QUEEN's Budapest Concert Celebrates 40th Anniversary With Newly Restored 4K Release

Sony Music Vision has announced that "Queen Budapest", the first Western stadium rock show to take place behind the Iron Curtain, and the final filmed QUEEN live performance, will be presented in cinemas and IMAX worldwide beginning October 7 through Trafalgar Releasing.

"Queen Budapest" will be released to mark the 40th anniversary of this pivotal moment in the band's history, and the film has been meticulously restored in 4K from the original filmed 35mm footage by Sir Peter Jackson's Park Road Post Production facility in New Zealand, with newly remixed audio from the original multitrack recordings to deliver the most immersive presentation of the performance to date.

Captured on July 27, 1986, at Budapest's Népstadion, during the band's "The Magic Tour", the concert was a groundbreaking moment, as QUEEN became the first Western rock band to perform behind the Iron Curtain during a period of profound cultural and political change. In addition to 80,000 tickets selling out, an estimated 45,000 people listened to the group outside, and some fans had travelled from as far away as Russia and Poland to see the concert. The show was professionally filmed on 35 mm movie film by 17 of Hungary's best cameramen. The gear employed included 17 cameras and 25 miles of film, which was all that was available in the country, and the Hungarian government approved the entire operation, which was a first for a Communist State.

With the scale of the achievement, it would have been impossible to imagine that QUEEN would go on to play only a further five shows, ending forever their touring days with Freddie Mercury only one month later, with their final show played at Knebworth Park in England on August 9, 1986.

"Queen Budapest" is the last filmed live performance of the band with Freddie Mercury, showing the band at the height of their powers as a live act. The film captures the band performing iconic hits such as "We Will Rock You", "We Are The Champions", "A Kind Of Magic", "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", "Under Pressure", "Who Wants To Live Forever", "Hammer To Fall" and "Bohemian Rhapsody", as well as an acoustic arrangement of the traditional Hungarian folk song "Tavaszi Szél Vizet Áraszt". It also features a standout moment from "Radio Ga Ga", with newly enhanced footage and audio from the Budapest performance, available here.

An edited version of the show was broadcast in December 1986 throughout the Communist Bloc, including China, Poland, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Yugoslavia and Mongolia, as well as to 59 Hungarian cinemas on New Year's Day 1987, which again was a first for a Western rock act.

For QUEEN's Brian May and Roger Taylor, the show in Budapest wasn't just another date on what was a huge tour for the band, it held much deeper meaning.

Brian May comments: "For years, fans behind the Iron Curtain had been able to listen to QUEEN music only on illegal cassettes. It was a forbidden thing to listen to rock bands like us, so to see them play in a live show would have been unthinkable. This concert, when they could finally come and see us live in person and interact with us, was a huge emotional moment for them and also for us. It felt like a very big deal — you could feel that incredible energy. There will never be an event quite like that again. Perhaps the most memorable highlight of all was performing that beautiful Hungarian folk song, which Freddie and I had learned for the occasion. Not a dry eye!"

Roger Taylor adds: "We did love to think that the music could transcend the politics, the political barriers, and that was sort of part of our ethos, to actually bring the audience into the show and make them feel part of the show. I know Freddie tried to learn this folk song, but he had the words written phonetically on the back of his hand. When the audience just started singing, we realized, wow, music really can be a great cause."

Brian May continues: "Peter Jackson's team have done a magnificent job of restoring the original film footage, at the highest resolution ever; it's pristine and the quality is breathtaking. I think you're going to love it. For the sound, we've been able to do some top-quality restoration work as well. Now, in IMAX and movie theatres, it's going to be definitively the most real experience ever of us, QUEEN, in our glory days. I think people will get lost in it and even forget they're watching a film."

"'Queen Budapest' represents a remarkable moment in both music and cultural history," said Tom Mackay, president, Sony Music Vision. "The film not only documents an extraordinary performance, but also the connection between the band and an audience breaking through real barriers at the time. The restoration allows that moment to be experienced in a way that feels immediate and relevant for audiences today."

Peter Jackson adds: "As long time fans of QUEEN we were thrilled when they asked Park Road Post to restore the Budapest concert footage. It has been a rare privilege to breathe new life into such an iconic moment in music history. We look forward to a whole new audience participating in the original band's final live performance, captured on film. They will rock you!!!"

The 4K restoration of "Queen Budapest" will have its world premiere at the Budapest Classics Film Marathon on September 15, hosted by the National Film Institute of Hungary, as part of the festival's program celebrating restored and rediscovered cinema. A U.K. premiere will take place in London on September 30, with further details to follow. The 4K digitization of the original negatives was carried out by the National Film Institute (NFI),Hungary's FilmLab in Budapest. The original elements of the film were preserved by NFI Film Archive in Budapest since 1986. "Queen Budapest" will be released globally in cinemas and IMAX from October 7 for a limited time only, in partnership with Trafalgar Releasing. Tickets will be on sale later this summer. Fans are encouraged to sign up at the official web site at QueenBudapest.com for further information and to be alerted when pre-sale tickets are available.

"Queen Budapest" will be accompanied by a multi-format package via Hollywood Records in North America and Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music, internationally on October 30. The soundtrack, newly remixed from the original multitrack by QUEEN's studio team, will be released alongside the Blu-ray, DVD, CD and digital editions as a 3LP vinyl set for the very first time.

"Queen Budapest" is directed by János Zsombolyai. Sony Music Vision is the distributor.

QUEEN are one of the most iconic bands in history, a group whose music has soundtracked the lives of hundreds of millions of fans since their reign began more than 50 years ago. Their musical achievements alone are unmatched thanks to album sales in excess of 300 million worldwide and such era-defining hits as "Killer Queen", "We Are The Champions", "We Will Rock You", "Another One Bites The Dust" and the history-making "Bohemian Rhapsody", which has twice reached No.1 in the UK and is the most streamed song of the 20th century with a record-breaking 2.6 billion streams. In the U.S., QUEEN now has 8 songs with at least 1 billion streams on Spotify. Their 26-times-platinum 1981 "Greatest Hits" collection is the U..K's biggest-selling album ever, exceeding 7.9 million in sales and spending a staggering 1,137 weeks on the U.K. chart. They remain the only band in history where every member has individually written one or more Top 5 hit singles.

Yet QUEEN are more than just a musical powerhouse — they are a cultural force. Legendary performances at such historic events as 1985's Live Aid concert and their own headlining appearances at London's Wembley Stadium in 1986 cemented their status as the greatest band to ever set foot on a stage, with the irreplaceable Freddie Mercury regularly voted music's greatest frontman. Their incredible story was immortalized in the acclaimed 2018 movie "Bohemian Rhapsody", which saw actor Rami Malek win an Oscar for his stunning performance as Freddie Mercury, while the film itself became the highest-grossing musical biopic ever. QUEEN themselves have continued to inspire generations of musicians who have followed, from George Michael and GUNS N' ROSES to Lady Gaga and the FOO FIGHTERS.

QUEEN's greatness can be measured in the recognition that has come with their musical accomplishments, from their induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame to the prestigious Brit, Grammy and Ivor Novello awards they have amassed, among others. But arguably their most important achievement is the enduring appeal the group and their music under the guardianship of Brian May and Roger Taylor continues to have. More than half a century after they started, this most regal of bands are as beloved now as they have ever been, their music still central to the lives of so many people. Long may they rule.