There is a particular kind of quiet that settles over a room when everyone knows they are watching a goodbye. I can’t promise you’ll feel it tonight, but it is the feeling this whole project is built around. On July 5, 2025, roughly 42,000 people filled Villa Park in Birmingham to watch Ozzy Osbourne sing in public for the last time, with the original Black Sabbath lineup beside him for the first time in about two decades. Seventeen days later, he was gone. Tonight the film of that day opens in cinemas, and the more I read about it, the more I noticed that the numbers around it keep shifting: how long it is, how much money it raised, even which version is the “real” one.
What to Know
- The film captures the Back to the Beginning concert at Villa Park on July 5, 2025, with Ozzy’s final solo set and the last Black Sabbath performance by the original four members: Ozzy, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward. Ozzy died 17 days later, at 76.
- The runtime has grown. It was announced as 100 minutes, ticketing sites now list 2 hours 27 minutes, and the Blu-ray is billed at about three and a half hours.
- The charity total has two numbers attached to it: an early estimate of £140 million (about $190 million) and Sharon Osbourne’s later figure of 11 million. Three charities share the money equally.
- My opinion, laid out below: see the Sabbath set on a big screen once, and treat the Dec. 11 release as the version for everything else.
If the Sabbath set is why you care, I’d buy one theater ticket for the 2-hour-27-minute cut and let the sound be loud. If you are mostly here for the guest bands, I’d wait for the longer Dec. 11 version. I haven’t seen the film, so this is about how to choose, not a review of it.
How long is Back to the Beginning, really?
The short answer is 2 hours 27 minutes, which is the figure Fandango, AMC and Cinemark all list for the theatrical cut. That is not the number from the early announcements. When Mercury Studios first described the project in July 2025, it called it a 100-minute film, and that same 100 was still being repeated in September 2026, when Trafalgar Releasing announced the Oct. 28 date. Reviews now describe a run time of about two and a half hours, and the Blu-ray version is billed at about three and a half. For scale, the original day lasted around ten hours.
- The original day at Villa ParkAbout 10 hours
- Blu-ray version, Dec. 11About 3.5 hours
- In theaters today2 h 27 min
- The first announcement100 min
Bars are drawn to scale against the 10-hour original. Theater length comes from ticketing listings, the 100-minute figure from the original announcements and the Blu-ray length from Consequence’s report on the home release.
I read that growth as good news, with one honest caveat. A concert film that gets longer between announcement and release usually means the people cutting it kept finding things they couldn’t bear to lose. I can’t prove that is what happened here, because nothing I read explains the change, and it is possible 100 minutes was always a rough early target. But for a show built around this many guest sets, I would rather watch a film that is a little too long than one that is too tidy.
The $190 million number and the 11 million number
Right after the show, musical director Tom Morello posted that the event had raised more than £140 million, about $190 million, for Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Acorns Children’s Hospice, split equally. That figure traveled everywhere, and Wikipedia’s page on the concert still lists £140 million as the proceeds. Then, in November 2025, Sharon Osbourne said on the family podcast that the real figure was 11 million. As quoted by MetalSucks, her explanation was that organizers paid to move everyone in and out and to cover accommodation, and that no performer asked for a fee. She added that by the early math, any artist could retire after one big show, and that the reality was nowhere near that.
Posted by Tom Morello in July 2025, days after the concert, and repeated widely.
Sharon Osbourne on the family’s podcast, reported in November 2025.
Two things are worth knowing before you repeat either number. First, outlets disagree about the currency of the 11 million: MetalSucks wrote dollars, AXS TV’s September 2026 piece wrote pounds, and the clip I read doesn’t name one. Second, I can’t tell from her words alone whether 11 million is what was left for the charities after costs or a total before them. MetalSucks reads it as the amount going to the three charities, which fits how she described the costs, but I’d call that a reasonable reading, not a confirmed one.
My take: I don’t think anyone lied here. Early estimates of huge live events can be gross numbers, and later figures can reflect what is left. What I do think is useful is the habit it teaches. Whenever you see a charity headline, ask whether the number is money raised, money spent or money donated. And it is genuinely good that the family set the record straight themselves instead of letting the bigger number stand.
