- Christopher Nolan has praised Taylor Swift
- The singer's concert film has done very well in theatres
- THIS is what Nolan had to say about her
Swift's concert film from the Eras Tour has seen major box-office numbers. While in discussion with fellow filmmaker Emma Thomas at the CUNY Graduate Center, Nolan pointed to Swift’s decision to release 'The Eras Tour' documentary directly to the AMC Theatre chain bypassing the studios and their distribution channels.
The CUNY discussion took place Oct. 11, just a few days before the film opened in theaters and grossed $92.8 million in North America and $123.5 million globally, easily the biggest debut ever for a concert film. It’s also the second-highest grossing October opening in history, behind only 'Joker' at $96 million.
Nolan knows a thing or two about film distribution
The film continues to be a phenomenon, and it's also the seventh-biggest opening weekend of 2023. The release was unusual as Swift sidestepped the major Hollywood streamers and studios and partnered directly with AMC Theatres to distribute the film. Nolan commended Swift for the business move.
"Taylor Swift is about to show the studios, because her concert film is not being distributed by the studios, it’s being distributed by a theater owner, AMC, and it’s going to make an enormous amount of money," he said. "And this is the thing: This is a format, this is a way of seeing things and sharing stories, or sharing experiences, that’s incredibly valuable. And if they don’t want it, somebody else will. So that’s just the truth of it."
A master of distribution himself, Noland seems to think this is a turning point. According to 'Deadline', two of his films, 'The Dark Knight' and 'The Dark Knight Rises', have both grossed over $1 billion worldwide to date. And it's not just because of the impressive filmmaking. You also have to know how to sell a picture, and Christopher believes Taylor has changed the game.
Films may never be sold the same way again
Could he be right? Is Taylor setting yet another trend in our culture? The concert film was produced by Swift’s team and bypassed major distributors, setting its own ticket price of $19.89, with Swift taking a 57 percent cut of the revenue that would normally go to a distributor. The film grossed approximately $125 million at the worldwide box office after opening weekend! Talk about making a nice chunk of change!
The fact is, Swift’s surprise announcement for 'The Eras Tour' shifted Hollywood’s release calendar, with mega-producer Jason Blum specifically stating 'The Eras Tour' led to 'The Exorcist: Believer' being pushed early, because it did not want to compete.
Fathom Events CEO Ray Nutt told IndieWire that Swift’s decision to release the film directly to theaters sans distributor will no doubt change the landscape of theatrical releases going forward. "Our phone’s been ringing off the hook from content providers, because, ‘Oh! We can do something besides just a traditional film in movie theaters?'" Nutt said.
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"Honest to God, after being in the industry this long, when you have something this big, it’s gonna translate to good things," he concluded. And Christopher seems to think along the same lines as well.
"Any time a film succeeds that wasn’t expected to succeed, it’s an encouraging thing for Hollywood and it’s encouraging for filmmakers," Nolan said at the CUNY event when asked about that humungous pull for his blockbuster 'Oppenheimer' and its gross.
"There’s a tension in Hollywood between the familiar and what is predicted to make money, that’s the meat and potatoes of how the studios stay in business, and the desire among audiences for something new, something fresh. Any time a film that isn’t expected to succeed, and we vastly exceeded our highest expectations for the project, it’s encouraging for the studios and the filmmakers," Nolan added.
"That tension, that reality… between commerce and art, that formula never changes in Hollywood."
But Taylor is a game changer. Who knows what this could mean for future filmmakers, specially the independent ones. For now, the little guy is smiling big, because this could now be their chance to sell their film directly to theatres!
