The highly anticipated Taylor Swift concert film, “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour,” made its premiere in Los Angeles on Wednesday night, just ahead of its official theater release on Friday (with previews on Thursday). This star-studded event marked one of the first major red carpet gatherings since the Hollywood actors’ strike began in July. The question arises: How is Taylor Swift allowed to promote her movie during the strike when others can’t?
The answer lies in a somewhat complex arrangement. Entertainment Weekly (EW) has confirmed that “The Eras Tour” applied for and obtained an interim agreement with SAG-AFTRA, meaning that the guild’s strike regulations do not apply to the project because it adhered to the guild’s new standards.
A spokesperson for SAG-AFTRA explained, “Taylor Swift’s team signed the same Interim Agreement that hundreds of other productions have signed during the strike.” This agreement aligns with the terms SAG-AFTRA proposed to the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). It signifies that “The Eras Tour” followed the strike rules entirely and operated in compliance with the agreement.
While “The Eras Tour” is billed as a concert film, the complete content of the movie remains undisclosed. It’s unclear if it includes scripted material during its nearly three-hour duration.
Notably, a document on SAG-AFTRA’s strike website suggests that guild members are permitted to participate in documentary projects during the strike, with an exception for documentaries intended for theatrical exhibition. This might explain the need for an interim agreement in this case. Further details about the specific terms of “The Eras Tour” agreement have yet to be disclosed.
Worth noting is that Taylor Swift is pursuing an unconventional distribution strategy for the film. Instead of partnering with major studios, Swift’s family directly negotiated with AMC Theaters CEO Adam Aron for the theater chain to distribute the movie. This unique approach is the first of its kind for a film of this magnitude and is expected to result in a more substantial share of the box office revenue for the Swifts.
Swift’s decision to work directly with a theater company is significant as, until 2020, a U.S. Supreme Court ruling prevented production companies from owning exhibition companies. This change means the Swifts stand to benefit more from the film’s box office success.
“The Eras Tour” is set to hit theaters as a departure from Swift’s previous documentary distribution strategies. Past documentaries such as “Miss Americana” and “Taylor Swift Reputation Stadium Tour” were exclusively released on streaming services, while “Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions” made its debut on Disney+, and “Taylor Swift: City of Lover Concert” was broadcast on ABC.
Taylor Swift’s creative and business choices continue to break new ground in the industry, and her latest project is no exception, promising to be an exciting experience for fans and moviegoers alike.