Concerts and Games at the Movie Theater

Would you watch a Taylor Swift concert film at a movie theater?  The concert film, titled "Taylor Swift - The Eras Tour," will open in North American theaters on October 13.  AMC, the distributor for the film, plans to play the film at least four times a day on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays in all of its United States, Mexican, and Canadian theaters.  It is scheduled to run through November 5.  The Eras Tour film was shot over the first three nights of Swift's six-night stand at Los Angeles's SoFi Stadium from August 3-9.

While it won't have the same atmosphere as the live concert, the price is definitely easier on the wallet.  Prices will be higher than a normal movie ticket ($19.89 for an adult ticket and $13.13 for a child ticket), but still much less than the average live concert ticket.  Tickets for large-screen and premium format viewings will cost more.  The average face-value ticket price for The Eras Tour concert was $253.56.  

AMC said that presale tickets have already "shattered records for single-day advance ticket sales revenue," with $26 million of tickets sold in the first three hours.  IMAX has already sold out more than 250 screenings of the concert.

The ongoing Hollywood actors' and writers' strikes and the impasse with studio negotiations mean that new movies making their way to theaters could dry up over the next year.  While studios typically distribute movies to theaters, AMC is acting as the Eras Tour film distributor in what it called "the inaugural step of a new line of business for AMC Entertainment."  This idea of airing concert movies could be a boon for theaters during the slump.

What about some college football games aired on the big screen?  Last week, ESPN announced a continuing partnership with Theater Sports Network and Cinemark Theaters.  This year, the partnership will mostly feature games involving Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) teams but has expanded to include every New Year's Six bowl games, plus the College Football Playoff semifinals and national championship games.  The agreement will cover approximately 75 games throughout the season.  

This is a very new concept for not just college football fans, but for all sports fans. Last year's movie theater sport experiences did not generate much buzz nationally, but sports are inherently communal and watch parties are a big part of the sport.  

In a similar way that a ticket for Taylor Swift's concert aired at a movie theater is much cheaper than a ticket to the live concert, a ticket to see a college football game in the theater is cheaper than a ticket to the game.  The cost of attendance at participating locations will be decided by each theater.   Additionally, some sports fans pay for additional cable channels to follow their favorite teams.  If this idea is expanded, fans could also save money by not subscribing to the additional channels.  

ACC games that air on ESPN platforms will be available for theatrical distribution in away team markets and in home and away markets for neutral site games.  More details and game information can be found at theatersportsnetwork.com.