This weekend belonged to Taylor Swift and the history books. The release of her latest album “The Life of a Showgirl” dominated the cultural conversation, the charts (as early tallies revealed) and movie theaters around the world.
It was all the more impressive given that her movie theater event, “Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl,” blew past two of the biggest box office draws in Hollywood: Leonardo DiCaprio and Dwayne Johnson.
Swift’s 89-minute theatrical experiment outgrossed DiCaprio’s Oscar hopeful, “One Battle After Another,” and Johnson’s own awards play “The Smashing Machine,” earning $34 million domestically. In contrast, “One Battle” fetched $11 million and “Smashing Machine” a paltry $6 million. As we noted in our Sunday box office dispatch, Swift’s release raked in those numbers with about two weeks’ notice for consumers and a promotional campaign driven primarily by her social media accounts.
Which brings us to an important reminder: She owes us her directorial debut.
Swift announced she’d be writing and directing her first feature film in 2022, in partnership with Searchlight Pictures (Disney’s prestige film label behind “Black Swan” and “The Favourite”). Plot details were scant, but in interviews over the past three years she’s alluded her script will have elements of drama and comedy.
Searchlight heralded the project with a full press release, with company principals calling Swift a “once in a generation artist and storyteller.” At the time, the hope was to fast-track the project – soon dashed when Swift’s record-breaking Eras Tour was announced and later extended. Earlier this year, the InSneider reported that Swift had tapped screenwriter Alice Birch (“Die, My Love,” “Lady Macbeth”) to take a pass on a script draft. Sources denied anyone but Swift would handle the screenplay.
Searchlight is still in a holding pattern, one source familiar with the project said, waiting for Swift to call with any updates. A rep for Swift had no immediate comment on the matter, nor did a Searchlight Pictures spokesperson. Still, there’s an inkling of hope that Swift will turn her attention to her movie in the coming months.
Making global talk show rounds to promote “The Life of a Showgirl,” Swift said she will not support the new album with a tour.
“I’m gonna be really honest with you,” Swift told BBC Radio last week of going back on the road. “Like, I am so tired when I think about doing it again because I would want to do it really, really well again.”
A proper Swift-made film would be a huge boon to Disney’s theatrical business. Swift’s 2023 concert film based on The Eras Tour grossed a staggering $260 million in theaters, the result of a direct partnership with theater chains like AMC. Disney then came and scooped up worldwide streaming rights for Disney+ for a reported $75 million.
And for those speculating that Swift might retreat into domestic bliss after she marries Travis Kelce – rumored to be happening this year – don’t expect tradwife TikTok posts anytime soon.
In a second recent chat with BBC Radio, Swift called suggestions she would retire after becoming Mrs. Kelce “shockingly offensive,” and that “I love the person that I am with because he loves what I do and he loves how much I am fulfilled by making art and making music.”
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