Best films in concert: these movies with live orchestras are a must-see
Here’s why you should see a film in concert, plus a guide to the best ones showing near you in 2024.
The RadioTimes.com Going Out team were lucky enough to be invited to the London Soundtrack Festival 2025 event, and the morning has further cemented our love of movies in concert.
The London Soundtrack Festival features an exclusive in-conversation event with composer Howard Shore (Lord of the Rings) and filmmaker David Cronenberg (Naked Lunch), and events celebrating the incredible work of composers such as Hildur Guðnadóttir (Joker), Anne Dudley (The Full Monty), Stephen Barton (Star Wars: Jedi – Fallen Order), and more.
However, if you can’t wait that long, there are plenty of movies in concert to experience in the UK this year, and the RadioTimes.com Going Out team are on hand to tell you just why we love films in concert.
We’ve come across a plethora of experiences in the UK — and we’ve been lucky enough to visit some of them — and it’s our responsibility to recommend the best activities to you so you can be sure you’re making the most of your weekends and evenings.
In our guides such as the best immersive experiences, the best West End shows, and the top London walking tours, we hand pick the best-of-the-best experiences taking place right now.
Plus, our reviews, like the Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder review, Standing at the Sky's Edge review, and candlelight concert review, include our honest thoughts, so you can rest assured your hard-earned cash is going towards something worthwhile!
Stay up to date with our Going Out section for the latest ticketing releases like Batman Unmasked tickets and Your Lie in April tickets.
Jump to:
- How do movies in concert work?
- How much do tickets to films in concert cost?
- Best films in concert 2024 at a glance
- Best films in concert to see in 2024
- Are films in concert worth it?
How do movies in concert work?
Music for film, TV and games is more popular than ever, with orchestral music concerts featuring film soundtracks now making up 30%, TV soundtracks 26%, and video game concerts 11% of all concerts in the UK since 2018!
It’s interesting that, although movie, TV and gaming soundtracks weren’t created to be performed live, they’re some of the most popular live music concerts. So, how do movies in concert work?
Very simply, a movie in concert is a film that is played with a live orchestra performing music in time with it. Films like Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings, for example, will have their soundtracks silenced, and a live orchestra will play the music instead. The result is a more immersive and impressive viewing experience.
Wondering what to do in London this weekend? Then we have the perfect guide for you...
How much do tickets to films in concert cost?
Gone are the days where listening to a live orchestra is costly! Thanks to the mainstream popularity of movies in concert, as well as the introduction of other live music experiences such as candlelight concerts, tickets are affordable.
The concerts we’ve selected in our guide range anywhere from £29.98 to £52.25 per person.
Best films in concert at a glance:
- Love Actually in Concert | Various UK locations
- Disney in Concert – The Jungle Book | Wimbledon, London
- Avatar: The Last Airbender Live in Concert | Various UK locations
- The Nightmare Before Christmas in Concert | Wembley, London
- Planet Earth III Live in Concert | London
- Planet Earth III Live in Concert | Manchester
- Twilight Live in Concert | Various UK locations
- Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse in Concert | Various UK locations
- Beauty and the Beast Live in Concert | Wimbledon, London
Best films in concert to see in 2024
Love Actually in Concert
Can you feel that? In your fingers and toes? It's the feeling of Christmas concerts slowly creeping their way into our plan stratosphere. Love Actually in Concert will be touring the UK this December, with shows in Liverpool, London, Manchester and more, so there's plenty of time to snap-up tickets to see this festive film.
Love Actually is a Christmas classic: it brings together an all-star cast and plenty of intertwining plot lines to explore how love in all its forms can bring people together at Christmastime.
The film will be premiered with a live orchestra; the score is written by Craig Armstrong, and will feature everyone's favourite hit Christmas Is All Around by Billy Mack.
Buy Love Actually in Concert tickets from £37.60 at Ticketmaster
Disney in Concert – The Jungle Book
Oh, oobee doo, I wanna experience The Jungle Book in Concert like you! Chances are, you're familiar with The Jungle Book story already which features some of Disney's most loveable characters: Mowgli, Baloo and the gang.
On Sunday 11th August, you'll get the chance to watch The Jungle Book at the New Wimbledon Theatre in South West London with a live orchestra accompaniment to bring Grammy-nominated composer George Bruns's score to life. There will be two performances on the Sunday, one at 11am and one at 3pm.
Buy Disney in Concert – The Jungle Book tickets from £29.98 at ATG Tickets
For more experiences in the Big Smoke, take a look at the best London art exhibitions, best immersive museums, and best London escape rooms.
Avatar: The Last Airbender Live in Concert
What could be better than re-watching one of your favourite childhood shows? Re-watching it in a theatre accompanied by a live orchestra!
The music of Emmy Award-winning composer Jeremy Zuckerman is brought to life in Avatar: The Last Airbender Live in Concert with classic and Asian instruments such as taiko (traditional Japanese drums) and erhu, a two-stringed bow instrument from China, as well as a choir.