What you are actually getting
This is an event release, not a wide studio rollout. Trafalgar Releasing handles distribution and Mercury Studios produced the film. The September announcement described about 1,500 cinemas across 35 countries, so check local showtimes instead of assuming your nearest multiplex has it. Ticketing listings credit Tim Van Someren and Ben Wainwright-Pearce as directors; AXS TV describes Van Someren as the live-show director and Wainwright-Pearce as the screen director.
On stage, you get Ozzy’s solo set and the Black Sabbath reunion, plus a guest list that reads like a festival poster: Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Slayer, Tool, Pantera, Alice in Chains, Anthrax, Mastodon, Lamb of God, Gojira, Halestorm, Korn, Rival Sons and Steven Tyler, with Jason Momoa as host and Tom Morello as musical director. According to Sharon, nobody took a fee. The press materials also promise reflections from the performers and some behind-the-scenes footage.
The soundtrack tracklist published alongside the home release gives a good picture of the Ozzy and Sabbath sets themselves:
- I Don’t Know
- Mr. Crowley
- Suicide Solution
- Mama, I’m Coming Home
- Crazy Train
- War Pigs
- N.I.B.
- Iron Man
- Paranoid
What critics are saying so far
Early reviews exist, but I wouldn’t build a verdict on two of them. Radio Times gave the film 3 out of 5 on Oct. 9, and singled out the affection on stage and the shots of a tearful crowd. Louder, a rock and metal outlet, went much further, headlining its review with the line “nothing can prepare you for the emotional tsunami.” It also says the song choices lean on the covers each guest band picked, and that the last song in the film is Ozzy’s “Mama, I’m Coming Home,” which comes after the Sabbath finale.
That gap makes sense to me. A fan outlet and a general-interest critic are measuring different things. If you already have a relationship with these songs, I’d expect the film to hit harder than a 3 out of 5 suggests. If you don’t, the length is the part to plan around.
Three ways to watch it, scored
This is the part I’d want if I were deciding tonight. The facts for each option come from the reporting. The picks are mine.
- Starting today, Oct. 28In a theater, limited runMy pick for Sabbath fans
What you get: the 2 hour 27 minute cut on a big screen with theater sound, in a limited event run.
Best for: anyone who wants the Ozzy and Sabbath sets loud and shared.
Watch out for: showtimes can be sparse for an event release, so look before you drive.
- Dec. 11Home release: Blu-ray, CD, vinyl and digitalMy pick for guest-band fans
What you get: a Blu-ray version of about three and a half hours, plus bonus videos including Jack Black covering “Mr. Crowley” and Fred Durst singing “Changes,” and a “Sounds of Birmingham” documentary, according to Consequence. Rolling Stone adds that physical versions include video tributes from Dolly Parton and AC/DC.
Best for: people who want every set, not just the headliners.
- April 23, 2027Deluxe box setFor collectors only
What you get: three Blu-rays (including one with all 35 Ozzy and Sabbath songs and the guest covers in concert order), two CDs, three LPs and a 72-page hardback book. Pre-orders opened today.
Best for: the person who already owns the vinyl and wants the shelf piece.
Quick answers people are searching for
How long is Ozzy & Black Sabbath: Back to the Beginning?
Theater listings say 2 hours 27 minutes. It was first announced as 100 minutes, and the Blu-ray version is billed at about three and a half hours.
When does Back to the Beginning open in theaters?
Today, Oct. 28, 2026, in a limited event release around the world. I did not find an end date in the reports I read.
Is Back to the Beginning on streaming?
The reports I read name no streaming service. They give a Dec. 11 home release in physical and digital formats.
Is Back to the Beginning rated?
Ticketing listings show it as not rated.
Who performs in the film?
Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath (Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward), plus guests including Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Slayer, Tool, Pantera, Alice in Chains and many more. Jason Momoa hosts.
How much money did the concert raise?
Tom Morello estimated £140 million (about $190 million) in July 2025. Sharon Osbourne later said 11 million, without a currency in the quote I read. See the money section above.
Which charities benefit?
Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Acorns Children’s Hospice, split equally.
How old was Ozzy Osbourne when he died?
He was 76. He died 17 days after the Villa Park concert.
Who directed Back to the Beginning?
Ticketing listings credit Tim Van Someren and Ben Wainwright-Pearce. Mercury Studios produced it and Trafalgar Releasing distributes it.
