It’s a bold move, planning a world premiere red carpet event over the Thanksgiving weekend. But that’s what Beyoncé did on Saturday, for the first screening of Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé. A whole constellation of stars shook off that tryptophan hangover, got into their best black, silver, or purple attire, and headed to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts Sciences’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater last night, where they posed in front of a glistening backdrop before stepping into the movie. As you scroll through these photos, you’ll notice a conspicuous absence: the film’s star and director, herself. Beyoncé, husband Jay-Z , and children Blue Ivy , Rumi , and Sir did not pose for the cameras the way the film’s audience did, USA Today confirms. She did, however, pose for Donatella Versace ‘s Instagram account, which posted a photo of the polymath sporting Donatellaesque blonde tresses in front of a curtain similar to the one at the film premiere. “You are a vision in Versace,” the designer’s Instagram account wrote in the photo’s caption. “You are unique. One of one, the number one, the only one!!! I can’t wait to see the Renaissance tour movie.” The premiere follows the surprise release of the film’s second trailer, which Beyoncé dropped during the broadcast of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. In that trailer, the singer announces that she “has nothing left to prove,” which is perhaps why as opposed to posing for the cameras, “she entered her own premiere only after the lights had been turned off and the movie was seconds away from beginning,” as the New York Times reports. While every attendee was notable—you’ve already scrolled past Janelle Monae , DDG , Halle Bailey , Lizzo , Simone Joy Jones , Coco Jones , Gabrielle Union , Tyler Perry , Issa Rae , Ava DuVernay , and Beyoncé’s mom, Tina Knowles —longtime fans of the singer will likely be most thrilled to see the original members of Destiny’s Child at the premise. Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams were there, as were early-era members LaTavia Roberson and LeToya Luckett . Like the trailer release, most of the details of the premiere were kept under wraps. Invited guests received a save-the-date note with a 7 p.m. start time and a “cozy opulence” dress code, Variety reports. They were not told the location, but were instead instructed “to take a ride share to an address in Beverly Hills, where they were directed to the location of the screening.” Each guest left with a silver envelope containing a sample of Beyoncé’s perfume, Variety reports, but does not specify which of her fragrances was on offer. Her Ce Noir is my best guess, though dropping a bunch of travel-size bottles of Beyoncé Heat would have been an exciting choice. And they had plenty of time to give it a sniff, it seems, as “the screening of the concert film did not begin until 38 minutes after the scheduled time,” Deadline dryly notes. As for the film, itself, the early word is positive. Rolling Stone penned a rapturous review, saying the movie “exhibits a singular performer’s most fascinating chapter of escapism.” The Hollywood Reporter describes it as “a spiritual experience unto itself.” And, per Deadline, it “captures all the spectacle and energy that makes Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour feel legendary.” Saturday’s premiere in Los Angeles was the first of two. A second is scheduled for November 30 in London. The movie will be released in theaters the next day, on Friday December 1. More Great Stories From Vanity Fair Vanity Fair After Barbie, Greta Gerwig Has No Plans to Rest Inside the Real Housewives Reckoning That’s Rocking Bravo The Secret Warnings That Predated the Pandemic Money, Murder, Fur: Inside the Frenchie Revolution Trump’s “Body Guy” and His Massive Military Gambit The Untold Story of Tucker Carlson’s Ugly Exit From Fox News The Frat-Boy Crime Ring That Swept the South From the Archive: Intimations of Murder (2000)
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