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Taylor Swift film premiere shuts down The Grove shopping center
The Industry Oct 12, 2023
Taylor Swift at the "Eras Tour Film" premiere. | Photo courtesy of Taylor Swift Updates/X
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People who were hoping to shop at The Grove in LA’s Fairfax District on Wednesday were forced to make other plans, thanks to Taylor Swift, who invited a few thousand fans to attend the premiere of her concert tour movie and then showed up to greet them and snap selfies on the red carpet.
The upscale mall was closed for the day to accommodate the premiere of the highly anticipated movie “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour.” The invitation-only event was being held at the 14-screen AMC theater in the shopping mall.
Earlier in the day it was unclear if Swift herself planned to attend, but that question was answered by late Wednesday afternoon when the superstar showed up on the expansive red carpet in a light blue gown. Video from the scene showed her slowly making her way along the red carpet, greeting fans and stopping to take selfies, much to the delight of her passionate supporters.
Swift is still touring, but she is on a performance break until the tour picks up again next month in Argentina.
The movie was set to screen at 7 p.m., but those who received invitations were told to show up at around 2 p.m., according to TMZ. Crowds were seen amassing along the extensive red carpet by mid-afternoon.
Swift has been making waves in the NFL recently thanks to her apparently budding romance with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. The singer has been spotted hanging out in stadium luxury boxes with Kelce’s mother and other celebrities, including Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman and Blake Lively.
Her concert movie chronicles Swift’s highly successful Eras Tour, which included six performances at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. Analysts have said more than $100 million in advance tickets have already been sold for the film.
The film was expected to open on Friday, but Swift herself took to social media Wednesday afternoon to announce that the opening was being advanced to Thursday.
“I can’t really wrap my head around this but ….. Look what you genuinely made me do: Due to unprecedented demand we’re opening up early access of showing of The Eras Tour Concert Film on THURSDAY in America and Canada!! As in TOMORROW. We’re also adding additional showtimes Friday and throughout the weekend,” Swift wrote on her Instagram page. …
“I can’t thank you enough for wanting to see this film that so vividly captures my favorite adventure I’ve ever been a part of: The Eras Tour. And the best part is, it’s an adventure we’re still on together.”
She ended the post by writing, “Getting in the car now…” as she prepared to head to The Grove for the premiere.
TMZ reported that 2,200 fans received invitations for Wednesday’s premiere event. Various media outlets reported that the owner of The Grove, former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Rick Caruso, is reimbursing the mall’s tenants for lost revenue they will suffer due to the daylong closure of the shopping center.
The Original Farmers Market adjacent to The Grove remained open. The market proclaimed on its social media pages that it would be open normal hours from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
