On January 30, 1969, the Beatles gave their last concert on the roof of their Apple Corps headquarters in Savile Row in London.
In commemoration of this iconic event, Disney and Imax unveiled a special theatrical version of the Peter Jackson documentary on Sunday. The Beatles: Come Back which played to nearly sold-out crowds at nearly 70 Imax theaters across North America and at the BFI Imax theater in London.
Sunday’s debut of the 60-minute film – which features the roughly 45-minute concert in its entirety – was accompanied by a live Q&A with Jackson and BBC broadcaster, author and musician Matt Everitt which was shown in cinemas.
Jackson used footage from his eight hours Beatles documentary series to create the larger-than-life presentation of the rooftop concert. The acclaimed series itself debuted on Disney+ on Thanksgiving.
According to Imax, the majority of Sunday locations were sold out in cities including New York, Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Denver, Charlotte, St. Paul, Pittsburgh, San Antonio and Cleveland. The special even generated around $500,000 in revenue.
The Beatles: Get Back – The Rooftop Performance will play exclusively at select Imax locations around the world during the weekend of February 11-13. Footage from the concert has been digitally remastered with exclusive Imax technology.
“Peter Jackson put this together so you can see the concert in all its glory,” said Megan Colligan, President of Imax Entertainment. “And the turnout shows the power of coming together in a theater even if it’s on Disney+.”
Like other exhibitors, Imax is looking for ways to expand its reach.
In early December, Imax teamed up with Amazon Prime to broadcast the Kanye West and Drake concert live to 36 IMAX theaters in the United States and Canada. And also in December, Imax teamed up with Apple and A24 for an exclusive one-day engagement of Macbeth’s Tragedy, followed by a Q&A with director Joel Coen and Frances McDormand. He hosted a similar event for Steven Spielberg West Side Story.
