After purchasing branded drink bottles and popcorn buckets at movie theaters during Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, fans are shelling out hundreds of pounds for these items.
The three-hour film about the 33-year-old US superstar’s historic tour made its premiere in UK theaters on Friday.
Since then, drink cups and popcorn buckets have started to show up on websites like Vinted and eBay, with Swifties willing to pay up to £200 for them.
Some fans have made several trips to different locations to obtain slightly different drink bottles and popcorn buckets bearing the hitmaker’s image.
The popcorn and drink combo, which pays homage to the singer’s birth year and the title of her Grammy-winning record, is available at Odeon Cinemas for £19.89.
In the meanwhile, Vue Cinemas is selling cups for £3.99 without any drink inside and a slightly different-sized metal popcorn bucket for £7.99 without any popcorn.
Even though £19.89 might seem like a lot to spend, some fans are turning a sizable profit—one combo recently sold for £127 on eBay.
For £200, there’s another popcorn and drink package available, but customers must purchase many cups.
It happens amidst a controversy about screening etiquette.
Viewers are divided over videos showing people dancing and singing during the Eras Tour, with some saying the partygoers disregarded proper cinema manners.
On opening weekend, thousands of Swifties dressed in glittering clothes and cowboy hats flocked to UK theaters to see the much awaited movie.
Some movie franchises loosened their policies to permit patrons to sing and dance.
Ahead of the Friday debut, Odeon, Cineworld, and Showcase Cinemas issued statements outlining their “dos and don’ts.”
Swifties were not permitted to stand or dance on their seats, throw glitter or confetti, or record the screen, according to Cineworld, even if singing and dancing were permitted.
Fans were spotted creating a massive mosh pit beneath the screen in a crowded London theater to sing along to hits including Style and You Belong with Me.
Some waved glowsticks and hopped up and down in their seats, while others held up their iPhone torches like they were at a concert.
The performer is expected to earn an incredible $4.1 billion (£3.4 billion) from the lucrative Eras Tour, which would be the greatest amount of money an artist has ever made from a single tour.
Based only on her global tour revenues, the singer’s net worth is estimated by Peter Cohan, an associate professor of management at Babson College, and reported by the Washington Post. This is equal to the GDP of 42 countries.
Along with injecting billions more into the US economy, Swift’s record-breaking tour has generated enormous travel, ticket sales, and merchandise opportunities for her hordes of “Swifties.”
Her enormous salary will further increase this weekend when the Eras Tour movie, which made over $80 million in advance sales before even opening wide, opens in theaters.
The argument over products comes after an earlier this year spat over ticket sales.
Ticketmaster has faced criticism for frequently altering its policies prior to the much-awaited UK and international leg of the tour.
Within an hour of the tickets going on sale, Cardiff MP Kevin Brennan expressed his “appalled” reaction on reselling websites.