LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. — Taylor Swift fans, are you ready for it?
The global superstar has sold out stadiums around the world on her Eras Tour, and now she’s doing the same at movie theaters.
“In the movie business you hope to get two or three $100 million movies [in a year]," said Penn Ketchum, managing partner of Penn Cinema in Manheim Township, Lancaster County. “Barbie is an example or The Avengers [so] to have all of a sudden a $100 million movie in the middle of October is great for business.”
Penn Cinema is hosting a special Taylor Swift premiere party at the theater near Lititz Friday night, in honor of the opening weekend of her Eras Tour concert film.
It goes from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. and there will be a DJ, friendship bracelets, and more.
Swift’s movie opens in 90 countries this weekend, after setting pre-sale records.
The film started showing Thursday night, a day earlier than expected, after Swift announced the early access shows this week due to what she called "unprecedented demand."
“Even before we showed the first movie, she’s already surpassed $100 million in pre-sales so it’s just a question of will it be $110 million or $150 million and the way we’re seeing audiences responding to our shows, I think it’s closer to a $150 million movie,” Ketchum told FOX43 on Friday.
For those who weren’t lucky enough to score tickets to the actual concert this summer, seeing the movie is the next best thing.
“This puts you in the front row of a Taylor Swift concert,” explained Ketchum. “So for less than $20, you can be in the front row of a ticket that would have cost you $2,000 this summer so it’s really exciting to give everybody a chance to experience what really was a historic tour.”
Ketchum says if you tend to enjoy a peaceful movie-watching experience, you might want to catch a matinee show for this one.
And even then, it may be a bit noisier than usual.
“You’re not going to come and sit and quietly watch a movie,” he said. “We fully expect this to be a Taylor Swift party, we fully expect people to be up and singing and dancing to the movie.”
Theaters showing the movie will also have collectible soda cups and popcorn tubs available for purchase.
Most of the shows at Penn Cinema are sold out for Friday and Saturday nights, but Ketchum says there are tickets still available throughout the weekend.
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