It wasn’t enough for Beyoncé to command stadiums around the world this summer. Queen Bey is now coming to movie theaters.
“Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé,” a documentary about the artist’s record-breaking world tour, will be released Friday, gracing fans with an early Christmas gift.
Beyond several trailers promoting the film, little has been said about what to expect. The trailers show Beyoncé on and off stage, juxtaposing her full-glam performance scenes with more everyday clips. In one, she stretches with her 11-year-old daughter Blue Ivy before a show; in another, she is make-up free and talking right to the camera.
With the premiere date fast approaching, here’s everything you need to know about what to expect from the movie.
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What’s the movie about?
Per the official summary of the film, “It is about Beyoncé’s intention, hard work, involvement in every aspect of the production, her creative mind and purpose to create her legacy and master her craft.”
Based on what we see in the trailers — shots of Beyoncé performing, rehearsing, etc. — that seems true. In one trailer, she also says: “In this world that is very male-dominated, I’ve had to be really tough to balance motherhood and being on this stage. It just reminds me of who I really am.”
Striking that balance may also be a focal point of the film, as fans see how Beyoncé handles life on the road with her family.
When and where can I see it?
Officially, the film comes out on Friday, December 1, but some theaters have showings on Thursday evening.
Though prices will vary by theater, tickets will go fast; back in October, first day presales for tickets were reportedly estimated to be up to $7 million.
Didn’t Taylor Swift also have a concert film this year?
Yes, “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” came out in October, raking in $96 million in its opening weekend — making it the highest-grossing concert film domestically for an opening weekend, according to AMC.
Unlike Beyoncé’s film, the “Eras” movie was filmed over three nights during Swift’s six-night residency at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles back in August, whereas the “Renaissance” film seems to chronicle a larger swath of Beyoncé’s 56-show tour across Europe and North America.
Still, the release of the two concert movies mirror each other. Both Swift and Beyoncé chose to distribute their films directly through AMC Theatres, rather than a traditional Hollywood distributor – effectively cutting out the middleman and securing higher paydays for the artists and their teams.
No matter what fans may think, the two do not seem to be in competition. Beyoncé made an appearance at Swift’s movie premiere in Los Angeles shortly after wrapping her own tour. And in an Instagram caption, Swift said of Beyoncé: “She’s been a guiding light throughout my career and the fact that she showed up tonight was like an actual fairytale.”
In what may be a coincidence, the films’ runtimes are almost equal, with Swift’s coming in at 2 hours and 49 minutes and Beyoncé’s listed at 2 hours and 48 minutes.
What do I wear?
Although there’s been no official word from the Queen herself on how moviegoers should dress, Beyoncé did ask concertgoers to wear all silver when attending her “Renaissance” shows, dubbing it her “House of Chrome.”
If attending the film on opening weekend, expect most everyone to be dressed like they’re seeing Beyoncé live all over again. So yes, don your best “Alien Superstar” fit, and remember to pee before the show.
Why are some people boycotting the film?
Despite all the excitement, the “Renaissance” film has also left some fans conflicted.
The movie will be shown worldwide, including in Israel. Some fans, angry with Israel over its campaign in Gaza, have called Beyoncé out for not pulling the film from theaters in Israel and not speaking up against the conflict. (The Taylor Swift concert film has also played in Israel in recent weeks.)
“I love Beyoncé so much, she’s like one of my favorite artists of all time,” one person said on TikTok. “But her movie being distributed in Israel, I’m sorry — Queen, mother, come on.”
Fans also criticized Beyoncé in comments on her Instagram post this week about the latest movie trailer, with some saying they’ll give up their movie tickets if she doesn’t speak out against Israel.
Beyoncé has not reacted publicly to fans’ comments. CNN has reached out to a rep for the artist for comment.
Grammys Moments: A rap tribute for the ages, Beyoncé triumph
Rap tribute
As he accepted an innovator’s award named for him, Dr. Dre mused about what he had in common with many of the people he saw from the Grammy Awards stage.
“Where would a lot of people in here be without hip-hop?” the renowned rapper, producer and entrepreneur said.
The 2023 Grammy Awards may ultimately be remembered as the year the music industry’s top event tried to embrace rap, whose leaders have regarded the institution with suspicion for almost as long as the 50 years of history that were celebrated on Sunday.
