Cineplex Entertainment’s Front Row Centre Events and Eagle Rock Entertainment have announced they will present a special screening of Hungarian Rhapsody: Queen Live in Budapest at Vernon’s Galaxy Cinemas on Thursday, Sept. 20 at 7:30 p.m. local time.
Originally filmed in 1986, this concert movie has been remastered in high definition and 5.1 digital surround sound for its first ever worldwide cinema screening.
As part of the hugely successful 1986 Magic Tour, the last to be played by Freddie Mercury, Queen was, for the first time, able to include Hungary on its tour schedule. With three years to go before the fall of the Berlin Wall, this was the largest concert ever staged at the Népstadion, Budapest, and the first Western rock concert in a stadium behind the Iron Curtain. It was of such significance to the Hungarian authorities and film industry that a group of the country’s top film cameramen and technicians were brought together to film it for posterity.
Staged for 80,000 ecstatic fans, the concert set includes favourite hits like Bohemian Rhapsody, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, I Want To Break Free and We Are The Champions.
The film opens with a special 25 minute documentary that follows Queen from just after their historic show-stealing performance at Live Aid on July 2, 1985, through the following year leading up to the concert in Budapest.
Using archive footage from rehearsals and interviews with the band on the road – some of which has never been seen before – this fascinating intro feature has been specially created for the theatrical release.
“We’re delighted that Queen fans across the world will finally have the chance to relive this amazing moment for the band. We knew a stadium concert in Budapest was groundbreaking, but hadn’t quite anticipated what a historic night it would turn out to be. The concert looks fantastic on the cinema screen in all its digitally re-mastered glory and the documentary does a great job of setting the scene – it really was an extraordinary time in the band’s history,” said Queen’s Brian May and Roger Taylor.
Tickets are available now at Galaxy Cinemas or online at cineplex.com/events
