Christopher Nolan says Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour proves just how important theaters are

You may not expect to hear Christopher Nolan talk about Taylor Swift, but the Oppenheimer director is crediting the success of the singer’s recent concert film with proving just how important theaters are.

“Taylor Swift is about to show the studios, because her concert film is not being distributed by the studios,” Christopher Nolan said at the CUNY Graduate Center. “It’s being distributed by the theater owner, AMC, and it’s going to make an enormous amount of money. And this is the thing, this is a format, this is a way of seeing things and sharing stories, or sharing experiences that’s incredibly valuable. And if they [the studios] don’t want it, somebody else will. So that’s just the truth of it.“

Rather than distribute Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour through a traditional studio, the singer made a deal with AMC Theatres, which will likely prove incredibly profitable. The film has already grossed $123 million less than a week after release, with Swift and AMC expected to take home 57% of the box-office sales. It will battle it out with Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon this weekend, but it is expected to take the number one spot again.

Fathom Events CEO Ray Nutt told IndieWire that the success of Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour will likely bring big changes. “Our phone’s been ringing off the hook from content providers, because, ‘Oh! We can do something besides just a traditional film in movie theaters?’” Nutt said. “Honest to God, after being in the industry this long, when you have something this big, it’s gonna translate to good things.” Thanks to the success of The Eras Tour, we could see more artists take this approach moving forward.

Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer will be released on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD & Digital on November 21st.