Indian crossover triumph, RRR, will be joined by martial arts masterwork, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and a 40th anniversary screening of Back to the Future, as part of the Royal Albert Hall’s Films in Concert programme for 2025. Each of the three films will be shown in full, with a world-renowned orchestra playing the score live on stage.
Matthew Todd, Director of Programming at the Royal Albert Hall, said: “Films in Concert is about celebrating classic cinema and the art of the film score, by bringing movie music to centre stage. Whether you fancy an evening of uproarious contemporary action cinema or are in the mood for strapping yourself into a DeLorean and travelling back to 1955, we can help – and we’ll throw in an orchestra too.”
Five thousand people will get to experience the smash-hit Indian action epic, RRR, complete with on-stage orchestra, when the Films in Concert performance of S. S. Rajamouli’s modern masterpiece receives its world premiere at the Hall in May. The film, a massive crossover hit upon release in 2022, won two Golden Globes, an Oscar and the admiration of Steven Spielberg and James Cameron, among millions of other film lovers.
Now RRR is coming to London’s most iconic venue, where the movie will be accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra (RPCO), playing M. M. Keeravani’s unforgettable score live on stage.
Matthew Todd added: “We’re so excited to be celebrating RRR: an explosive, riotously enjoyable ride that conquered the world, proving to audiences and critics alike that the singular magic of Indian cinema is for everyone. The chance for audiences to revel in M. M. Keeravani's infectious and uplifting score, performed live, will be something very special."
The director and composer will take part in an onstage Q&A before the show, as they did in 2019 when Baahubali: The Beginning became the first foreign-language film to be given the Films in Concert treatment at the Hall.
S.S. Rajamouli said: “The energy and vibe of the Royal Albert Hall makes every screening a unique celebration, and returning with RRR is truly special for me and my team.”
M.M. Keeravani added: “The atmosphere in the Royal Albert Hall transforms music into an experience. I am excited to witness how RRR will touch the hearts of everyone present during its live performance.”
RRR is a jawdropping action epic set in a fictional pre-independence India and following the story of two revolutionaries, Alluri Sitarama Raju (Ram Charan) and Komaram Bheem (N.T. Rama Rao Jr.). Bheem navigates the treacherous streets of Delhi under a false identity, on a mission to rescue a child abducted by a British governor while Raju is a ruthless police officer working for the colonial government, tasked with catching Bheem. As Bheem and Raju cross paths and form an unlikely bond, they embark on a perilous rescue mission, each unaware of the other's true identities and motives. They ultimately come together, represented as forces of fire and water, to face a common enemy and fight against British colonial rule.
The movie took the world by storm, grossing more than £120million worldwide, featuring in the Guardian’s top 10 films of 2022, and, in a first for Indian cinema, winning Best Original Song at the Academy Awards for ‘Naatu Naatu’.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, screening to celebrate its 25th anniversary, is an irresistible fusion of arthouse cinema and kung fu mayhem, regularly cited as one of the greatest films of this century. The movie centres on two middle-aged warriors (Chow Yun-Fat and Michelle Yeoh) whose priorities subtly change, from trying not to declare their love for one another, to trying to get high-kicking young hothead Zhang Ziyi to give them their sword back. Tan Dun’s wonderful score, which will be performed by the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, immeasurably enhances the movie, which won Best Foreign Film at the Oscars.
The special 40th anniversary screening of Back to the Future, meanwhile, features 20 minutes of new music written by original composer Alan Silvestri especially for live orchestra presentation. The RPCO will be on hand to perform it. Robert Zemeckis’s immortal time-travelling action-comedy stars Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly, who inadvertently travels to the past, present and future, setting off a time-shattering chain reaction that disrupts the space-time continuum.
Films in Concert launched in 2009, building on the venue’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 vibrant 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 stars Tom Cruise (Top Gun: Maverick), Sigourney Weaver (Aliens) and Andy Serkis (Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring), directors James Cameron (Titanic) and Sir Sam Mendes (Skyfall), and composer David Arnold (Casino Royale).
Other upcoming Films in Concert include Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II, Home Alone and Gladiator.
Tickets for RRR, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Back to the Future, priced from £30, are on sale at 10am on Friday from www.royalalberthall.com, with a pre-sale for the venue’s Friends and Patrons 24 hours earlier.
