Taylor Swift At The Grove: Superstar’s ‘Eras Tour’ Film To Premiere At Luxury Mall Today Amid Road Closures & Police Presence
EXCLUSIVE: After sellout stadium shows all over the continent this year, and a lot of attention at a bunch of recent NFL games, Taylor Swift will be literally stopping traffic in Los Angeles on Wednesday. There will be road closures and more in the Fairfax District later today as the City of Angels braces for the world premiere of the superstar’s concert movie Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour at The Grove.
Several sources tell Deadline that the upscale, Rick Caruso-owned outdoor mall will be closed down all day today to prepare for the event, with Swift heavily buzzed to put in an appearance.
More from Deadline
‘Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour’ Movie World Premiere Red Carpet Photos
‘Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour’ Movie: Tickets, Release Dates, Premiere & Where To Watch
Taylor Swift On "Actual Fairytale" Of Beyoncé Joining Her At 'The Eras Tour' Movie Premiere
Not often are big Hollywood movie premieres held at the 600,000-square-foot property, but the key reason why The Eras Tour is making its big splash there is due to the fact that the movie’s distributor, AMC, has one of its key LA cinema hubs onsite, which counts 14 screens.
RELATED: Cinemark Offering Private “Swiftie Parties” For Eras Tour Concert Film
Representatives for Swift and the Caruso Affiliated Grove property did not respond to Deadline’s request for comment. If and when they do respond, we will update this post. However, we have confirmed that the mall will be closed. Also, employees at various Grove restaurants and stores told Deadline that they received an email Monday that the venue would be closed Wednesday for undisclosed reasons.
RELATED: ‘Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour’ – Watch The Trailer
Even with that, if you are thinking of hanging around the shuttered Grove to hopefully catch a glimpse of superstar Swift, you really might want to think again.
“A permitted road closure will be in effect on Grove Drive starting at 3 p.m. between Beverly and 3rd on Wednesday, Oct 11,” a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Department of Transportation told Deadline today. To that end, police officers from the LAPD’s Wilshire Division and elsewhere will be out with a “strong presence,” a law-enforcement source said of the closures.
RELATED: The Taylor Swift Movie Hasn’t Needed The NFL’s Help To Become A Major Theatrical Event
“As everyone in Los Angeles knows, we have a history of ensuring large-scale entertainment events occur without incident,” that official added. “This will be no different.”
Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour is being released by AMC, with booking by Gotham-based distributor Variance. The Eras Tour received a SAG-AFTRA interim agreement so that the 12-time Grammy winner can promote it. Besides showing up to watch the Travis Kelce and Kansas City Chiefs a lot of late, Swift is on a break from her Eras Tour after playing Mexico City in late August, and won’t resume live shows until November 9 in Buenos Aires.
RELATED: ‘Taylor Swift: Eras Tour’ Concert Film Crosses $100 Million In Advance Sales Globally
Before the Eras Tour premiere tonight, the biggest events to take over The Grove have been the lighting of its 100-foot Christmas tree, which has seen crowds spilling out into 3rd Street to see musical performers like Hall & Oates, Andy Grammer, Gloria Estefan and more. That late-November event typically has the mall shutting down around 4 p.m. to accommodate thousands of fans. Last year the event was telecast on CBS on December 23 and streamed on Paramount+.
RELATED: ‘Taylor Swift: Eras Tour’ Concert Movie Getting Global Theatrical Release
Kent Moyer, CEO of World Protection Group, which handles security for big events, said that with an occurrence like this with a talent like Swift, law enforcement is “going to prepare for this like it’s the Academy Awards or the Golden Globes.” That means outer-ring, middle-ring and a close-perimeter levels of protection, drones in the sky and specialized units for added security.
The Taylor Swift: Eras Concert film begins this Friday at 6 p.m. local time and is expected to open to $150M-$175M.
RELATED: Taylor Swift & Beyoncé Reporters Sought By Gannett; Job Listings Draw Mixed Reaction
RELATED: Taylor Swift Is First Woman To Hit Remarkable Spotify Milestone
Best of Deadline
'Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour' Movie: Tickets, Release Dates, Premiere & Where To Watch
2023-24 Awards Season Calendar - Dates For Oscars, Emmys, Grammys, Tonys, Guilds & More
Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.