As if opening early and raking in more than $100 million in advance ticket sales wasn’t enough, Taylor Swift attended her concert film premiere with her only rival for pop domination, Beyoncé. According to The New York Times’ Kyle Buchanan, the pair grabbed dinner together before hitting the red carpet and posing for pics, thus completing the victory lap that has been the Eras Tour movie.
“I’m so glad I’ll never know what my life would’ve been like without @beyonce‘s influence,” Swift posted on Instagram alongside a clip of herself and the Renaissance artist in the theater. “The way she’s taught me and every artist out here to break rules and defy industry norms. Her generosity of spirit. Her resilience and versatility. She’s been a guiding light throughout my career and the fact that she showed up tonight was like an actual fairytale.”
Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour is the only comparative force in the entertainment industry to Swift’s Eras Tour, so it makes sense that the “Cuff It” singer would follow in Swift’s footsteps to release her own concert film directly with AMC. (Perhaps the duo even conspired together to chart a new course for tour movies… it was a summer of solidarity, after all.) But while Beyoncé was definitely the biggest star, she was certainly not the only celebrity to show up for the Eras Tour premiere. According to various reports, others in attendance include singers Maren Morris and Hayley Kiyoko, Simu Liu, Mariska Hargitay, Julia Garner, Karamo Brown, Adam Sandler, and Flavor Flav. (The latter, spotted hanging out with Swift’s father, told Buchanan “I’ve been a Swiftie for the longest, bro.”)
Also filling the theaters was, of course, Swifties, fans whom Swift said she “handpicked” to be there for the premiere. (Once again indulging in her numerology habit, Swift reportedly stopped in 13 of the 14 AMC theaters to introduce the film before planting herself to watch in theater 13. Condolences to that final theater of neglected Swifties.) “I think you’ll see that you absolutely are our main characters in this film because that’s what made the tour magical; that’s what made it different from anything I’ve ever done in my life. Your attention to detail, your passion, your intensity, you cared so much about these shows and that made all the difference for us,” the Grammy winner told her adoring public before the movie began (per Deadline). “It made us want to add even more shows, and just keep doing the tour. I’ve never felt this way about anything, the way I feel about this experience.”
As for the film itself, early reviews are largely positive, highlighting the spectacle of the production and the joy with which Swift performs for her fans. According to Deadline, the movie version trims the concert’s three hour and 15 minute runtime by about 30 minutes, cutting down on the time between costume changes and audience ovations. Filmed during the final destination of the first leg of the U.S. tour at Los Angeles’ SoFi stadium, the movie also apparently cuts a few songs from the setlist, including “Cardigan,” “Wildest Dreams,” “The Archer,” “Long Live” and “No Body, No Crime” (which she performed at that venue with opening act HAIM). Swift chose two “surprise songs” from outside the usual set list to play at every show; the concert film features “Our Song” from her self-titled debut album and “You’re On Your Own, Kid” from Midnights. The film ends with a friendship bracelet credit sequence, another nod to the fans’ tour tradition. “Thank you to the most generous thoughtful loving fans on the planet,” reads a set of bracelets at the end of the credits. “This is all because of you and for you.”