Billie Eilish and James Cameron deliver immersive 3D concert cinema with Hit Me Hard and Soft tour film

NEW YORK (AP): Billie Eilish appears to float when she first enters Billie Eilish — Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D). She hangs above an LED cube before a packed audience of more than 23,000 at Co-op Live in Manchester, the UK’s largest arena, then opens with Chihiro, the midtempo house-leaning track from her newest album. From that point, the 3D approach starts to show its power.

Eilish has built a career on doing things her own way, and this production follows that spirit. The concert film is co-directed by Eilish and three-time Academy Award winner James Cameron, and the project reportedly began with Cameron reaching out by email to Eilish’s mother, Maggie Baird. Through a friendship linked to his wife and shared interests in plant-based living and environmental causes, he proposed filming the tour in 3D.

For Cameron, the assignment is both familiar and new. His company has been involved in concert movies before, including one tied to Justin Bieber, an artist Eilish has called a major influence. But he had not personally directed this type of feature, and the technical demands of 3D suit the same challenge-driven style seen in his Avatar work. The collaboration lands well precisely because both filmmakers sit outside the usual industry mould.

Eilish already has screen experience, including 2021’s documentary Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry and the same year’s concert project Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles. This release marks her first feature as a co-director. Unlike The World’s a Little Blurry, which stitched together her rise and milestones, Hit Me Hard and Soft stays centred on the concert format while stretching what that format can do.

No film can fully duplicate the feeling of being at a live show, but this one comes close through a deeply immersive design. Camera positioning makes the viewing angle feel premium no matter where you sit. It also tackles familiar concert-film weaknesses by giving the audience a larger role: fans are framed almost like supporting cast members, and when the camera turns to them, the soundtrack pushes up sniffles, screams, cheers and imperfect singalongs, echoing the real crowd perspective.

The minimalist stage setup gains real physical presence in 3D. Viewers see Eilish drop through trap doors, clip into harnesses, gulp water, dance out of frame, tear up, and hug her band. Although the runtime is close to two hours, the pace feels light and quick, with the experience moving like a high-energy ride.

The movie also opens up backstage and under-stage access, including a return to the opening sequence from Eilish’s own point of view. Cameron appears alongside her in moments where she is actively co-directing, creating an intimate behind-the-scenes layer inside the main film. That choice strengthens the connection to pop audiences, where a sense of closeness and access matters.

In one scene, Cameron tells her, "You're like a tuning fork," before adding, "And they're hitting the same beats." The line captures the central dynamic of the film: artist and crowd locked into one pulse.

Importantly, the film avoids overloading itself with heavy narration, a trap that can turn concert projects into vanity exercises. Backstage footage is used sparingly, including Eilish working on ankle strength after a sprain to underline the physical demands of her set. Another brief scene with puppies nods to her animal-rights advocacy. These interludes are fine but not especially lasting; the strongest material is still Eilish performing live.

The film also explains why she has long preferred to command the stage alone. She says she wanted to mirror hip-hop performance energy, where one artist can carry the room with a microphone, songs and presence. "I just wanted the freedom of being a guy running around," she tells Cameron, before launching into Bury a Friend from her debut era.

The one notable structural wobble comes during a candid discussion about desirability and femininity that leads into the Oscar-winning Barbie song What Was I Made For? The point is understandable, but other tracks in her catalogue might have delivered that transition with greater subtlety. Still, the dip is short-lived. What remains is a set built on major songs and even bigger feeling. Billie Eilish — Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D), released by Paramount Pictures, is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association, runs 114 minutes, and earns three stars out of four.