Ozzy & Black Sabbath: Back To The Beginning
The Greatest Day In Heavy Metal History
Concert Film Of Ozzy Osbourne‘ì‘s Final Performance To Receive Worldwide Cinema Release
Trafalgar Releasing and Mercury Studios bring the landmark triumphant final performance from Ozzy Osbourne and the original Black Sabbath lineup to global cinemas beginning October 28, for a limited time only.
In cinemas worldwide October 28 for a limited time only — Tickets on sale Thursday, September 24 7:00 AM, PT / 10:00 AM, ET / 3:00 PM, BST / 4:00 PM, CEST at https://backtothebeginning.com/
Trafalgar Releasing announced today the global cinematic release of Ozzy & Black Sabbath: Back To The Beginning, produced by Mercury Studios, the world’s leading music-focused content studio. The film definitively captures the triumphant final live performance from Ozzy Osbourne and the original Black Sabbath lineup: Ozzy (vocals), Tony Iommi (guitar), Geezer Butler (bass), and Bill Ward (drums).
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The film documents a landmark moment in music history: Ozzy Osbourne’s historic final farewell performance for his fans in his Birmingham hometown – captured just 17 days before his untimely passing. The sold out Back To The Beginning show at Birmingham’s Villa Park stadium on July 5 last year not only included a solo set from Ozzy, but a reunion of Black Sabbath’s original members performing together for the first time in more than 20 years.
Ozzy & Black Sabbath: Back To The Beginning celebrates two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Grammy®-winning singer and songwriter Ozzy and Grammy-winning, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Black Sabbath’s enduring legacy, featuring the iconic group’s triumphant final show, personal reflections from the superstar musicians they inspired, and a behind the scenes look at the day itself.
“Back to the Beginning came about because I asked Ozzy what would really make him happy,” says Sharon Osbourne, Ozzy Osbourne’s wife and manager who oversaw the legendary event. “And he said the only thing that would make him happy was if he could perform again and say goodbye to his fans. That’s all he wanted to do. He wanted to say goodbye and thank you.”
The event—which sold out in minutes—brought together generations of fans alongside some of the most influential names in Rock to celebrate Black Sabbath’s legacy. The show was hosted by Jason Momoa with Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine guitarist) serving as Musical Director for Back to the Beginning. The night included sets from Alice in Chains, Anthrax, Gojira, Guns N Roses, Halestorm, Lamb of God, Mastodon, Metallica, Pantera, Rival Sons, Slayer, and Tool, along with All-Star segments with special guests Adam Wakeman, Andrew Watt, Billy Corgan, Chad Smith, David Draiman, David Ellefson, Jake E. Lee, KK Downing, Mike Bordin, Nuno Bettencourt, Papa V Perpetua (Ghost), Ronnie Wood, Rudy Sarzo, Sammy Hagar, Sleep Token II, Steven Tyler, Travis Barker, Vernon Reid, Whitfield Crane, and Yungblud.
Ozzy’s Black Sabbath band members noted of the event:
“It was a closure for the band and it was a good way to go out, I think.” – Tony Iommi, Black Sabbath
“To me it was like pure love. It was just a wave of love. It’s the only way I can describe it really. I mean I could feel it as if it is like tangible.” – Geezer Butler, Black Sabbath
“Felt completely at home in a place where I belong. It almost felt like I was in a dream.“ – Bill Ward, Black Sabbath
“There’s never been anything like that that’s happened in the history of rock and roll,” says Tom Morello, Rage Against the Machine guitarist and Musical Director of Back to the Beginning. “There’s never been a precedent for a show like this…[Black Sabbath] gets to play their final show basically in the Ground Zero of where they created heavy metal.”
The film has been directed for screen by Ben Wainwright-Pearce (Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, George Michael: The Faith Tour), with the live concert directed by Tim van Someren, and produced by Jim Parsons, Jamie Silk, and Dan Seliger. It has been crafted specifically for cinematic presentation, designed to immerse audiences in both the scale of the stadium production and the intimacy of the final performance.
Presented in Dolby Atmos and 5.1 surround sound, the film has been engineered to deliver a fully immersive audio-visual experience, bringing audiences into the heart of the performance with unprecedented clarity and power.
The release continues Mercury Studios’ commitment to premium music storytelling, following critically acclaimed and globally distributed productions including “One To One: John & Yoko,” “American Symphony,” “Reggaeton: The Sound That Conquered The World,” and “Metallica Saved My Life.”
Mercury Studios co-leads, Ken Danquah and Andrea Dunn, said in a joint statement:
“Ozzy Osbourne is one of the most influential figures in music history, and his final performance with Black Sabbath deserves to be seen on the biggest possible stage. Last year, we brought this legendary concert to fans across the globe, offering millions the chance to be there through an unprecedented livestream. This film is the next chapter, giving fans a new way to experience that night on the big screen. Back To The Beginning captures the scale of a stadium performance and the intimacy of a farewell, crafted specifically for the cinema screen.“
“Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath’s Back to the Beginning concert was a landmark cultural moment,” says Marc Allenby, CEO of Trafalgar Releasing. “Bringing it to cinemas worldwide is an opportunity to further cement Ozzy’s legacy and impact. We are really looking forward to giving fans around the world a chance to experience this final celebration of Ozzy and Black Sabbath together on the big screen.”
— About Trafalgar Releasing —
Trafalgar Releasing, the global leader in event cinema distribution, harnesses the power of cinema to bring fans together in more than 15,000 cinemas across 132 countries. A subsidiary of Trafalgar Entertainment, Trafalgar Releasing’s operations include production, acquisition, marketing, and distribution of live or pre-recorded content to cinemas worldwide, led by an international team. Featuring live concerts, music documentaries, world-class opera, award-winning theatre, and more from leading names in entertainment such as Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, BTS, Metallica, Oasis, Coldplay, Billie Eilish, the Royal Opera House and others, Trafalgar Releasing has repeatedly shattered event cinema box office records, most recently with international distribution for Taylor Swift | Th Eras Tour, the highest-grossing concert film of all time. Information about Trafalgar Releasing can be found at https://www.trafalgar-releasing.com/.
— About Mercury Studios —
Mercury Studios brings music performance to audiences around the world, creating and extending iconic music moments across content, platforms and experiences. Working with a global network of artists and creatives, the company develops, produces and distributes world-class music content, building worlds that extend far beyond the stage.
Mercury Studios is part of Universal Music Group and is at the forefront of music performance, bringing iconic catalogue and new music moments to audiences through theatrical distribution, immersive and digital-first experiences.
Current and recent projects include the upcoming George Michael: The Fith Tour, coming to cinemas globally later this year; One To One: John & Yoko, directed by Oscar winner Kevin Macdonald; Grammy-winning, Oscar and BAFTA-nominated American Symphony, directed by Matthew Heineman for the Obamas’ Higher Ground Productions/Netflix; and If These Walls Could Sing, directed by Mary McCartney for Disney+.
Mercury also produced and distributed the performance-capture films Andrea Bocelli 30: The Celebration, directed by Sam Wrench, and Back To The Beginning, a live broadcast of Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne‘s historic final show.
Mercury Studios is the global steward of one of the world’s richest music performance catalogues, continually reimagining and extending its cultural and commercial value through new platforms, formats, partnerships and audience experiences.