"Very expensive as a live show for tickets": Hans Zimmer breaks silence around his latest concert film Hans Zimmer & Friends: Diamonds in the Desert

Hans Zimmer is a German music composer who has been active in the entertainment industry for several decades. He has come up with Hans Zimmer & Friends: Diamonds in the Desert, which is a concert film.

Recently, the Interstellar composer gave an interview where he spoke in detail about Hans Zimmer & Friends: Diamonds in the Desert, which captures the live tours he does that have been equally successful. In the interview with Radio Times, he spoke extensively about the film and said that its ticket is cheaper than his live shows, which means that more people can watch it. He said,

"We are very expensive as a live show for tickets, but I think cinema tickets can be cheaper – so people could see it."

Hans Zimmer talks about Hans Zimmer & Friends: Diamonds in the Desert

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Hans Zimmer gave an interview to Radio Times where he spoke about his concert film Hans Zimmer & Friends: Diamonds in the Desert. He said that the tickets for his live shows are pretty expensive. But the ticket for the film is relatively cheaper, which would give it more accessibility.

He further said that he could not travel to all the places with the band. But the film will manage to reach out to people from everywhere.

"I felt that the band was about as good as they would ever get during this show, and I wanted to capture that for posterity [And] the other thing I thought was that we [have to] drag our show around in 15 articulated lorries and 13 buses, so we can't go everywhere, but the film could go everywhere."

In the same interview, Zimmer also revealed his experience of live performance in 2017 when his band member, Nile Marr, asked him to play Lion King. Despite his apprehension, Zimmer went ahead, and it worked. Zimmer said,

"[Nile] said, 'Get over yourself, Zimmer, that's the music of my youth, we're doing Lion King. So we [did] Lion King, and 80,000 people just start weeping. So that was quite surprising. We hit on something, and it really seems to work."

More about Hans Zimmer & Friends: Diamonds in the Desert

Hans Zimmer & Friends: Diamonds in the Desert is a concert film that was released theatrically on March 19, 2025, for a limited time. Shot in Dubai, the film captures some of the live shows Zimmer has performed. The composer formed his group in 2016, which consisted of an orchestra and a band.

The official synopsis of Hans Zimmer & Friends: Diamonds in the Desert reads,

A journey through Dubai featuring live performances at Coca-Cola Arena, intimate talks with friends, and stunning moments across desert dunes and the iconic Burj Al Arab.

Hans Zimmer & Friends: Diamonds in the Desert, directed by Paul Dugdale, also features interviews with some of the artists who have frequently collaborated with Zimmer. This includes the likes of Christopher Nolan, Pharrell Williams, Denis Villeneuve, and Billie Eilish, among others.

Zimmer started his career in the 1980s and has composed scores for several successful films. His work has earned him two Oscars (for The Lion King and Dune) and five Grammys.

Some of his projects include The Dark Knight trilogy, Gladiator, Interstellar, Inception, and the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. In the same interview, the German composer said that he is not a composer.

He said,

"I'm not a classical film composer. I'm not a composer at all, actually. I just make stuff up! The huge advantage I have making stuff up is I'm always open to what's coming towards me. I'm always open to the director, I'm always open to the story."

So will you be watching Hans Zimmer & Friends: Diamonds in the Desert?