Movie Theaters: The Hottest New Concert Venue
It’s safe to say that 2023 was a huge year for concerts. Most notably, Taylor Swift and Beyoncé sold out stadiums for multiple nights in a row on their massively successful tours. Both shows were nearly three hours long and featured the superstars’ biggest hits throughout their decades-long careers. Fans dressed up in theme and participated in social-media-inspired activities like Beyoncé’s mute challenge or Taylor Swift’s friendship bracelet trading. The demand for tickets for both of these shows was so huge that they sparked outrage against Ticketmaster and left thousands of fans unable to experience the shows in person, so these stars took their shows to the big screen to make them as accessible as possible.
Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour
On October 13, Swifties everywhere flocked to their local movie theaters to watch a recorded version of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. The movie smashed records in its opening weekend, grossing $123 million at the box office. Some theaters offered special merchandise such as souvenir cups, popcorn buckets, light wands and tote bags. Even at movie theaters, Swifties still showed out in themed costumes and friendship bracelets, clamoring over merchandise and seats at the movie’s opening night. Taylor Swift wasn’t physically there, but fans — especially those who couldn’t make it to the real show — treated it exactly like they would a real concert.
Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé
Beyoncé brought her smash-hit Renaissance Tour to theaters on December 1. Unlike “The Eras Tour,” this film offers a behind-the-scenes look at Beyonce’s first tour since 2016, along with highlights from the tour’s setlist. Beyoncé and her team offer commentary on the highs and lows of the tour with a look at how the audience made the show so special. As a result, fans packed their local theaters dressed in silver (at the request of Beyoncé herself) for this new perspective on the tour. Offering more commentary and insight into the tour pulls in more fans to this movie because even if they witnessed the tour in person, “Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé” shows audiences things that they couldn’t have seen from their stadium seat.
The Future of Concerts
It’s no secret that buying concert tickets has almost become an extreme sport. If fans want to see superstar artists like Taylor Swift or Beyoncé, they need to be lucky enough to get a presale code and have hundreds — if not thousands — of extra dollars to spend on a ticket. In a time when concerts are no longer easy to attend, artists bringing their shows to movie theaters makes these shows accessible again. Concert films will likely become more popular in the future thanks to industry leaders like Taylor Swift and Beyoncé.
Concert films also allow people to experience more live music. With ticket prices these days, fans have to choose which concert they’d rather attend because they can only afford one show. Movie theater tickets are much more affordable, and offering a multitude of dates and showtimes guarantees almost everyone a chance to experience their favorite artist “live” and in concert.