The most arresting development in cinema this week is not a superhero sequel but a concert film. Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour Live in 3D has achieved a near-perfect 99% score on Rotten Tomatoes, a feat all the more remarkable given that it pairs a 24-year-old pop star with James Cameron, the 71-year-old director best known for deep-sea spectacle. Co-directed by Eilish herself, the film has won over critics and audiences alike, a rare consensus in an era of polarised reception. Viewed from Berlin, where the film has drawn crowds of young fans dancing in the aisles, this experiment in immersive concert cinema signals a possible renaissance for 3D, a format Cameron has single-handedly kept alive. The enthusiasm is not merely generational; analysts in London note that the film’s success may push other artists to treat live performances as cinematic events rather than mere recordings.

Meanwhile, a different kind of animal intelligence is on display in The Sheep Detectives, a family comedy starring Hugh Jackman as a shepherd who reads murder mysteries to his flock, only to discover they understand every word. When Jackman’s character is found dead, the sheep—voiced by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston and Chris O’Dowd—take it upon themselves to solve the crime. Adapted from Leonie Swann’s 2005 novel, the film has been described by reviewers in North America as neither frivolous nor insignificant, a rare compliment for a premise that could easily have veered into absurdity. The Canadian press has praised its bucolic charm and surprisingly sharp plotting. For those who prefer home viewing, the film is expected to arrive on streaming services by early summer, a window that reflects the industry’s continuing recalibration of theatrical and digital releases.

Across the Atlantic, Lena Dunham has published her memoir Famesick, charting her trajectory from the indie film Tiny Furniture to the cultural lightning rod that was Girls, and her ongoing navigation of chronic illness. Australian reviewers have noted the book’s unflinching honesty, while viewed from New York, where Dunham remains a divisive figure, the memoir attempts to reclaim a narrative long shaped by tabloid coverage. Her reflections on the splintering of friendships and the burdens of early fame offer a counterpoint to the curated personas of younger artists like Eilish.

What binds these three disparate releases is a shared concern with perception—whether that of sheep solving puzzles, fans experiencing a concert through a lens, or a public figure writing her own story. As streaming continues to reshape how audiences engage with content, the theatrical experience, as demonstrated by Eilish’s film, may yet retain its power to create communal moments. The coming months will test whether that momentum can be sustained beyond the novelty of 3D and into a broader revival of cinema as a shared cultural space.