Movies
Clive Barker Endorses ‘Midnight Meat Train’!
We reported back in May that Lionsgate was planning on dumping the Clive Barker adaptation The Midnight Meat Train (review) in very limited theaters on August 1. Barker chatted with website Revelations about the release plans and hopes horror fans can make a difference. “I would passionately encourage everybody who cares about my work to use this chance to change the minds of the folks at Lionsgate,” he continues. “This is exciting! I really think, this late in the day, that grassroots support for our movie could significantly improve our chances of reaching a much bigger audience theatrically. The picture is worth the effort, I believe.” Click the title above for loads of pictures, the trailer and more.
SpookyDan writes on his blog:
OPEN LETTER TO ALL HORROR FANS:
WE NEED TO START A VIRAL CAMPAIGN TO GET THIS MOVIE A WIDER RELEASE!!!
A very reliable SOURCE from within Lionsgate has told me that the decision to dump Midnight Meat Train in as few as 100 screens and then rush the film to DVD is based purely on INTERNAL POLITICS.
Something along the lines of: the new head honcho does not like the old head honcho so he is deliberately dumping all of his films out of spite and malice.
But there is HOPE. The only thing that overrides backstabbing politics in Hollywood is PURE GREED. It is clearly not healthy for investor relations to dump a movie that has a vocal and dedicated audience. Midnight Meat Train represents the kind of horror film that audiences have been dying for!!!
There is growing internal pressure within the company for a wider release of this film and PUBLIC FAN PRESSURE may help to push this decision over the edge.
If you wish to see MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN in all its big screen glory at a THEATER near you, please do the following:
Cut and paste the message at the bottom of this post and e-mail it to:
1) investor relations at Lionsgate: keasterling@lionsgate.com
2) Lionsgate: general-inquiries@lionsgate.com
3) call Lionsgate at (310) 449-9200 and express your desire to see MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN get the release it deserves.
BE POLITE AND PROFESSIONAL! We do not want to piss them off, just want them to know how many fans out there would like to shell out their hard earned cash to see the most groundbreaking horror film of the past ten years in a real movie theater!
4) SEND THIS E-MAIL TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW!!!
WE HAVE WAITED TOO LONG FOR THIS MOVIE TO LET IT GO STRAIGHT TO DVD!!!
Post this message everywhere, send it to your horror friends and spread the word! We need to act FAST to have an effect!!!
And LONG LIVE THE MEAT!!
HERE’S A SAMPLE MESSAGE FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE (or feel free to compose your own):
Dear Lionsgate,
As a long time Clive Barker fan, I am writing you to express my strong desire to see “The Midnight Meat Train” on the big screen.
Rumors are currently circulating that the film will only be released on a limited basis and I am very concerned that I will miss my opportunity to see the most highly anticipated Clive Barker film in over a decade in all of its big screen glory!
There are millions of horror fans like myself who have been disappointed by the recent trend towards watered down PG-13 horror movies. Clive’s work represents a return to serious, thought provoking horror movies and with Ryuhei Kitamura at the helm, I am even more excited to experience this collaboration as it was intended: in a packed theater with hundreds of other horror fans like myself!
I urge you to please give this film the release it deserves!
Many thanks,
YOUR NAME
Just three years after Evil Dead Rise set the box office on fire with a $147 million worldwide haul, Evil Dead Burn was unleashed into theaters this past weekend. Unfortunately, the opening weekend for Evil Dead Burn wasn’t quite as strong as the debut for its predecessor.
Evil Dead Burn debuted in 3,004 theaters across North America and scared up $13.7 million in its domestic debut, about $10 million less than Evil Dead Rise‘s $24.5 million opening.
Worldwide, Evil Dead Burn debuted with $25 million. Given the film’s production budget was somewhere in the ballpark of $20 million, all is certainly not lost for Evil Dead Burn. That said, Warner Bros. and New Line no doubt hoped that Burn would top or at least match the domestic opening of Rise, but instead we’re looking at a case of diminishing franchise returns.
The good news for fans? Next installment Evil Dead Wrath has already wrapped production for expected release in 2028, so there’s no danger of the franchise ending with Evil Dead Burn.
Evil Dead Wrath from director Francis Galluppi (The Last Stop in Yuma County) is currently set for theatrical release on April 7, 2028, though that could change in the coming months.
Will the Evil Dead franchise be taking a break after Evil Dead Wrath? That all depends on how Wrath performs at the box office. But for what it’s worth, the post-credits scene at the end of Evil Dead Burn suggests that the franchise’s creators are hopeful for a bright future ahead.
The critical reception for Evil Dead Burn was a bit less positive than the reception to Evil Dead Rise, with Rise hitting 85% on Rotten Tomatoes and Burn currently sitting at 71%. It’s interesting to note, however, that the “Popcornmeter” on Rotten Tomatoes is a bit higher for Burn than it was for Rise, with Burn‘s currently at 80% and Rise‘s sitting a tad lower at 76%.
The site’s “Popcornmeter” scores are decided by users, rather than verified movie critics.
Which do you prefer? Evil Dead Rise or Evil Dead Burn? Sound off below.
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