The Back to the Beginning film, Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath’s farewell on screen, opens in theaters worldwide on Wednesday, Oct. 28. Its purple-carpet world premiere was set for Wednesday, Oct. 14, at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles, hosted by the Osbourne family, per the Oct. 7 announcement.
A limited number of premiere tickets went on sale through Live Nation, and the announcement said 50% of each ticket sold would go to Los Angeles homeless charities.
What the Back to the Beginning film covers
The film captures the July 5, 2025, Back to the Beginning show at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, Ozzy’s hometown. Per the official release announcement on ozzy.com, it was filmed “just 17 days before his untimely passing.” The sold-out stadium show had a solo set from Ozzy and a reunion of the original Black Sabbath: Ozzy on vocals, Tony Iommi on guitar, Geezer Butler on bass and Bill Ward on drums. Per the announcement, it was the first time those four had played together in more than 20 years.
Beyond the final show, the Back to the Beginning film promises “personal reflections from the superstar musicians they inspired, and a behind the scenes look at the day itself.” Sharon Osbourne, Ozzy’s wife and manager, who oversaw the event, explained how it started:
Back to the Beginning came about because I asked Ozzy what would really make him happy. 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.
Sharon Osbourne, via ozzy.com
The concert lineup
Jason Momoa hosted the concert, and Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello was musical director. Per the press release, the day included sets from Alice in Chains, Anthrax, Gojira, Guns N’ Roses, Halestorm, Lamb of God, Mastodon, Metallica, Pantera, Rival Sons, Slayer and Tool, plus all-star segments with guests including Billy Corgan, Sammy Hagar, Steven Tyler, Yungblud, Jake E. Lee and many more.
That’s the concert bill, not a running order for the Back to the Beginning film. Trafalgar’s synopsis says the film features “performances from Ozzy, Black Sabbath, and some of the most influential names in rock.” It doesn’t say which guest sets made the final cut, so we won’t either.
The Sabbath members each looked back on the day in the announcement. Iommi called it “a closure for the band and it was a good way to go out.” Butler said, “To me it was like pure love.” Ward said he “felt completely at home in a place where I belong.”
Who made it
- Directed for screen by: Ben Wainwright-Pearce (“Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour,” “George Michael: The Faith Tour”)
- Live concert directed by: Tim Van Someren
- Produced by: Jim Parsons, Jamie Silk and Dan Seliger
- Studio and distributor: Mercury Studios produced it, and Trafalgar Releasing is putting it in theaters
- Sound: Presented in Dolby Atmos and 5.1 surround, per the release
Per the release, the Back to the Beginning film was “crafted specifically for cinematic presentation,” aimed at catching both the size of the stadium production and the intimacy of the final performance.
Seeing the Back to the Beginning film in San Diego
It’s an event release that runs “for a limited time only,” per ozzy.com, so don’t assume it will stick around for weeks. Tickets went on sale Sept. 24 through the official film site, which has a showtimes search by location. Trafalgar Releasing lists the release date as Oct. 28, 2026.
We didn’t find official San Diego theater listings we could confirm for this post, so we’re not printing theaters or showtimes. Search your ZIP code on backtothebeginning.com, or check your usual chain’s app for the title “Ozzy & Black Sabbath: Back to the Beginning.” Ticket prices vary by theater and weren’t in the announcements. If you plan to see the Back to the Beginning film opening night, book early, since event screenings are often limited to a few showings.
Why it matters
For a lot of metal fans, Villa Park was the goodbye they never expected to get, and only a stadium’s worth of people saw it in person. We noted the show back when it was announced in our 2025 metal roundup. The Back to the Beginning film is the closest thing to being in that stadium, and for Ozzy fans it lands as a farewell in the truest sense.
“There’s never been anything like that that’s happened in the history of rock and roll,” Morello said in the release. On Oct. 28, San Diego gets to see why. We’ll update if official local showtimes are posted, and catch the Back to the Beginning film while it’s in theaters.
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