Taylor Swift's 'Showgirl' film took the world by storm, but did it truly benefit the cinema industry?
In a captivating scene from her latest release, "The Official Release Party of a Showgirl," Taylor Swift, sitting in the director's chair, shares a profound insight: "In my industry, attention is affection." This statement, aside from offering a glimpse into the inspiration behind her song "Actually Romantic," also encapsulates her unique approach to business, which recently played out on the big screen.
"The Official Release Party of a Showgirl," a one-of-a-kind, three-day theatrical event coinciding with her new album's release, raked in an impressive $50 million globally, according to AMC Theatres. But here's where it gets controversial: the film, written and directed by Swift herself, isn't your typical cinematic experience. It's a behind-the-scenes look at the making of her music video for "The Fate of Ophelia," interspersed with brief interviews and lyric videos for other album tracks.
Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends at Comscore, describes it as "a 90-minute infomercial for Taylor Swift's new album." He adds, "It's a brilliantly disguised marketing tool to sell more streams, and fans absolutely loved it."
Despite its unconventional narrative, Swift's "Release Party" left audiences more than satisfied, earning an A+ Cinemascore. She broke all the rules with this release - no trailer, no Thursday previews, and an announcement just two weeks prior, bypassing the traditional months-long marketing campaigns. In her social media announcement, Swift invited fans to a "dazzling soirée," encouraging them to dance and celebrate.
Adam Aron, AMC Chairman and CEO, called the release "nothing short of a triumph." He praised the film for offering fans a glimpse into "The Life of a Showgirl," an experience that brought Swifities from around the world to theaters, some donning friendship bracelets and others sporting orange, the new "showgirl" color.
One fan, in a TikTok video, described the experience as "the closest thing to eras tour magic since 2023." Theaters also shared their enthusiasm, with Lido Cinemas in Australia posting a video of their staff "warming up for the Swifties," and Picturehouse in the UK sharing a video of staff dressed in "showgirl" attire, captioned "us at the cinema this weekend."
However, Swift's success may have come at a cost for some studios. Her promotional film outperformed several high-profile releases, including "Smashing Machine" starring Dwayne Johnson, Warner Bros.' critically acclaimed "One Battle After Another" starring Leonardo DiCaprio, and even Disney's re-release of "Avatar: The Way of the Water." It even lured young girls away from the second weekend of Universal's "Gaby's Dollhouse: The Movie."
"Release Party" claimed many of the premium large format screens, like IMAX and Dolby, which are usually reserved for hardcore cinephiles. And while the audience was predominantly female (80%), it also attracted some Swiftie dads who might have otherwise been interested in "Smashing Machine."
Even some executives from the studios Swift beat see her success as a positive. In an era where top movie stars struggle to draw audiences, Swift consistently delivers her fans to theaters. Her previous film, "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour," grossed an impressive $267 million worldwide, and this release, coming in October, a typically quiet time at the box office, was a welcome boost.
"Without her business, it would have been a really despairing weekend," said a marketing executive from one studio. "Anything that gets people out to movies and expands the definition of cinema is something we should be thankful for."
Rebecca Keegan, senior Hollywood reporter for NBC News Digital, covers the entertainment industry and has written extensively on this topic.
