RENAISSANCE: A Film By Beyoncé - December 1st, 2023

[joshsquash729]

I agree on the demographic thing- I personally can't stand Taylor Swift, but she's the safe choice. You can take the whole family to see her, or a birthday party group or whatever. Parents can take their kids. Kids can take their parents. She's not going to offend, and even her at her edgiest doesn't come close to Beyonce's norm (which often gets demonized for political or religious reasons). There's also the matter of "Stan Culture", which is a silly thing, that exists in nearly every art form or genre (even movies, go figure)- the diehard fans of someone or something will ensure that their favorite thing is number 1 every time- they'll support it tooth and nail and villify anyone who feels differently. As silly as it is, there are people, especially fans of musical artists, who play the same songs on repeat 1,000 times a day just to boost numbers, or who buy every edition of an album to boost numbers. And Taylor seems to have a lot of those fans. Not saying it's good or bad, just calling a spade a spade.

I think price also played a part. Movies are expensive as ever, and having a concert film that, at least around here in NY, is about $24 for the regular showing, not including special formats AND not allowing refunds isn't exactly a recipe for success. Folks with families or in underserved communities just maybe can't afford it, or afford to take a gamble like that. It's also not too much a stretch to say that, at least in the case of Renaissance, the primary audience was the black community and the gay community. Not to say others didn't like or appreciate it, but that's who it was aimed at and most warmly received by. Taylor makes music that's more easily digestible by the masses, and you're far likely to find a guy (straight white guy, at least) admit they like Taylor Swift over Beyonce, or get dragged to see Taylor Swift over Beyonce (especially now that Taylor has the football crowd on her side and more and more people who never would've even been remotely interested in her before now at least have to acknowledge her presence and, in the process, might become a bit curious themselves). It's all a matter of taste, of course, but that seems the general consensus.

I'll echo what a few others have said in that those I know who went to go see both this and the Eras Tour ended up liking Renaissance a lot more. It's more of a concert film than a filmed concert, if that makes sense. I'm sure this will continue to find its audience, especially once it hits home media or streaming.

[Viiincent]

This needs a physical 4K release!!!

[slumcat]

I wonder if the ordinary box office performance compared to Taylor Swift is devastating for Beyonce fans and Swift haters.

[Doctor Jack]

Originally Posted by slumcat

I wonder if the ordinary box office performance compared to Taylor Swift is devastating for Beyonce fans and Swift haters.

If it’s devastating that something didn’t do as good as something else that they have no stake in for anyone, those people need to get a life or at the very least help.

[brazilianboy]

Originally Posted by AspiringMinimalist

Not to mention, Beyoncé’s album undersold expectations. She hasn’t had a #1 hit since 2008.

Oh that's because she doesn't promote her music anymore since then, she simply releases something as a surprise and disappears. Beyoncé is not like general artists who promote their work massively, give interviews, go on talk shows, perform at awards shows, etc... So her projects stay more in the fan bubble, and yet they still achieve good deeds and are acclaimed. She announced the album Renaissance through her Instagram bio without any single post or story on social media like??? Who does this today? The same happened with the Renaissance Tour announcement, there was no publicity at all and yet she managed to fill stadiums around the world just putting the dates on her website. Her longevity is insane, she's not an artist from streaming or digital era. Mind you I'm not even a fan (my girlfriend is) but I respect her so much as an artist.

[Member-866753]

Originally Posted by brazilianboy

Oh that's because she doesn't promote her music anymore since then, she simply releases something as a surprise and disappears. Beyoncé is not like general artists who promote their work massively, give interviews, go on talk shows, perform at awards shows, etc... So her projects stay more in the fan bubble, and yet they still achieve good deeds and are acclaimed. She announced the album Renaissance through her Instagram bio without any single post or story on social media like??? Who does this today? The same happened with the Renaissance Tour announcement, there was no publicity at all and yet she managed to fill stadiums around the world just putting the dates on her website. Her longevity is insane, she's not an artist from streaming or digital era. Mind you I'm not even a fan (my girlfriend is) but I respect her so much as an artist.

Beyoncé is obviously huge. She might be #2. But Taylor Swift is obviously seismic in a way that MJ and Elvis was. Regardless of music (and I personally dislike Swift’s style/writing) but I can’t argue with the reality of her popularity. That’s all I said. As massive and great as Beyoncé is as an artist, the box office/tour/album sales show that Swift is a four quadrant popular act and Beyoncé doesn’t hit all four apparently.

