Joepie, February 1978: ABBA at the British premiere of ‘The Movie’

An article from Belgian magazine Joepie about ABBA’s attendance at the London premiere of ABBA – The Movie.
Exclusively for the British premiere of the film ‘The Movie’, the four members of the Swedish group ABBA have travelled to London. Strict security measures were needed to escort Anna, Frida, Björn and Benny from their hotel to the cinema in a safe manner, because the enormous turnout exceeded even the highest expectations.
The first row of the balcony was occupied by ABBA and their guests (among them Pete Townsend from The Who with his little daughter), and right behind them a battalion of bodyguards was seated to keep the intrusive fans at a distance. After the screening of the movie, ABBA was welcomed with a deafening applause. But the obligations of the popular group didn’t end there. Afterwards, at a reception, Princess Margaret presented them with the highly acclaimed Carl Alan Award, an honour that’s being awarded on a yearly basis to artists who have made a valuable contribution to English music. Among others, the Beatles have been awarded this honour as well.
‘The Movie’, the semi-documentary movie about ABBA, has become a worldwide success. Only in Canada, the interest turned out to be average, but that’s not an even match in any way to the enormous rush it has caused in other countries.
ABBA can sleep on their eight ears: the business keep running smoothly...