Juan Gabriel’s Iconic First Show at Palacio de Bellas Artes to Hit the Big Screen: ‘Movie Theaters Will Turn Into a Giant Karaoke’

The iconic concert that Juan Gabriel performed at Mexico’s Palacio de Bellas Artes in 1990, which marked a milestone for the artist and Mexican popular culture, will soon be experienced, sung and danced to more intimately by his fans. Thanks to a recently restored and remastered edition of that historic performance, the show will hit cinemas across Latin America and Spain on Aug. 28, and U.S. theaters on Sept. 15, Billboard can exclusively announce.

The film Juan Gabriel: Mi Primer Bellas Artes, directed by Mexican filmmaker María José Cuevas and produced by Sony Music Vision, revisits the historic performances of the “Divo de Juárez” at Mexico’s most prestigious cultural venue in May 1990. Its U.S. premiere, distributed by Fathom Entertainment, will be hosted by the National Museum of Mexican Art with a community screening on Aug. 28 at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park, in Chicago. It will arrive in theaters in Colombia and Argentina starting Sept. 3.

Cuevas, who previously directed the Netflix documentary Juan Gabriel: Debo, Puedo y Quiero (2025), has reimagined and re-edited the film to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the legendary Mexican singer-songwriter’s passing. The film includes never-before-seen rehearsal footage sourced from Juan Gabriel’s personal archives.

“This movie is an opportunity to get closer to Juan Gabriel and feel him as intimately as possible,” Cuevas tells Billboard Español in Mexico City. “The use of video cameras, whose footage was not included in the final cut at the time, allows for a reinterpretation and a fresh perspective on the concert.”

Cuevas shares that one of the discoveries during pre-production was the existence of video footage of songs recorded during the Bellas Artes concert, showcasing much more intimate moments that create a closer connection with the artist. She notes that the reasons these scenes were discarded from the original edit remain unknown. Another notable discovery, Cuevas says, was footage of the only rehearsal for the concert, which Juan Gabriel held on May 8, 1990, just one day before the first of four nights at the iconic venue (May 9–12).

“The only time Juan Gabriel rehearsed was the day before the first concert,” Cuevas reveals. “The footage captures the first time the Divo hears his music being performed by a hundred musicians — a very special moment, almost like falling in love. Everything came together: him, conductor Enrique Patrón de Rueda, the National Symphony Orchestra, and the mariachis, all preparing for the big day.”

Juan Gabriel, whose real name was Alberto Aguilera Valadez, performed at Bellas Artes three times during his career. However, his debut at the venue generated the most controversy, due to criticism of his aspirations to perform at Mexico’s most important cultural institution as a popular artist. The event marked a before-and-after in the history of Mexican music. Despite the controversy, Gabriel graced that magnificent stage before 1,396 attendees, including then-Mexican president Carlos Salinas de Gortari.

“All the controversy surrounding that concert is very significant; it was a turning point where popular culture conquered high culture,” Cuevas says. “What would have truly been scandalous is if he hadn’t risen to the occasion of such a prestigious venue — but he absolutely did, and that’s what we’ll see in cinemas.

“Movie theaters will turn into a big karaoke,” she adds. “People will sing, dance — and, above all, celebrate the life of this extraordinary artist.”

That very first 1990 concert was screened at Mexico City’s Zócalo, the country’s main public square, in November 2025 as part of the promotion for Juan Gabriel: Debo, Puedo y Quiero, drawing an audience of 170,000 people. That figure more than doubled the 70,000 attendees who witnessed the screening of his 2013 Bellas Artes concert in Sept. 2024 — a groundbreaking event, as it wasn’t live, but a projection of a recording.

In addition to the premiere of Juan Gabriel: Mi Primer Bellas Artes at Cinemex theaters, Mexico is commemorating the 10th anniversary of one of its greatest musical icons with the release of a postage stamp dedicated to the singer, issued by the Mexican Postal Service. A vinyl edition of the concert will also be released in Mexico and the U.S. via Amazon. Furthermore, this historic concert will be available in Dolby Atmos for the first time, with a release scheduled for Aug. 20.

Juan Gabriel passed away of natural causes on Aug. 28, 2016, at his home in Santa Monica, California, during a tour. He was 66.

Inducted into the Billboard Hall of Fame in 1996, Juan Gabriel built a legacy over more than four decades as a multifaceted artist, recording songs across diverse genres such as ranchera, ballads, pop and bolero, while also producing for other artists. Among his numerous achievements, he sold over 150 million records, wrote more than 1,800 songs, released 34 studio albums, earned six Grammy nominations, won three Latin Grammy Awards posthumously and landed more than 20 top 10 hits on the Billboard charts, including seven No. 1s on Hot Latin Songs. His song “Yo No Sé Qué Me Pasó” debuted at the top of the first-ever edition of that chart in 1986.