film was produced by Swift’s team and bypassed major distributors, setting its own ticket price of $19.89, with Swift taking a 57 percent cut of the revenue that would normally go to a distributor. The film grossed approximately $125 million at the worldwide box office after opening weekend.
Swift’s surprise announcement for “The Eras Tour” shifted Hollywood’s release calendar, with mega-producer Jason Blum specifically stating “The Eras Tour” led to “The Exorcist: Believer” being pushed.
Fathom Events CEO Ray Nutt told IndieWire that Swift’s decision to release “The Eras Tour” directly to theaters sans distributor will no doubt change the landscape of theatrical releases going forward.
“Our phone’s been ringing off the hook from content providers, because, ‘Oh! We can do something besides just a traditional film in movie theaters?’” Nutt said. “Honest to God, after being in the industry this long, when you have something this big, it’s gonna translate to good things.”
Meanwhile, Nolan’s dedication to theatrical releases in part led to his split from Warner Bros. during the pandemic, with Warner Bros. opting for day-and-date premieres on streamer HBO Max (now, merged with Discovery and just called Max). Nolan’s blockbuster “Oppenheimer” was produced by Universal instead, and led to the historic “Barbenheimer” double feature alongside Warner Bros.’ “Barbie,” co-written and directed by Greta Gerwig.
