Taylor Swift Surprise: ‘Eras Tour’ Movie Will Open a Day Early

Taylor Swift’s new concert movie will start singing at the box office earlier than expected.

The superstar pop singer announced Thursday that Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour will hold early screenings Thursday in North America — likely at 6 p.m. — as well as during the day Friday. She also noted that additional showtimes have been added throughout the weekend. All tickets should be available for sale by Thursday morning at 10 a.m.

The original plan was for Swift’s film to begin screening at 6 p.m. local time Friday in cinemas around the world. Demand has been so fierce that numerous shows are sold out.

Swift’s surprise announcement, made on social media, came just hours before she was set to attend the world premiere of The Eras Tour in Los Angeles at AMC’s theater at The Grove.

“Andddd I can’t really wrap my head around this but…. Look what you genuinely made me do: Due to unprecedented demand we’re opening up early access showings of The Eras Tour Concert Film on THURSDAY in America and Canada!! As in…TOMORROW. We’re also adding additional showtimes Friday and throughout the weekend. All tickets will be available by 10am tomorrow morning,” she wrote in an Instagram post.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift)

Thanks to the singer’s female-led fandom, The Eras Tour is headed for a record worldwide opening of $150 million to $200 million, including $100 million to $125 million in North America and $50 million to $75 million overseas. That’s by far the biggest start ever for a concert movie, as well as one of the biggest launches in recent times for any movie, despite its hefty running time of two hours and 48 minutes. AMC Theatres, which is distributing the concert pic on behalf of the superstar pop singer in an unprecedented pact, is sticking to the more conservative estimate of $150 million globally, including $100 million domestically.

After this weekend, Eras Tour will play Thursday through Sunday. As of now, its plan is to play for four weekends.

“I can’t thank you enough for wanting to see this film that so vividly captures my favorite adventure I’ve ever been a part of: The Eras Tour. And the best part is, it’s an adventure we’re still on together,” Swift continued in the post. “Getting in the car now….”

The Eras Tour movie surprised all of Hollywood when Swift announced it last month. In an unprecedented move, the star’s team bypassed Hollywood studios and partnered directly with AMC, the world’s largest exhibitor, to bring the film to the big screen. AMC in turn is making Eras Tour available to other chains.

Like Barbie this summer, Swift’s pic will be powered by females. As of late last week, Eras had racked up more than $100 million in advance ticket sales. And numerous shows in the U.S. are sold out over opening weekend.

Cinemark quickly announced that tickets for the additional shows, beginning at 6 p.m. Thursday, are already available for purchase. “The already record-breaking presales prove that music lovers are eager to experience this tour from the shared, immersive environment of our auditoriums,” said Wanda Gierhart Fearing, Cinemark’s chief marketing and content officer.

The sky-high demand to see the movie comes after many consumers were unable to get tickets to see the Eras concert live. Swift’s tour, kicking off in March, smashed records in terms of attendance and revenue. It is now concluded in the U.S. The overseas tour begins in November.