Beyoncé’s concert film could hit theaters in December

LOS ANGELES — Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour could be coming to the big screen.

According to Variety, a film version of the superstar’s blockbuster concert may be released via AMC Theatres, which is in final talks to distribute it directly. Sources tell the publication that the project includes a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the album and the formation of the tour, as well as sections of the live performances and the long-gestating visual album. It is eyeing a wide release date of Dec. 1.

Rumors of a potential Renaissance film first lit up when the tour kicked off in Stockholm this past May, after a crew member told fans that cameras would be up during Beyoncé’s hometown stop: “We’ll be [in Houston] for two days, and we’re gonna be shooting a movie there.” Additionally, Above the Line reported last month that the visual album was shot in secret by artist-filmmaker Nadia Lee Cohen.

The news of a Renaissance film follows last month’s announcement that a concert film of Taylor Swift’s Eras tour will be distributed directly to AMC Theatres. That movie — titled “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” — was shot during her six-night stand at Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium, and is set for release on Oct. 13.

Beyoncé closes her Renaissance tour on Saturday night at Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium. The arena jaunt is a high-tech, costume-heavy two-and-a-half-hour show, in which the singer performs her 2022 dance-driven album in order, interspersed with older tunes and covers.

The spectacle also features a cameo by her 11-year-old daughter, Blue Ivy, a vogue showcase with numerous ballroom dancers and challenges for her chrome-covered audiences tied to her songs “Energy” and “Love on Top.” It is expected to gross around $560 million in ticket sales, according to Billboard’s Boxscore.

“Man, can Beyoncé sing,” wrote L.A. Times pop music critic Mikael Wood of her Renaissance tour “opener,” a section in which she reprises a selection of her career’s ballads. “I love the flex of opening the show with a vocal showcase like this. It’s like she’s saying: Yes, we’re gonna have a great time tonight, but first let me remind you of what I learned to do before you had any idea who I was.”

“Different kind of physical performance from Bey on this tour,” added staff writer August Brown while live-blogging her three-night stop at Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium.”She’s a magnificent dancer, one of the best in music, but she’s also not afraid to pout and roll around on a pile of mattresses and let her crew contort. She’s having a blast. … We’ve known this since Coachella 2018, but she is simply the best live performer working today.”

Representatives for AMC Theatres, CAA and Beyoncé’s Parkwood Entertainment did not respond to the L.A. Times’ request for comment.