Taylor Swift’s Concert Movie Is a Glossy, Mania-Inducing Flex

Over the weekend, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concert film debuted in theaters; the movie is a product of a fascinating distribution deal cemented between the star and AMC Theaters that allowed her to bypass the traditional studio system in order to produce it.

In the midst of the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, during which actors are wrestling for higher wages in the streaming era, this distinction feels particularly relevant: Swift is a performer who so ruthlessly controls every element of her own output that the fan response (which is, predictably, already incredibly enthusiastic) almost feels predetermined.

The Eras Tour concert film grossed between $95 and $97 million at the box office in its opening weekend, according to AMC Entertainment, making it the highest-opening concert film of all time. At a sold-out opening night screening in Manhattan on Friday evening, fans queued up to buy branded buckets of popcorn stamped with Eras Tour designs and exchanged temporary tattoo versions of Swift’s lucky number 13. Compared to one of her actual concerts, there wasn’t the usual sea of glittery, elaborate costumes, but there were plenty of wrists stacked with handmade friendship bracelets (a Swiftie calling card), and even a cowboy hat or two.

Read more at The Daily Beast.