Kailey Krantz | Staff Writer
Students may go ga-ga for Taylor Swift in theaters. However, they should be conscious about the difference between a movie theater and a concert setting.
The Taylor Swift ‘Eras Tour’ film was released on Oct 13. 2023, exciting her fanbase, the Swifties, and the rest of the public. It’s Taylor’s recorded concert on a silver screen, not on an open stage.
I think it’s a great idea for the concert to be released on film. It’s perfect for college fans who haven’t been able to attend the concert live and those who aren’t familiar with her music to watch it without worrying about the cost of concert tickets and other travel expenses that come with it.
However, for non-super fans, it comes with a catch.
Swift released a promotional advertisement on Instagram, with a statement saying college Swifties are encouraged to exchange friendship bracelets, sing along to the songs, and wave their flashlights as if they were actually at the concert.
While replicating the live concert experience is a fun way to engage with the film, some fans can take it too far and annoy other patrons who are trying to watch the film and listen to Swift sing her songs.
On the contrary, a movie theater is a different entertainment space than a concert venue.
Unlike the large, open stadium that a concert is held in, a movie theater is an enclosed space, which makes the distractions such as audience members singing along, getting up and dancing in front of the screen and the seating aisles, and turning on the flashlights on their phones more visible and much more difficult to ignore.
Not only would this sour the movie-viewing experience, it could also pose a safety risk for people trying to safely exit and enter the theater.
As a result of the discourse going around movie theater etiquette when viewing the concert film, AMC Theatres issued a statement, saying “we encourage dancing and singing throughout this concert film event, but please do not dance on our seats or block other guests from viewing, safely walking or exiting the auditorium.”
Since I’m not a Taylor Swift superfan, I understand why people would be upset at those roleplaying as concert attendees. On the other hand, I understand the fun memories college student Swifties would want to create for an affordable price.
After all, this is a concert film that was marketed towards college student Swifties who weren’t able to make it to her live shows, due to their inability to pay for concert tickets, their focus on school, work and other responsibilities and saying they can’t have their fun isn’t a helpful solution.
A reasonable compromise would be to split the film into two different viewing experiences. In other words, have some movie times slotted as normal film viewings and other movie times be dedicated sing-alongs for the film.
That way, moviegoers get to choose if they want to watch the film normally or sing along with the rest of the auditorium.
For the time being, feel free to sing along and dance in your seats while watching the film, just as long as you respect the viewers around you and minimize other distractions.
Imagine being this much of a killjoy. I dare you, for $100, to tell a group of girls at any showing of Eras Tour on a Friday night this weekend to stop what they’re doing. You don’t have to be a Taylor Swift fan, but writing this garbage says more about you than it does about innocent children who want to experience a concert in the comfort of a nearby movie theater that would have needed to shell out thousands to see in person otherwise. This comment took me a few minutes, but you probably spent at least few hours on this article. Sorry to hear that.
Also, most people at a large stadium show like that are seated, just like a movie theater. Find a better argument.