Sony Music Vision is bringing one of Queen’s most historic live performances back to the big screen with Queen Budapest, a newly restored concert film capturing the band’s landmark 1986 performance behind the Iron Curtain.
The film will be released globally in cinemas and IMAX from October 7 for a limited time, in partnership with Trafalgar Releasing. The theatrical event will reach more than 2,000 cinemas across over 50 territories.
The official trailer launches today, alongside the global release of tickets. Fans can find screening information and ticket details at QueenBudapest.com.
Adding to the cinematic experience, the new release features an exclusive interview with Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor, who look back on the band’s unforgettable Budapest concert and its enduring cultural significance.
A Landmark Concert in Rock History
Filmed on July 27, 1986, at Budapest’s Népstadion during Queen’s The Magic Tour, Queen Budapest documents the band at the height of its live career — and captures what would become its final filmed performance with Freddie Mercury, just five concerts before Queen’s final show.
The setlist features some of Queen’s most iconic songs, including We Will Rock You, We Are the Champions, Under Pressure and Bohemian Rhapsody. The concert also includes a memorable acoustic performance of the traditional Hungarian folk song Tavaszi Szél Vizet Áraszt.
The Budapest concert was historic not only for Queen, but for the wider cultural landscape of the time. The band became the first Western rock group to perform a stadium concert behind the Iron Curtain, at a moment when political and cultural change was beginning to reshape Eastern Europe.
All 80,000 tickets for the concert sold out, while an estimated 45,000 additional fans gathered outside the stadium to hear the performance. Supporters travelled from across the region, with some making the journey from as far away as Russia and Poland.
The concert was filmed on 35mm film by Hungary’s leading cameramen, using 17 cameras and approximately 25 miles of film. The scale of the production was unprecedented for a Communist state, with the Hungarian government approving the entire filming operation.
Restored in 4K for the Big Screen
To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the historic performance, Queen Budapest has undergone an extensive restoration. The film has been meticulously restored in 4K from the original 35mm footage by Park Road Post Production in New Zealand, the acclaimed facility founded by filmmaker Sir Peter Jackson.
The concert’s audio has also been newly remixed from the original multitrack recordings by Queen’s studio team, delivering a revitalised sound experience designed for modern cinema audiences.
The concert will also arrive as a multi-format audio release through Legacy Recordings, the catalogue division of Sony Music, internationally, and Hollywood Records in the U.S. and Canada on October 30.
For the first time, the newly remixed soundtrack will be available as a three-LP vinyl set, alongside Blu-ray, DVD, CD and digital editions. Pre-orders are now available.
Directed by János Zsombolyai, Queen Budapest offers audiences a rare opportunity to experience Freddie Mercury and Queen performing at their live peak — while revisiting a concert that became a defining moment in both the band’s history and the cultural history of Eastern Europe.
Sony Music Vision is the film’s distributor.
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