The early 2010s were a boom time for 3D concert films, as studios tried to extend the post-Avatar racket into the music world.
After the breakout success of Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, distributors rushed to replicate its $99 million box-office haul, banking on devoted fans and the novelty of immersive spectacle through uncomfortable specs.
Projects such as Katy Perry: Part of Me and One Direction: This Is Us gave audiences a front-row experience, replete with flying confetti, lunging camera rigs and choreographed depth effects designed to justify the popping new medium. Even legacy acts – take a bow, U2 – had a crack.
But the cycle burned brightly and briefly. The limitations of the format – notably dull, dim projection, premium ticket prices and diminishing novelty – quickly dwarfed any appeal.
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By mid-decade the 3D-concert trend had largely collapsed, leaving what looked to be a minor footnote until Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour became the highest-grossing concert film of all time in 2023.
Consequently, everyone from Aurora to Megadeth seems to be playing at a multiplex near you this year, trumpeting the escalating requirements of contemporary fan service.
Billie Eilish, possessor of the grandest vocal range of the current murder of pop starlets, has just upped the ante by recruiting the blockbuster boss and 3D pioneer James Cameron, listed here as the singer’s co-director.
Cameron knows his way around depth of field, and even his most softball questions and remarks enliven the capture of a spectacular performance in Manchester. A favourite moment concerns Eilish’s eyeliner technique – she does her own make-up on tour – when the Titanic director admires how it “reads”.
Small interludes, including tour pettings of rescue dogs and FaceTime sessions with the vocal coach Doug Peck, provide at least twice as much plot and drama as the recent Devil Wears Prada sequel could muster.
The set list could use a few more upbeat numbers, but the project finds a heartfelt focus in the fans, who sob, snivel and bawl their way through loud, dramatic singalongs. Trembling manicured hands hold thousands of iPhones aloft.
Interview snippets feature emotionally astute teens explaining how Eilish makes them feel seen and safe. Her brother, Finneas O’Connell, turns up to reinforce the Carpenters vibes. Forget uranium: the emotionality of the mass rendition of Wildflower could power Europe for the next decade.
In cinemas from Friday, May 8th
