TORONTO, ONTARIO – SEPTEMBER 09: (NO COVERS) Taylor Swift attends ‘In Conversation With… Taylor … [+]
Taylor Swift’s concert film Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour opened to a massive and historic box office sum in October, and by the time all is said and done, the singer’s performance project may end up being not just the most successful concert movie of all time, but one of the top-grossing titles of 2023. Making history and earning tens of millions of dollars is great, but those accomplishments are nothing new for Swift. In the end, the biggest gain for the star might be in how it opens up greater possibilities for her career.
In late 2022, Searchlight Pictures announced that it had agreed to make a movie with Swift. The superstar had reportedly written an original script, and she was looking to direct the picture as well. Details regarding a title, story, or even when production might commence were kept secret, and nothing has been heard about it since.
In the almost-year since that news broke, Swift has continued to dominate the music industry. She’s charted several new No. 1 albums and scored several more Hot 100 hits, including a pair of leaders. Her The Eras Tour is well on its way to becoming the top-grossing trek of all time. Now, she’s conquered the box office as well, and it’s this fact that movie studios and film industry insiders will pay the closest attention to.
Swift was never going to have a difficult time finding partners interested in making a movie with her, but from there, nothing is certain. The Grammy winner is famous enough to kickstart any project in Hollywood, but actually completing a movie in her vision is not guaranteed, even for her. While she may have experience as a director and story writer, that doesn’t necessarily mean she’s entirely ready to make a movie on her own.
There’s a real chance that when it came time to work on Swift’s as-yet-untitled movie, those in charge may end up either having second thoughts or perhaps wanting more of a creative say. Swift has been in the driver’s seat with her latest music videos for years now, but a full-length feature is another story. No public comments have been made about the state of Swift’s script or any treatments she may have done, but chances are there would likely be a lot of notes for her along the way. She has experience, yes, but in many ways she’s still very new to this field.
Depending on how the rewriting and production meetings go, Searchlight may or may not feel as solid about choosing to make Swift’s movie. It could go very well, or perhaps the singer’s hectic schedule and blockbuster tour may get in the way of putting in the incredible amount of work necessary to make a narrative film. Chances are the world will never really know what goes on behind the scenes, but this project is, in some ways, a gamble…or at least it might have been.
Now, Swift isn’t just going into her future movie as a music video director and a star, but as a box office queen. She has demonstrated that when her name is front-and-center, she has the power to not just sell tickets but make history. The grosses for Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour are bigger than any concert film ever, and it’s not yet done making money. Its success proves not only her popularity, but that she can convince people to get out of their homes and open their wallets, especially young fans who might not be as inclined to go to the movies as their parents.
This fact may make her even more valuable than before to studios and distributors. With this massive success to her name–another one, that is–Swift is in an even better position to make her movie. She may be given even more power to do so the way she wants, as it seems that millions of people will turn out and go see whatever she makes…or at least that may be the idea.