Renaissance: A Film by Beyonce sees pop superstar Beyonce in eye -popping outfits, performing her signature vocal chops
performing intricate dance moves, and doubling down on her beaming smile for a adoring audience. The film opens worldwide tomorrow, December 1 .
And interestingly enough, the film also shows Beyonce flipping through thick documents while complaining about the rising price of steel!
The extravagant and explosive tour
Written, directed, and produced by Beyonce herself (she’s also credited as “creative director”),
Renaissance chronicles the 42-year-old singer’s lavish 2023 tour following her Grammy win (earlier this year) for her album of the same name. The tour was critically acclaimed and grossed more than $575 million, according to Billboard .
The film brings to mind Taylor Swift’s recent blockbuster concert film Eras , which also comes to theaters under a similarly lucrative distribution deal with AMC Theaters.
Unlike The Eras Tour , however — which saw Swift only onstage for one night at SoFi Stadium in August — for nearly three hours of Renaissance , the audience is taken backstage, to witness the painstaking efforts that have made Beyonce the greatest live performer of her generation.
Here, she talks about the knee injury she suffered shortly before starting the tour, as well as her 11-year-old daughter Blue Ivy joining the show as a dancer.
“My daughter told me she was ready to perform, and I said no,” Beyonce recalled.
The reaction is understandable, given that Blue Ivy’s previous debut was widely panned on social media. But as the film progresses, Blue Ivy doubles down on her training, eventually becoming a much-loved dancer on the Renaissance tour. (There’s a touching shot of Blue Ivy’s father, in the crowd, bursting with pride as he watches his wife and daughter explode on stage.)
As for Homecoming — which aired on Netflix — Renaissance is on the big screen, fittingly featuring gorgeous footage from at least 10 shows, including a September night at SoFi when she was joined by Diana Ross and Kendrick Lamar.
It was thrilling to get a close-up look at how difficult Beyonce’s Cozy choreography was . It was fascinating to get a close-up look at the surreal riding crop she wore for Cuff It . And it was hard to take your eyes off the explosion of color and sound, with Beyonce parading around in a pink latex dress, her army of dancers twirling around her.
