Following the fervor over Taylor Swift‘s The Eras Tour, AMC Theatres has issued a set of guidelines for the Beyhive as fans make their way to see Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé that includes asking moviegoers to take off costume pieces during the movie that could block the view for others, such as hats and wings.
The theater chain — which is also distributing both films — released the guidelines as the superstar’s concert movie opens across North America, where it’s on course for a better-than-expected $21 million-$24 opening after earning a coveted A+ CinemaScore and stellar reviews.
Like the Swifties, the Beyhive are encouraged to take selfies, dress up and sing during the screenings. They also are given the same warnings about not recording the actual film, not dancing on seats or blocking fellow theatergoers from “viewing, safely walking or exiting the auditorium,” according to the guidelines, which are posted on AMC’s website.
“You know the words, you know the choreography — sing & dance your heart out, but please respect each other’s space along with the theatre equipment,” the theater wrote.
AMC also offered up a handful of rules more specific to those members of the Beyoncé-loving crowd who may want to emulate the superstar’s elaborate wardrobe.
“We want to see your amazing outfits! Feel free to take selfies and group shots to celebrate the occasion and the beautiful ensembles you came up with,” states AMC. But the guidelines continue to say, “If parts of your outfit will potentially block other viewers from the screen, please remove them as the film begins (ex. headwear, wings, etc.), and please keep in mind that masks (except for standard face masks used explicitly for health and safety reasons) are not permitted.”
The no-mask edict is blanket policy for AMC because of security issues.
While Swifties were also encouraged to be respectful of other guests in their specific theater as well common locations such as the lobby, those attending the Beyoncé concert movie were specifically encouraged to “save your energy for once you are inside the Renaissance” screening.
AMC also made sure to let customers know that Renaissance runs two hours and 48 minutes on top of 15 to 20 minutes of trailers, and advised the Beyhive to “plan your bathroom breaks or other needs accordingly.”
Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé looks to score the biggest opening for the first weekend of December since Tom Cruise’s The Last Samurai debuted to $24.3 million 20 years ago in 2003, not adjusted for inflation. Beyoncé’s film has held on to its perfect 100 percent critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes since Friday with the number of reviews doubling from nine to 18, in addition to an increase in from a near-perfect 99 percent audience score from 100 verified users to 100 percent from more than 250 reviews on Saturday.
To celebrate the film’s opening, Beyoncé dropped a new song, “My House,” the first new music from the artist since the release of Renaissance last year. The multiphyenate, who is now the most Grammy-awarded singer in history, also hosted star-studded red carpet premieres in Los Angeles and London. Swift — whose Eras Tour film opened in October to its own record-setting $92.8 million — was in attendance at the west coast event after Beyoncé also appeared at the L.A. premiere of Swift’s film.