It was only four years ago that song of the year winner Childish Gambino boycotted the show over perceived disrespect for rap. Kanye West and Eminem were among past stars with groundbreaking work overlooked for more middling fare and, for years, rappers complained their work was banished from TV.
The 15-minute Questlove-curated travel through time was a joy that brought dozens of stars to the stage, including Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, Run-DMC, Public Enemy, Ice T, Missy Elliott, Queen Latifah, Method Man, Salt-N-Pepa … the list goes on, and still there were those you wished were there.
Nearly as important was the eight-minute version of DJ Khaled’s “God Did” that closed the show — Khaled took public note of the length — that featured a spellbinding appearance by Jay-Z.
Quavo’s tribute to Takeoff of Migos was arguably the highlight of a packed and memorable “in memoriam” segment to artists who died over the past year.
Kendrick Lamar gave an incisive acceptance speech after “Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers” won a Grammy for best rap album, his third trophy in this category.
It was a night it seemed the Grammys finally accepted rap as music’s dominant form. Will rappers finally accept the Grammys? That remains to be seen.
Queen Bey’s haul
Beyoncé took a place in history on Sunday when her four Grammys gave her a career total of 32, better than anyone else.
And yet…
The Grammys have a clear pecking order, with four of its awards the most prestigious: song, record and album of the year, and best new artist. Beyoncé has won only one of those awards, when “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” was named top song in 2010.
She’s been nominated eight times for record of the year, and never won. Her most memorable Grammy moments came when two peers stood onstage with their own trophies and saluted her: when A dele said Beyonce’s “Lemonade” should have won instead of her in 2017, and Sunday when Lizzo spoke of skipping school in fifth grade to see Beyoncé perform.
Thirty-two trophies. It’s still hard to shake an empty feeling.
Trivia question: Whose record did Beyoncé beat? That would be classical composer George Solti.
Raitt’s triumph
It may take Bonnie Raitt a few days to lose that look of shock. The 73-year-old guitarist won best song for “Just Like That,” a piece inspired by a story of a heart transplant, where she tried to emulate the writing style of the late John Prine. It was especially gratifying because Raitt is more of an interpreter. “I don’t write a lot of songs, but I’m proud that you appreciate this one,” she said. It was 33 years after “Nick of Time” was named album of the year.
Noah’s night
Show host Trevor Noah skillfully played the role of a fan, instead of serving snark from the stage, moving through the audience “like a floating Chinese balloon,” he said. And why not? With Adele, Lizzo, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Harry Styles and the like around, there was plenty of star power. Noah was neither insulting nor obsequious. And one delightful device — having fans talk about their favorite albums — paid off when a memorable grandma got to announce Styles’ album of the year win.
Harry’s style
OK, while he was performing “As it Was” Styles was dressed a little like one of those holiday tinsel decorations you thought you’d put away. The smooth pop composition clearly served him well. Later, he marveled at the quality of the competition and how hard it is to pick a winner. “You never know with this stuff,” he said backstage. “I don’t think you can look at any of the nominees and not feel as if they’re deserving. I’m really grateful they chose us.”
Petras’ moment
In accepting a Grammy for her duet on Sam Smith’s “Unholy,” Kim Petras proudly took note of her status as a transgender woman and paid tribute to heroes like the late transgender singer Sophie and Madonna. The latter returned the favor by introducing a performance of the song. Petras and Lizzo, who won record of the year for “About Damn Time,” made strong, joyful statements about accepting differences. “I felt on the outside looking in and I stayed true to myself because I wanted to make the world a better place,” Lizzo said.
Introducing …
One element that worked less well was an effort to have family or friends introduce performances. You lose the idea of “real people” when Madonna is one of the choices. The best was the first — Catherine Shepherd, the proud wife, and the two children of Brandi Carlile (the kids also debuted in a hotel ad). “I’m a very, very lucky queer,” Carlile said backstage.
Why am I here?
The Rock as one of the Grammy presenters? Jill Biden? James Corden? At least the outgoing talk show host noted the incongruity of him giving an award for dance and electronic music. There’s enough musical firepower in the room that would surely relish the opportunity to present an award. And while we’re asking why someone was there, Ben Affleck turned himself into an unwanted internet star when the camera panned to him in the audience and it seemed like he’d rather be anywhere else. Don’t actors know how to fake looking like they’re having a good time?
Associated Press writer Beth Harris in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
