An immersive 3D concert film from Billie Eilish and Oscar-winning director James Cameron is shining a spotlight on Manchester after being filmed at the city’s Co-op Live.
Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D), released today (7 May), captures the pop sensation’s performances across four nights at the venue during her biggest world tour to date.
The project marks another major cultural moment for Manchester, following its recent hosting of both the BRIT Awards and the MOBO Awards, reinforcing the city’s world beating reputation as a global stage for music, entertainment and culture.
Speaking at the film’s London premiere, Eilish singled out the city’s crowds, saying her fans in Manchester were “one of my favourite audiences ever… I fricking love Manchester”.
Directed in collaboration with Hollywood legend Cameron, whose credits include Titanic and Avatar, the film uses new miniature 3D camera technology to place audiences at the heart of the live experience.
“You’re in the crowd. When you’re looking at her from very close up, and there’s the hands and the heads and everybody around you, it makes you feel like you’re there, right?” Cameron said.
The director added that Eilish’s fans play a central role in the film, describing them as “a character” within the story.
Eilish agreed, saying: “For me, the fans are the most important part of the show to me and as important as me up there. We’re all there together and like you’ve said, they’re the co-star of the movie. It’s equally about them as it is about me.”
The collaboration itself came about through a personal connection, with Cameron reaching out directly to the singer.
“Little old James Cameron sent me an email literally saying ‘would you be interested in making a movie of your concert in 3D?’” Eilish said. “I had never even considered such a thing, it was such an amazing idea.”
Cameron also revealed the physical demands of filming the high-energy shows, joking: “I said ‘Billie, if he gets in your way, just mow him down – and she did!’”
Alongside the on-stage footage, the film includes behind-the-scenes moments, from vocal warm-ups to pre-show preparations, offering a more intimate look at Eilish’s process.
Cameron believes the format offers something even beyond the live experience: “because we can get you to places you can’t possibly be, and we also take you behind the scenes with her prepping for the show, doing her vocal warm up, putting on her make up”.
While he does not expect 3D concert films to become the norm, he said the project is “a good reminder that actual performance of music is important”, particularly “in an age of AI” where authenticity can be harder to distinguish.
