Q. I was thinking of signing up our family for Disney Plus so we can watch Beyonce’s new movie, Black Is King. Do you know if it’s available in 4K? I hear it looks incredible and it would look incredible in 4K. — Bill, Fairfax, Virginia. 

Bill, as you know, Black Is King, which debuted exclusively on Disney+ last week, is a musical film and album from Beyonce. Based on the 2019 movie, The Lion King, Black Is King features the story of a young African king who must discover his true self after he is jettisoned from his kingdom. The cast includes Beyonce, Folajomi Akinmurele, Naomi Campbell and Beyonce hubbie, Jay-Z.

Critics have raved about the film’s visual style and inspiring themes and melodies. Rottentomatoes.com, which tracks critical reviews, gives Black Is King a perfect score of 100 based on 34 reviews.

“Black Is King is as carefully realized a construct as Beyoncé’s previous videos and visual albums with the sort of vibrant cinematography and international scope tailor made for the Disney brand,” writes Melanie McFarland of Salon.com.

So now that I’ve whipped up your enthusiasm to subscribe and stream, allow me to answer your question. Is Black Is King available in 4K?

The answer, alas, is no. The 85-minute musical is surprisingly only available in HD.

I say ‘surprisingly’ because Hamilton, the filmed theatrical version of the hit stage play, debuted last month in 4K on Disney Plus. But perhaps Black Is King, which was filmed on numerous sites across the globe, including Nigeria, New York, London, the Grand Canyon and Ghana, was too much of a challenge to produce in 4K.

Bill, hope that helps. Happy viewing, and stay safe!

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