Christopher Nolan praises Taylor Swift for valuing the theatrical experience

Count “Oppenheimer” director Christopher Nolan among the Swifties.

During an interview alongside his wife and producer, Emma Thomas, to discuss the Best Picture front-runner earlier this month, Nolan praised Taylor Swift for releasing her blockbuster concert film directly to theaters without the help of a legacy studio.

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“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,” Nolan said in the interview, which was conducted on October 11 and published this week. “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.”

Earlier in the conversation, Thomas suggested it was the studios that had abandoned the theatrical business, not necessarily the consumers. “The way they can keep [movie theaters] going is by putting movies out,” Thomas said. “We’ve been in this very weird position over the last couple of years where they haven’t been putting movies in theaters.”

It didn’t take much clairvoyance on Nolan’s part to see that Swift’s film, “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour,” would become one of the year’s hottest movie tickets. The film broke pre-sale records and ultimately grossed $123.5 million worldwide during its opening weekend, with $92.8 million coming from North American theaters. “The Eras Tour,” which runs close to three hours in length, scored the second-biggest October opening ever, just behind “Joker.”

Nolan, of course, has been one of the loudest voices in support of the theatrical experience since the coronavirus pandemic. He pushed to have “Tenet” released in theaters as a way to help movie houses remain open. After Warner Bros. revealed its plan to debut its entire 2021 film slate simultaneously in theaters and on what was then known as HBO Max, Nolan blasted the studio and later left his longtime distribution home for Universal, which released “Oppenheimer.” That three-hour drama ended up grossing almost $942 million worldwide and remains unavailable for home viewing (a physical media release will occur later this year). Score one for Nolan.

The acclaimed director, who is a top contender for Best Director thanks to “Oppenheimer,” didn’t place value on Swift’s talent as a singer or performer in his comments. But while we’re on the subject of the biggest pop star in the world, Swift’s stated plans to direct a feature film were discussed by “Killers of the Flower Moon” and “Barbie” cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto in a recent interview with The Messenger. 

Prieto, who worked alongside Swift as the cinematographer on her videos for “The Man” and “Cardigan,” both of which the singer directed, said he saw similarities between Swift and “Barbie” director Greta Gerwig. “In the sense that [Greta’s] also very, very talented and enthusiastic,” Prieto said. “And working with Taylor on her music videos was very exciting, not only because of who she is as an artist and as a musician, but her energy. She’s so excited about doing what she’s doing. We’d talk about a shot, and she’d be full of joy, and I love that. And Greta is similar that way.”

Late last year, Searchlight Pictures revealed it would distribute Swift’s feature film debut whenever it happens to arrive. “Taylor is a once-in-a-generation artist and storyteller. It is a genuine joy and privilege to collaborate with her as she embarks on this exciting and new creative journey,” said Searchlight presidents David Greenbaum and Matthew Greenfield in a statement. No other plans or details about the project have been announced in the months since. 

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