Recently, I saw the Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour Movie in theaters. The three-hour pro-shot film of Swift’s homonymous concert was released this month worldwide, and I couldn’t wait to rush to the nearest AMC. As the introduction began, I took my seat, with my large popcorn and drink — courtesy of AMC Stubs (not sponsored). The surround speaker system and the crystal clear quality of the screen made it feel like I was in So-Fi Stadium, with Swift fifty feet away from me. All of this was under 40 dollars when you factor in an Uber to and from campus — a stark decline compared to the price of my 200 dollars standardlypriced ticket to see Swift in Foxborough last May. Following the release of the Eras Tour Movie, it’s safe to assume the public would rather spend $40 on the film, than up to1000 dollars to see her live in concert, thus hurting ticket sales of the latter. However, contrary to what one might expect, when a more accessible iteration of a spectacle, like Swift’s Eras tour, becomes available to the public, I think neither hurts the success of the other — at least in my household. In my case, I had already planned to attend one or two more Eras tour movie showings, as long as they arere available, as well as searched for Eras Tour tickets, despite already having seen the concert. Similarly, in July 2020, Hamilton was released on Disney+. Taped in 2016, the professional recording of the hit musical had been hidden away for years and was initially planned for a theatrical release. However, due to the pandemic, the movie went straight to streaming. I recall herding my family onto the couch, dimming the lights, and resisting the urge to recite every lyric. That was far from the only time I watched the musical movie. However, having the movie at my disposal didn’t deter me from paying money to see the musical in person. It emboldened me to purchase a ticket. Unfortunately, the entertainment industry has yet to realize that pro-shot recordings of live shows deliver an accurate depiction of the performance while engaging existing and new fans — pushing the art into newer spaces that were previously out of reach and inaccessible.
Instead of directing resources and energy towards professional recordings of musicals and concerts, major movie studios opt to create movie adaptations, which are oftentimes bad. In general, stage musicals are difficult to replicate in a movie format — let alone recreate the charm and magic that made people love the musical in the first place because of XYZ. Audiences set high standards and pick apart musical movies for minute differences from their “parent” musical, which causes the movie to fail within its target audience. Examples include Universal’s movie adaption of the hit musical, Cats (2019), which featured tacky CGI that production rapidly fixed post-release, or Dear Evan Hansen‘s iconic ensemble number, “You Will Be Found,” which was described as an emotionally distant version of the stage musical. Even when a movie adaption comes with a new soundtrack, it’s often drenched with pitch corrector as most of the actors aren’t singers. And the rare hits, like Hairspray (2007) and West Side Story (1961, 2021) can’t rectify the common pitfalls of the musical-to-movie pipeline.
If the public consensus is that movies like Cats and Dear Evan Hansen, which boast an average rating of 24 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, soil the musical movie genre, and conversely the reception to lightly edited footage of a live performance, such as Hamilton (98 percent on Rotten Tomatoes), is positive — why don’t you produce more of the latter? Instead of risking your high-budget movie being a commercial failure, hire a few cameramen to capture raw footage of the already successful stage performance. If the motive behind creating a digital adaption of a popular live performance is to make money, simply deliver a movie iteration that is identical to the original. Without adapting or changing the musical for the silver screen, and rather just releasing the raw musical, it’s easier to capitalize on what made the original successful initially — the art.
Additionally, musical movies, like Hamilton, were more accessible than tickets to the live musical. Therefore, casual listeners, and die-hard fans who hadn’t seen the show before, left the theatre having experienced the musical, albeit to an extent. They may be tempted to go out of their way to see the show live, so they can see the show in its totality. Similarly, Come From Away on Apple TV, and Heathers on Amazon Prime Video are other examples of pro-shot musical movies which received widespread acclaim. The added benefit of opting to release raw footage of a musical or performance is that there’s no chance you accidentally misrepresent your show. For example, people who saw Dear Evan Hansen (2022) in theatres received a different, and arguably worse iteration of the stage musical, with many cut songs, possibly deterring them from paying to see the show live.
While Swift’s concert movie doesn’t fall into the same category as previous aforementioned performance-to-movie adaptations, much can be derived and learned from its success. With an opening weekend of almost 100 million dollars, it’s safe to assume the public enjoys pro-shot musical movies. If executed correctly, professional recordings of concerts and musicals can be beneficial to the production teams that make them. As someone who couldn’t score tickets to Beyonce’s Renaissance: World Tour, I can assure, the pro-shot recording has convinced me to secure a seat on her next tour.
