GLADIATOR Comes to Royal Albert Hall as the First Films in Concert Show of 2025

Russell Crowe will once more have his vengeance – in this life or the next – as Gladiator returns to the Royal Albert Hall for a 25th anniversary screening, as part of the venue's Films in Concert series.

Following three sold-out runs between 2014 and 2018, the swords-and-sandals epic is being revived as a symphonic spectacular in April next year, with the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra and the Philharmonia Chorus performing Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard's Golden Globe-winning score live on stage.

Matthew Todd, Director of Programming at the Royal Albert Hall, said: “We're delighted to be bringing Gladiator back to the Hall to mark the movie's 25th anniversary. Films in Concert is about celebrating classic cinema, while putting movie music centre-stage where it belongs, and no title shows off the format more vividly than this one. The Hall's famous design is based on Roman amphitheatres, so where better to experience Ridley Scott's gladiatorial extravaganza, and revel in that immortal score?”

Gladiator in Concert has been created by CineConcerts, in partnership with Universal Brand Development and Paramount Pictures. Justin Freer, President of CineConcerts, and producer and conductor of Gladiator in Concert, said: “Gladiator remains as one of the most vibrant and visceral stories ever told on film. Reliving this masterpiece and its iconic music score performed live-to-picture by a world-renowned orchestra and choir will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

The Gladiator in Concert performances on Saturday 26 April are the first confirmed for the 2025 Films in Concert programme, though a host of other titles are already in the calendar for later this year, including Top Gun: Maverick, Ghostbusters (1984), Avatar, Home Alone, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.

The Films in Concert series launched in 2009, building on the Hall's history as a place to experience cinema with live musical accompaniment during the heyday of silent film. In the past 15 years, it has curated a programme of beloved films whose unforgettable scores have been performed by the likes of the London Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and Chineke! Orchestra.

 

Titles have ranged from beloved musicals (Singin' in the Rain, West Side Story) to canonical classics (Breakfast at Tiffany's, The Godfather) and contemporary blockbusters (Interstellar, Skyfall). The premiere of Jurassic Park in Concert broke all box-office records, selling out its 20,000 tickets in just 24 hours.

 

Creatives who've appeared at the shows have included directors James Cameron (Titanic) and Sir Sam Mendes (Skyfall), actors Sigourney Weaver (Aliens) and Andy Serkis (Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring) and composer David Arnold (Casino Royale), along with the cast and crew of Indian smash-hit Baahubali, which in 2019 became the first foreign-language film to feature in the series.

 

Gladiator, directed by Ridley Scott (Blade Runner, Alien, The Martian, Thelma & Louise), is one of the most critically acclaimed films ever made. Starring Academy Award winner Russell Crowe as a vengeful former general battling with a corrupt emperor's son, the film won five Oscars including Best Picture, with Hans Zimmer (The Lion King, Pirates of the Caribbean, Inception, The Dark Knight) and Lisa Gerrard (Dead Can Dance, Jane Got a Gun, Samsara) winning Best Original Score at the 2000 Golden Globes. The film also stars Academy Award nominee Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen, Derek Jacobi, Richard Harris, and Oliver Reed in his last screen appearance. A sequel will be released this November.

Tickets for Gladiator in Concert, priced from £30, are on sale from Friday at 10am, with a pre-sale for the venue's Friends and Patrons open 48 hours earlier.

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