Pink Floyd’s Famed ‘Pompeii’ Concert Film Gets 4K Restoration For Return To Theaters

In October 1971, Pink Floyd performed without an audience at the ancient Roman Amphitheatre in Pompeii, Italy for the first concert ever held at the historic site. The show was documented in the legendary 1972 concert film, Pink Floyd at Pompeii – MCMLXXII, which will triumphantly return to the big screen this spring.

The Adrian Maben-directed Pink Floyd at Pompeii – MCMLXXII has undergone a complete transformation, featuring a frame-by-frame 4K restoration from the original 35mm footage. Renowned producer Steven Wilson has enhanced the audio with a new mix in 5.1 and Dolby Atmos formats. The new version of Pink Floyd at Pompeii – MCMLXXII will debut in select cinemas and IMAX theaters worldwide beginning April 24, with tickets available starting March 5.

After the theatrical re-release, Legacy Recordings will issue a companion live album on May 2, marking the first time this historic performance will be available on vinyl and in Dolby Atmos. To celebrate the announcement, a preview clip of the band performing “Echoes” has been released today. Watch the video featuring the newly restored footage and audio below:

“Pink Floyd: Live At Pompeii is a rare and unique document of the band performing live in the period prior to The Dark Side Of The Moon,” said drummer Nick Mason in a press release. The setlist includes seminal tracks like “Careful With That Axe, Eugene,” “A Saucerful of Secrets” and “One of These Days,” with stunning visuals of the amphitheater filmed during both day and night. The film also contains rare behind-the-scenes footage of the band starting work on The Dark Side of the Moon at London’s Abbey Road Studios.

The restoration process came after a remarkable find. The original 35mm negative was discovered in five mislabeled cans within Pink Floyd’s archives, revealing the actual film that captured the legendary performance. Pink Floyd’s Director of Restoration, Lana Topham, led a team that worked hard to preserve the film’s integrity while enhancing its visual quality through advanced 4K scanning techniques.

“Since 1994, I have searched for the elusive film rushes of Pink Floyd At Pompeii,” Topham explained. “The recent discovery of the 1972 original 35mm cut negative was a very special moment. The newly restored version presents the first full 90-minute cut, combining the 60-minute source edit of the performance with the additional Abbey Road Studios documentary segments filmed shortly after.”

Steven Wilson aimed to both enhance the depth and clarity of the audio as well as represent the original sound of the performance. The companion album release will be the first time Pink Floyd: Live At Pompeii is presented as a complete live record. Wilson’s 2025 remix arrives on CD, vinyl, Blu-Ray, DVD, Digital Audio and Dolby Atmos on May 2.

“Ever since my dad brainwashed me as a kid by playing The Dark Side of the Moon on repeat, Pink Floyd has been my favourite band,” Wilson shared. “They are my ‘Beatles’, deeply ingrained in my musical DNA. I first saw Pompeii from a grainy print at a local cinema. It made an incredible impression on me with its untethered and exploratory rock music made by four musicians that seemed to epitomise the notion of intellectual cool. It was an honour to remix the soundtrack to accompany Lana Topham’s incredible restoration of the film, which looks like it could’ve been filmed yesterday.”

The theatrical re-release was made through a partnership between Trafalgar Releasing and Sony Music Vision. Head to PinkFloyd.Film for more information and to purchase tickets.