Swifties across the world are standing up from their seats, screaming and singing at the top of their lungs during The Eras Tour film sessions.
On October 13th, Taylor Swift’s concert film hit the big screens around the globe. However, in the few days after it premiered, the film was already considered to be the most profitable concert movie in history.
While being sold out from day one, The Eras Tour film has raised a debate among the general public on how people should act in film concerts, where fans drop all the rules and have the wholesome concert experience within the screen walls.
TikTok videos from The Eras Tour screening get from 1.3 million to 15.2 million views with dozens of negative and defensive comments.
One fan wrote, “I love the idea of this. Because people that couldn’t afford to attend the tour themselves could go and see it in the theatres instead.”
It is no secret that Taylor Swift’s tickets get sold out in seconds, not to mention the ridiculous price range of resale ones. It’s also no surprise that fans would use the screening as a chance to have fun with their ‘co-Swifties’.
Others in the comments think the opposite, “Can I just sit there and enjoy it? This is crazy. If my theatre is like this, I’m throwing hands. I want to hear Taylor’s voice only, where there are no lightsticks showing off to my face.”
Swifties fought haters back by mentioning that the American Sweetheart herself had encouraged the fans to dance and sing along to her songs.
To explore the debate futher, I’ve asked a student from the London College of Communication, Molly, what she thinks about concert films.
“I had this experience once with my friend when we went to see Tomorrow X Together on the big screen. There was a girl who was giving cards from merch as a gift. It was very sweet,” she said.
On the question where she would draw a line on this type of fandom interaction during the screening, Molly said that it is probably when people start to stand up from their seats and dance right in front of the screen. “I wouldn’t want to be part of something that would make others feel uncomfortable, including myself.”
My personal experience with concert films happened in 2013 when One Direction premiered their documentary film, This is US. The screening room was full of girls from 15 to 25. Most of them were wearing merchandised shirts or bracelets, and some even brought posters with members’ pictures on them.
No one stood up or shouted lyrics during the singing scenes. Brought posters were purposed for taking pictures after the film ended. Maybe it wasn’t the era, but fans were emphasising more on the film experience rather than the concert one.
But, what stayed truly the same through the decade is the experience of attending your favourite artiste’s premiere covered in merch and feeling the exciting energy of being part of the fandom.
Featured image by Paolo V via Flickr, Taylor Swift via Instagram, Taylor Swift Film Promo via Instagram.