There is no denying the impact Taylor Swift has had on 2023. From her multimillion-dollar grossing tour to hijacking the beginning of the NFL’s football season, she now has her sights set on the silver screen. This past week, Taylor Swift has drawn thousands of fans to theaters to see her newest film, a nearly three hour professionally shot showcase of her sold out SoFi stadium stop on the Eras Tour. The film’s opening weekend raked in a whopping 95 million dollars in domestic ticket sales.

Directed by Sam Wrench, who is no stranger to concert films, having shot concerts featuring artists such as Billie Eilish and BTS,

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour

strives to be as close to Swift’s live concert experience as possible. Having attended both the live concert and the filmed concert, I can confirm that Swift and Wrench do so flawlessly, earning a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The film starts off immediately by immersing the audience into SoFi stadium as Swift begins the show in her

Lover

album era with her song “Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince.” Following her first group of songs, Taylor Swift herself rises up on a platform and greets the audience by saying “Oh, hi!,” which was met by ear-shattering cheers from both the filmed audience and the audience of movie-theater goers.

The theater was full of viewers in head-to-toe Taylor Swift merchandise, both purchased from the singer’s store and homemade, and clad with AMC/

Eras Tour

popcorn buckets, even at a 10 p.m. showing. For many, this is the closest to one of Swift’s shows they are able to get, as fans have had to fight infamous battles with Ticketmaster, high ticket prices and shows being sold out in mere minutes to get tickets. Swift’s

Eras Tour

in particular drew in many who wanted to buy tickets, as this show spans all 17 years of Swift’s music career, including music from all ten of her studio albums. While it includes all her hit songs, such as “Blank Space,” “You Belong With Me,” and “Karma,” the setlist also contains some of her more B-side tracks like “illicit affairs” and “tolerate it.”

Though Swift is the clear focus of the film, she also makes sure to give the attention deserved by her talented crew of backing vocalists, dancers and band — many of whom have been touring with her since her

Fearless

days. Her concert excels in every aspect, from the performers to the costumes to the sets, keeping the audience captivated through her hours-long set. Swift even performs a ten-minute-long song with a name that is equally long; “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault).” Throughout the show, Swift switches between singing, dancing, playing guitar and playing piano, leaving her talent undeniable to any audience member. Taylor Swift ends the show by asking the audience if they can spare the time for one last song, “Karma,” which includes a very theatrical ending with bows and fireworks.

Though only in its first week, the

Eras Tour

concert film has already become the highest grossing concert film in the United States. Beyonce, who also recently wrapped up a massively successful summer tour, will be releasing a conceptually similar film following her

Renaissance Tour

, further setting the precedent for artists to make their concerts more widely accessible.