Taylor Swift's “Eras Tour” movie has SAG-AFTRA's blessing: Here's what we know
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Taylor Swift's highly anticipated Eras Tour concert film premiered Wednesday night in Los Angeles before it officially hits theaters Friday (with Thursday previews, of course).
As expected, Swift appeared at the premiere of Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, marking one of the first major red carpet events since the Hollywood actors' strike began in July. The superstar singer is a member of SAG-AFTRA, the actors' union, as she has taken part in a number of film projects, including Cats, Amsterdam, and Valentine's Day. However, since the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike bars performers from promoting their projects, why is Swift permitted to publicize her movie?
The answer is somewhat complicated. EW can confirm that The Eras Tour applied for and received an interim agreement with SAG-AFTRA, which means the guild's strike rules do not apply to the project because it was produced in compliance with the guild's new standards.
John Salangsang/Shutterstock Taylor Swift at the premiere of her 'Eras Tour' movie
"Taylor Swift's team signed the same Interim Agreement that hundreds of other productions have signed during the strike," a spokesperson for SAG-AFTRA said in a statement to EW. "It's important to note that the terms Swift agreed to include all of the provisions in our final offer to the AMPTP, demonstrating the viability of our provisions."
The statement continued, "The Eras concert film was applied for, qualified for, and signed to an interim agreement in the same manner as every other production with an IA. By securing the Interim Agreement Swift and her team ensured that the film was produced in full compliance with strike rules."
While The Eras Tour has been billed as a concert film, the full content of the movie is not yet known, so it remains to be seen if it contains any scripted material in its nearly three-hour runtime.
In addition, a document on SAG-AFTRA's strike website indicates that guild members are allowed to work on documentary projects during the strike — unless the documentary is being produced for theatrical exhibition, which could explain why The Eras Tour needed to obtain an interim agreement in the first place. (A SAG-AFTRA spokesperson didn't immediately respond to EW's request for comment about details of the Eras Tour agreement.)
Although the film is expected to be a juggernaut at the box office (prompting Meg Ryan rom-com What Happens Later and The Exorcist: Believer to move their release dates), it's also worth noting that Swift isn't relying on any of Hollywood's studios to release the movie. Instead, her family negotiated directly with AMC Theatres CEO Adam Aron to have the theatrical chain itself distribute the movie, rather than selling Eras to a major studio (like, say, Universal or Warner Bros.).
It's the first time a film of this size has worked directly with a theater company for release, as a U.S. Supreme Court ruling prevented production companies (which make movies) from owning exhibition companies (which operate the theaters that show movies) until 2020. The Swifts are expected to receive a far greater share of the film's box office revenue as a result of the deal, which was replicated by Beyoncé's team for her upcoming Renaissance Tour movie.
Hundreds of other film and TV projects have been granted interim agreements, including Michael Mann's Ferrari, starring Adam Driver and Penélope Cruz; Sean Durkin's The Iron Claw, starring Zac Efron and Jeremy Allen White; and Sofia Coppola's Priscilla, starring Cailee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi. Stars have been granted permission to promote these independent projects because the productions agreed to the provisions that SAG-AFTRA proposed in its negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents Hollywood's studios and streamers at the bargaining table.
The theatrical release of The Eras Tour marks a departure from Swift's previous documentary distribution strategies, as her prior documentaries have been exclusively released by various streaming services and TV networks. Miss Americana and Taylor Swift Reputation Stadium Tour both premiered on Netflix, while Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions debuted on Disney+, and Taylor Swift: City of Lover Concert was broadcast on ABC.
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