Avatar: The Last Airbender Live in Concert will be travelling to six different venues across the UK in 2025, including Birmingham, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Buy Avatar: The Last Airbender Live in Concert tickets from £47.75 at Ticketmaster
The Going Out team were lucky enough to experience this concert, and you can read all about it in our Avatar: The Last Airbender Live in Concert review.
The Nightmare Before Christmas in Concert
What's This? Another Live in Concert event?
There are some movies that people argue whether they're Christmas films or not, movies such as Die Hard and The Nightmare Before Christmas. However, The Nightmare Before Christmas going on a concert tour during December proves it's a festive film! Right?
The Nightmare Before Christmas is showcasing in London with a live orchestra this December, for just two nights only at the OVO Arena Wembley. The Live in Concert event will have performances from the film's original composer (and Jack Skellington himself), Danny Elfman. Elfman alongside the BBC Concert Orchestra will be performing songs from the soundtrack, such as What’s This?, Kidnap the Sandy Claws and the Oogie Boogie.
Buy The Nightmare Before Christmas in Concert tickets from £52.25 at Ticketmaster
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Planet Earth III Live in Concert
Live footage of animals and nature playing against orchestral music composed by Hans Zimmer? Sign us up! Planet Earth III Live in Concert follows on from the critically acclaimed Blue Planet II and Planet Earth II Live in Concert arena tours, and it will showcase footage from Planet Earth III.
If you're anything like the RadioTimes.com team and you keep up to date with all of Sir David Attenborough's endeavours such as Prehistoric Planet and BBC Earth Experience, this concert will certainly be right up your street.
Planet Earth III Live in Concert is coming to London and Manchester in autumn 2024, and there's still chance to secure tickets today.
- Buy Planet Earth III Live in Concert London tickets from £32.50 at Fever
- Buy Planet Earth III Live in Concert Manchester tickets from £37.75 at Fever
Twilight Live in Concert
Twilight Live in Concert, where have you been, Loca?
Hold on tight, spider monkeys, Twilight Live in Concert is coming to the UK this October. If there's one film we'd love to see live in concert, it's Twilight. After all, iconic hits like Full Moon and Supermassive Black Hole were (in our opinion) destined to be performed live by a 12-piece orchestra while the iconic YA movie Twilight plays in the background.
Alongside those two hits, Carter Burwell's original score will be performed by a live ensemble of rock and orchestral musicians to celebrate 16 years since Catherine Hardwicke’s Twilight was released.
Twilight Live in Concert will visit UK cities such as Sheffield, York and Bath this autumn, and tickets are available to buy today.
Buy Twilight Live in Concert tickets from £30.95 at Ticketmaster
On the look out for cheap tickets? Here's how to get cheap cinema tickets and how to get cheap theatre tickets.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse in Concert
Listen up, spidey fans, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is touring the UK from June for a Live in Concert special event. By now, you already know the drill, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse will show on the big screen while a live orchestra performs the soundtrack.
The award-winning score of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse was composed by Daniel Pemberton, and Pemberton drew inspiration from London's 1990s rave scene to bring us sounds like Canon Event and Spider-Punk. With this in mind, a live scratch DJ on electronic turntables will be joining the live orchestra.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse in Concert will perform at London's Royal Festival Hall at the end of June before moving on to music halls in Manchester, Glasgow, Birmingham and more.
Buy Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse in Concert tickets from £30.95 at Ticketmaster
Beauty and the Beast Live in Concert
Be our guest at this next live orchestra extravaganza! The live-action version of Beauty and the Beast came out in 2017, and it starred Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Ewan McGregor and Emma Thompson. At the time, Beauty and the Beast was the second live-action remake, and it included three new wonderful songs from Alan Menken and Tim Rice.
The live-action Disney classic will be shown on the big screen at the New Wimbledon Theatre on the 10th August this year, while the score is played on stage by The Novello Orchestra.
Buy Beauty and the Beast Live in Concert tickets from £29.98 at ATG Tickets
If you're a Disney fan, be sure to check out the latest Disney Plus offers.
Are films in concert worth it?
The RadioTimes.com team weighs-in: are movies in concert worth it?
Soundtrack music is a fantastic way for new audiences to explore orchestral music. Did you know film screenings featuring a live orchestra rank in the top five of orchestral concerts attended by newcomers? Plus, TikTok’s soundtrack hashtag has grown 84% in 2023 compared to 2022, reaching a whopping 2.3 billion viewers. With appreciation for film, TV and game music at an all-time high, this is the perfect time to experience the art form.
Movies in concert are also an interesting way to experience your favourite film. For example, one of this Digital Writer’s favourite films is Gladiator, and watching that movie not only on the big screen but with a live orchestra playing the soundtrack would make it more immersive.
If you're a fan of live music, be sure to check out our how to beat the Ticketmaster queue, how to get cheap concert tickets and how does the American Express pre-sale work on Ticketmaster guides.
