A premiere (pronounced “pruh-MEER”) is the very first public showing of a movie, play, or other performance. When a big film has its premiere, actors walk the red carpet, cameras flash, and audiences see the movie for the first time together. Broadway shows have opening-night premieres where the cast finally performs for a paying audience after weeks of rehearsals.

A premiere marks that special moment when something moves from private preparation to public presentation. Your school play might have a premiere on opening night when parents and students fill the auditorium to watch what you've been rehearsing.

Television shows also premiere: the series premiere is the very first episode, while a season premiere starts a new season. News organizations sometimes get exclusive premieres of important information, meaning they're the first to share it publicly.

The word can work as a verb too. When a movie premieres in theaters, it begins its public run. Directors often choose to premiere their films at famous festivals like Sundance or Cannes, where industry professionals and critics get that first look before the movie opens in more places.