By Lisa Parent

Taylor Swift’s ‘Eras Tour’ movie a concert-like experience for superfans

Oct 13, 2023 | 4:45 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – The Taylor Swift Eras Tour movie is opening this afternoon at Galaxy Cinemas, fulfilling every Swifties wildest dreams. Some fans are planning to go all out for it.

Sharlynn Henwood has been a Taylor Swift fan since 2006.

“I just resonate with her music so much. I feel like I’ve grown up with her. In a way, every single song connects with me. There’s not a single song I don’t like,” says Henwood.

Henwood bought tickets to three different showings of The Era’s Tour Movie, and has spent months creating friendship bracelets and an outfit.

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“I plan to go crazy, because Taylor Swift said ‘treat it like the tour,’ and that’s what I plan to do,” Henwood says. “I plan to sing along and have the best time of my life.”

This Swift super fan isn’t the only one planning to treat the movie like a concert experience. Many Swifties, including Paige Hodgson, couldn’t get tickets to the real thing.

“I signed up with all my friends, all my family, even my co-workers and I got to sign up to try and get the pre sale code, but just no luck,” says Hodgson.

Henwood adds, “we got in the queue and we had over 11, 000 people in front of us. I knew there was no way.”

The Hollywood Reporter estimates the opening weekend box office figure between $150 million and $200 million. Non-Swifties might wonder how one woman can elicit such an intense reaction from fans.

“I think it’s the way that she cares about us and the way that she makes us feel like we really are her friend. If you see photos of her, she’s just embracing her fans, just getting right in there. She really does make you feel like we know her,” Henwood explains.

“I was actually being bullied really badly and I heard the song Mean from Speak Now. I just fell in love with it and it kind of made me stop being so hurt by being bullied,” says Hodgson. “I kind of just fell in love with her from that. Her music just brought a shift of happiness into my life.”

While most movies are meant to be a quiet, sit-down experience, Cineplex did release this statement to CHAT:

“We encourage fans to wear their Taylor Swift Eras attire, participate in friendship bracelet swaps, and sing and dance along to the show. This is going to be a dynamic event, but we’re asking guests to please not stand on seats or block the screen for other viewers. As always, filming is not permitted in any of the auditoriums, but we welcome Swiftie selfies!”

So Henwood and Hodgson can show up in style and dance like they’re 22 at the Taylor Swift Era’s Tour Movie.