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After months of hearing about Billie Eilish and James Cameron teaming up for a 3D concert film, Hit Me Hard And Soft: The Tour is here among the releases on the 2026 movie schedule. It’s fair to say both Cameron and Eilish have committed themselves to major projects over the course of their careers. Just look at all the work Cameron put into Avatar, for instance. However, as CinemaBlend learned from the pair themselves, the the process of making this concert movie was something else entirely.
Hit Me Hard and Soft came to fruition after James Cameron decided to pitch the idea via email to Billie Eilish’s mom, Maggie Baird, whom he was already acquainted with. From there, Cameron and Billie connected over the phone about what they could make together. Ultimately, the film was shot during Eilish’s four Manchester shows, which were held in July of 2025. As for what stood out from the experience for Cameron, the acclaimed filmmaker told me this:
I got airdropped into the middle of a moving thing that had been moving for a year. And, I was really reliant on [Billie]. The best part of the day was soundcheck, which was a few hours before the show. We’d go around and we’d choreograph what we were gonna try to do that night – ’cause we shot it over four different nights to get the cameras where we needed them and we had to keep moving them around to get all the coverage. That was the first part of the collaboration.
The Oscar-winning James Cameron has directed some monumental films over the years in addition to the Avatar franchise. Terminator, Aliens and Titanic are just a few of the other marquee titles the filmmaker can lay claim to. But, in a rare moment in his career, Cameron shared the title of director with the 24-year-old “Bad Guy” singer to translate her vision of the world stadium tour to her fans. The Abyss helmer also said this about his process of working with Eilish:
But I think the deepest part of the collaboration was in post. When we were editing and we’d sit in [together], I’d take a pass at a song or a group of songs and then Billie would come in and we’d spend 5, 6, 7 hours, whatever it took going through shot by shot. And this is where I really started to get Billie’s perception of her relationship with the audience and how meaningful that was… I think that was the true collaboration.
If you’re familiar with the way Eilish and Cameron work, then you probably know they are very detail oriented and focused on making sure everything is right for audiences. So it would track that these two would spend so much time in the editing room looking over the footage from a two-hour show to make sure everything was just right. While someone might think the making of a concert film might be more lax than something like Avatar, it sounds almost as involved based on further comments from Cameron:
And then later it started all over again with the mix. Because we had to get the mix right, ‘cause there’s the music and then there’s the fans singing and their presence. And, we had to get that kind of ebb and flow between the fan energy and Billie’s incredible performance.
As for Billie Eilish, she’s cited her love for Justin Bieber’s concert movies for being one of the factors that inspired her to make her own (aside from literally getting flagged down by James Cameron, of course). And, funny enough, a few days after this interview that viral Coachella moment between her and Bieber happened.
During our interview, the co-directors also talked about what they learned from each other while making the movie. Cameron said he came to understand the importance of Billie Eilish’s fans, while she said she learned a lot about directing for film as opposed to doing so for a live audience. I’m not sure many people could’ve predicted these two would end up working together, but I’m so glad this partnership happened.
Check out Hit Me Hard And Soft: The Tour (Live In 3D), in all its glory, in theaters now.