Greg Marcus has been in the movie business for years but he never expected to be urging moviegoers to take out their phones during a film 害羞草研究所� let alone to be crafting friendship bracelets

But there the chief executive and chair of the Marcus Corporation is in headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, stringing beads together while humming 害羞草研究所淪hake It Off.害羞草研究所�

Movie theaters are readying for an onslaught like they害羞草研究所檝e never seen before, beginning Friday when 害羞草研究所淭aylor Swift: The Eras Tour害羞草研究所� debuts. The concert film, compiled from several is expected to launch with $100 million, or possibly more. Advance ticket sales worldwide have already surpassed $100 million.

Dancing will be encouraged.

害羞草研究所淭his is different,害羞草研究所� says Marcus. 害羞草研究所淭ake your phone out. Take selfies. Dance, sing, get up, have a good time. We want to create an atmosphere.害羞草研究所�

Concert films, of course, aren害羞草研究所檛 anything new. Just last month, returned to theaters for a decades-later encore. But 害羞草研究所淭he Eras Tour害羞草研究所� heralds something new and potentially game-changing in the movie industry.

Two of the biggest stars on the planet 害羞草研究所� Swift and 害羞草研究所� are heading into cinemas in first-of-their-kind deals made directly with AMC Theaters that circumvent Hollywood studios and which, for now, leave streamers waiting on the sidelines.

But how did the once declared-for-dead multiplex become the go-to place this fall a pair of stars

When studios began diverting some of their titles to streaming platforms, movie theaters began thinking harder about how they could fill their screens 害羞草研究所� a question exacerbated this autumn by an that害羞草研究所檚 led to the

Movie theaters are increasingly not just a marquee of movie showtimes but a big-screen stage for a variety of visual media. BTS earlier this year , with higher ticket prices and limited showtimes. The Metropolitan Opera has for years done

Few acts can do what Swift and Beyonc茅 can. Their expected success is unlikely to be replicated. But 害羞草研究所淭he Eras Tour害羞草研究所� could be the start of an expansion of what, exactly, a movie theater can be. Think , only much cheaper and in most towns.

害羞草研究所淵ou could say we害羞草研究所檙e in the movie business, but really we害羞草研究所檙e in the getting-together-with-other-people business,害羞草研究所� says Marcus. 害羞草研究所淭he more we do of it, the more the customers will think about it and the more talent will go: This is something I could do.害羞草研究所�

Swift害羞草研究所檚 camp was motivated to get the film out even as her stadium tour continues internationally. The tour, which is projected by Pollstar to gross some $1.4 billion, , saw sky-high resale mark-ups and left many fans priced out.

The movie, directed by Sam Wrench, would be a way for millions more to experience . Adult tickets are being sold for $19.89,害羞草研究所� a reference to her birth year and 2014 album, a re-recording of which is due out Oct. 27. That害羞草研究所檚 higher than the average movie ticket but several thousand less than many tickets to see Swift live.

It害羞草研究所檚 arriving uncommonly fast, too, just a little over two months since the SoFi shows. Speed was one reason Swift害羞草研究所檚 father, Scott Swift, is said to have sought out a direct deal with AMC. Swift produced the film, herself, and, with 274 million followers on Instagram, didn害羞草研究所檛 need a studio to promote it.

The has only further brightened the spotlight on the movie. According to ad tracking firm iSpot, TV ads for the film ran only a few dozen times as of Oct. 6, including several spots during NFL broadcasts. (A Marvel movie, by comparison, might run several thousand TV commercials.)

Ticket sales will be split 43% with theaters and 57% shared by Swift and AMC 害羞草研究所� with the lion害羞草研究所檚 share of that going to Swift. The film will play exclusively in theaters for at least 13 weeks 害羞草研究所� longer than many Hollywood releases do now. AMC CEO Adam Aron has called the deal 害羞草研究所渁 coup for AMC害羞草研究所� on social media.

Both AMC and representatives for Swift declined to discuss the film害羞草研究所檚 release.

After a premiere in Los Angeles on Wednesday, there won害羞草研究所檛 be any advance screenings until the movie begins playing at 6 p.m. local time Friday. Most wide-release movies open with Thursday showings and Friday daytime screenings. It害羞草研究所檚 another wrinkle in a nontraditional release that害羞草研究所檚 challenging Hollywood norms.

害羞草研究所淚nnovation comes out of challenging times in this business. We害羞草研究所檙e seeing a lot of changes, some subtle, some not so subtle,害羞草研究所� says Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for data firm Comscore. 害羞草研究所淚t seems like, right now, there are no rules when it comes to being successful.害羞草研究所�

Dergarabedian believes the two concert films should help lift the North American box office to more than $9 billion in 2023, up from the $7.4 billion of last year and edging closer to the $11.4 billion of 2019.

害羞草研究所淚t really opens up the idea that other types of content can play really well in a movie theater,害羞草研究所� he says.

Some of those changes have been facilitated by the abolishment of long-held antitrust restrictions governing movie distribution. After more than 70 years of regulating divisions between exhibition and distribution, were terminated in 2020 with a two-year sunset period that ran until last year.

害羞草研究所淚nnovation had effectively been stunted,害羞草研究所� says Makan Delrahim, the former antitrust chief at the Justice Department who proposed ending the consent decrees.

Delrahim believes 害羞草研究所淭aylor Swift: The Eras Tour害羞草研究所� 害羞草研究所� as a movie distributed by a theater chain, with nontraditional ticket prices 害羞草研究所� could 害羞草研究所渇uel new business models to save the exhibitors.害羞草研究所�

害羞草研究所淭here will be more appetite to experiment different models for theatrical distribution,害羞草研究所� Delrahim says. 害羞草研究所淭he industry needs it and, frankly, so do consumers.害羞草研究所�

Meanwhile, 害羞草研究所淭aylor Swift: The Eras Tour害羞草研究所� is poised to become the biggest concert film ever in about two days of release. Not accounting for inflation, 2011害羞草研究所檚 害羞草研究所淛ustin Bieber: Never Say Never害羞草研究所� holds that mark with $73.1 million across its entire run. Accounting for inflation, it will be harder for 害羞草研究所淭he Eras Tour害羞草研究所� to catch 害羞草研究所淲oodstock,害羞草研究所� which grossed $50 million in 1970, a total that translates to nearly $400 million today.

In Marcus害羞草研究所� theaters, like many other chains, there will be friendship bracelet stations. Sound systems have been modified for more of a concert feel. And while Marcus grants it will be strange to see an AMC logo before a film playing in his theaters, he doesn害羞草研究所檛 particularly mind.

害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檓 just happy it害羞草研究所檚 there,害羞草研究所� he says.

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Jake Coyle, The Associated Press