[ralphap80]

Beyonce has a devoted fanbase, but it's older people and nowhere near as sizable as the Swift fanbase. Beyonce has only had one #1 hit since 2008 - Break My Soul, and that song was pretty underwhelming. It didn't take off and become the song of the summer in 2022 like they hoped it. It's pretty easy to get a number one song today; she got it in the first week based off the hype and interest in a new song. Once people were left unimpressed by it, it vanished. The link stating Cut if Off was also a number-one is incorrect. It peaked at #6. The article clearly states that and just says it's her longest song to remain in the Hot 100 chart. Her albums have not sold anywhere near as much as they used to. Beyonce has a very strong PR machine that loves to brandish her as a genius and her work as revolutionary - I don't agree. I liked her in the 00s and up to her Lemonade album. Lemonade was a great album, but even that wasn't commercially successful like Swift's output. Beyonce's last album was not well-received by fans. I have a friend who is a Beyonce die-hard and she didn't like the new album. Taylor Swift has a broader appeal. It amazes me the way she's been able to keep her older fanbase while reeling in younger fans. I do think she is a talented songwriter(especially in pop music). She's picked some great collaborators( Jack Antanoff). Her Eras Tour was truly a cultural moment. Fans who couldn't get tickets were gathering at stadium parking lots during the shows to sing and dance and be near her energy. Cities kept reporting how they had economic boosts when her tour arrived in their locale. Beyonce didn't have any of this, though, her tour did well. I expected Swift's concert film to do well, but not as well as it did. Her fanbase is more fervent than I assumed. I knew the Beyonce tour film wouldn't do as well; the interest just isn't there like it was 10-15 years ago. I think Swift has also earned a bit of appreciation for coming across as humble and while she speaks out about issues that matter to her - she doesn't try to force them into her music. I'm amazed she's enjoying a huge peak sixteen years into her career.

[brazilianboy]

Originally Posted by ralphap80

Beyonce has a devoted fanbase, but it's older people and nowhere near as sizable as the Swift fanbase. Beyonce has only had one #1 hit since 2008 - Break My Soul, and that song was pretty underwhelming. It didn't take off and become the song of the summer in 2022 like they hoped it. It's pretty easy to get a number one song today; she got it in the first week based off the hype and interest in a new song. Once people were left unimpressed by it, it vanished. The link stating Cut if Off was also a number-one is incorrect. It peaked at #6. The article clearly states that and just says it's her longest song to remain in the Hot 100 chart. Her albums have not sold anywhere near as much as they used to. Beyonce has a very strong PR machine that loves to brandish her as a genius and her work as revolutionary - I don't agree. I liked her in the 00s and up to her Lemonade album. Lemonade was a great album, but even that wasn't commercially successful like Swift's output. Beyonce's last album was not well-received by fans. I have a friend who is a Beyonce die-hard and she didn't like the new album. Taylor Swift has a broader appeal. It amazes me the way she's been able to keep her older fanbase while reeling in younger fans. I do think she is a talented songwriter(especially in pop music). She's picked some great collaborators( Jack Antanoff). Her Eras Tour was truly a cultural moment. Fans who couldn't get tickets were gathering at stadium parking lots during the shows to sing and dance and be near her energy. Cities kept reporting how they had economic boosts when her tour arrived in their locale. Beyonce didn't have any of this, though, her tour did well. I expected Swift's concert film to do well, but not as well as it did. Her fanbase is more fervent than I assumed. I knew the Beyonce tour film wouldn't do as well; the interest just isn't there like it was 10-15 years ago. I think Swift has also earned a bit of appreciation for coming across as humble and while she speaks out about issues that matter to her - she doesn't try to force them into her music. I'm amazed she's enjoying a huge peak sixteen years into her career.

Taylor's fan base is way more strong cuz it is mostly made up of teenagers and children, regardless of each era, she will always be attractive to this public because of her songs and her lovely/friendly/teen image and narrative.

[Viiincent]

I don’t like Taylor Swift but I think no one can deny that both her and Beyoncé are icons and will still be regarded as such many decades from now.

[cembros]

Any word on streaming/4k blu ray release date yet?