Last month, Taylor Swift blazed a new trail by self-releasing “Taylor Swift: The Era’s Tour” in theaters with the highest-grossing opening weekend for a concert film at $96 million. Its domestic total of $178 million ranks No. 11 for the year ahead of franchises like “Indiana Jones,” “Mission Impossible,” “Transformers” and “Creed.”
Now, Beyoncé is following suit by releasing her own concert film “Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé” in AMC Theatres nationwide this Friday, following the chrome-carpeted world premiere on Nov. 25 in Los Angeles.
While Taylor’s blockbuster was filmed over three nights at SoFi Stadium Los Angeles in August, Beyoncé’s film features footage from across her 56-show tour that ran from May 10, 2023, to Oct. 1, 2023. That means you will sometimes see Queen Bey wearing different costumes from different locations during highlights of the same song.
The record-breaking concert tour made history as the highest-grossing tour by a Black artist ever, earning $579 million worldwide, which is also good for the eighth-highest-grossing tour of all time. The tour included a stop in our area at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland, on Aug. 5 and Aug. 6, which was plagued by lightning and crowd-control issues.
No need to worry about the weather this time. The roof of your nearest multiplex will keep you dry — at least until you start sweating by dancing in the aisles. Expect members of the Beyhive to come decked out in all silver just like the tour.
If you went to the movies to see “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour,” you know what to expect in terms of audience participation and duration of the experience. The runtimes are nearly identical, with Beyoncé’s film running 2 hours and 48 minutes, just a minute shorter that Swift’s film that clocked in at 2 hours and 49 minutes.
Like her previous documentary “Homecoming” (2019), “Renaissance” intercuts the stage performances with backstage interviews of Beyoncé and her team, revealing that Beyoncé had knee surgery prior to the tour. You’ll also see home videos of her personal life with mother Tina Knowles, husband Jay-Z, 6-year-old twins Rumi and Sir and 11-year-old daughter Blue Ivy Carter, who reportedly steals the show on the stage and behind the scenes.
Obviously, the inclusion of these interviews means that some live songs had to be cut for time, including “1+1,” “I Care,” “Rather Die Young,” “Love on Top” and her cover of Rose Royce’s “I’m Going Down.”
Check out the full set list to see what made the cut:
Concert Film Set List
“Dangerously in Love 2”
“Flaws and All”
“I’m That Girl”
“Cozy”
“Alien Superstar”
“Lift Off”
“Cuff It”
“Energy”
“Break My Soul + The Queens Remix”
“Formation”
“Diva”
“Run the World (Girls)”
“My Power”
“Black Parade”
“Savage” feat. Megan Thee Stallion
“Partition”
“Church Girl”
“Get Me Bodied”
“Before I Let Go”
“Crazy in Love”
“River Deep, Mountain High”
“Love Hangover (Diana Ross Intermission)”
“Plastic Off the Sofa”
“Virgo’s Groove”
“Naughty Girl + Love to Love You Baby”
“Move”
“Heated”
“Kitty Kat”
“Thique”
“All Up in Your Mind”
“Drunk in Love”
“America Has a Problem” feat. Kendrick Lamar
“Pure/Honey”
“Summer Renaissance”
After all of the songs are over, be sure to stick around through the end credits for a special surprise.
