The first act of the Renaissance isn’t quite over. Confirming reports that broke over the weekend, Beyonce announced a concert film of her record-grossing “Renaissance” tour is set for December 1. In a deal brokered with AMC Theaters, “Renaissance: A Film by Beyonce” is set for release nationwide as well as in Canada and Mexico. Other international markets will be announced soon.
Oh, and she dropped visuals. No, not the long-awaited visuals fans have been pleading for, but visuals from the incredible, critically acclaimed concert in a brand new trailer embedded in this post.
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Reports are that Knowles reps at CAA offered the film to streamers and studios over the past two weeks, but the Grammy legend decided to follow in the footsteps of Taylor Swift by making a direct deal with a distributor, AMC Theaters. That pop star’s own film “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” will open on Oct. 13. Beyonce is expected to land the same deal as Swift which will result in 50% of ticket sales directly in her bag.
AMC Theaters will make deals with rival circuits such as Regal Theaters, Cinemark, and independent venues to make sure it’s truly a nationwide release. Independent outlet Variance is booking cinemas on behalf of AMC in the US, while Cineplex is booking in Canada Cinepolis is handling Central America. Trafalgar Releasing is tackling outside North America.
“The Eras Tour” already has $65 million in pre-sales and is expected to open north of $75 million in the United States alone. “Renaissance” will likely not match that tally, but anything over $15 million during, typically, one of the slowest weekends of the year, will be a boon to theater owners.
The film’s official synopsis is the following:
“RENAISSANCE: A FILM BY BEYONCÉ accentuates the journey of RENAISSANCE WORLD TOUR, from its inception to the opening in Stockholm, Sweden, to the finale in Kansas City, Missouri. 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. Received with extraordinary acclaim, Beyoncé’s RENAISSANCE WORLD TOUR created a sanctuary for freedom, and shared joy, for more than 2.7 million fans.”
The movie is expected to weave concert footage, behind-the-scenes preparation, and those never-before-seen visuals for the “Renaissance” album. Knowles previously directed “Homecoming,” a documentary and concert film chronicling her landmark 2018 Coachella Music Festival performance for Netflix, and “Black Is King,” a visual companion to her 2019 album, “The Lion King: The Gift,” for Disney+.
Beyonce’s “Renaissance Tour” is the highest-grossing tour for a female artist in history, taking in over $461.2 million over just 56 locations. Along with Swift’s “Eras Tour” and the theatrical release of “Barbie,” “Renaissance” is credited as being a $4.5 billion boost to the American economy.