RiffTrax to Take a Comedy Bite out of Syfy’s Global Cult Sensation in “RiffTrax Live: Sharknado” this July
By Staff Reports
Just when you thought “Sharknado,” a movie about mega-cyclones sucking up sharks from the ocean and hurling them onto land, couldn’t get any more absurd, the stars of RiffTrax have blown those expectations right out of the water and created a perfect storm of funny. The sidesplitting RiffTrax crew – Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett (best known for the groundbreaking “Mystery Science Theater 3000”) – is set for what may be their most epic event ever as they take on the Syfy instant cult classic “Sharknado.” Presented by Fathom Events, RiffTrax, The Asylum, IGN and Syfy, “RiffTrax Live: Sharknado” will be broadcast live from the historic State Theater in Minneapolis to select movie theaters nationwide on Thursday, July 10 at 8:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. CT/ 7:00 p.m. MT and 8:00 p.m. PT, HI and AK, with a second showing on Tuesday, July 15 at 7:30 p.m. local time.
Tickets for “RiffTrax Live: Sharknado” are available at participating theater box offices and online at www.FathomEvents.com. For Minneapolis-area fans, tickets to the live performance at the State Theatre may be purchased online here beginning May 5 at 2:00 p.m. CST.
The event will be presented in nearly 650 select movie theaters around the country through Fathom’s Digital Broadcast Network. For a complete list of theater locations and prices, visit the Fathom Events website (theaters and participants are subject to change).
“Sharknado” premiered on Syfy on July 11, 2013, becoming an immediate worldwide sensation, generating nearly 5,000 tweets a minute and quickly amassing nearly 400,000 social mentions. In August, Fathom Events and The Asylum held a raucous midnight showing in more than 200 theaters nationwide. Fans should also keep an eye out for “Sharknado 2: The Second One,” which will premiere Wednesday July 30th at 9/8c on Syfy.
Produced by The Asylum, “Sharknado” is the story of beachside bar regulars including owner Fin (Ian Ziering, “Beverly Hills 90210”), bartender Nova (Casie Scerbo, “Make It Or Break It”) and local drunk George (John Heard, “Home Alone”) as they team up with Fin’s ex-wife April (Tara Reid, “Scrubs”) to investigate the ecological nightmare that has sharks swimming through the streets of Los Angeles and falling from the skies.
Entertainment Weekly described it as “… an hour-and-a-half of ridiculous, slapstick, theatrical, scientifically-impossible fun” and New York Daily News said, “’Sharknado’ is bad to the bone. It’s absurd. It’s ridiculous. If you’re a fan of low-budget horror movies and you miss it, you will regret it for the rest of your life.”
“We’re excited to have landed the big fish that is Sharknado. For a long time we’ve wanted to do a shark based movie as well as a tornado based film so we think combining the two will be twice as thrilling for our audience,” said Michael J. Nelson, RiffTrax creator and former host of the Emmy-nominated, Peabody Award-winning “Mystery Science Theater 3000.”
“We have had tremendous success separately with both ’Sharknado’ and RiffTrax. Putting the two of them together is a marriage made in apocalyptic, flying-shark heaven,” said Dan Diamond, senior vice president of Fathom Events. “Fans are going to be figuratively, and probably literally, rolling on the floor laughing.”
About AC JV, LLC
Fathom Events is owned by a newly formed entity called AC JV, LLC. Fathom is the recognized leader in the alternative entertainment industry, offering a variety of one-of-a-kind entertainment events in movie theaters nationwide that include live, high-definition performances of the Metropolitan Opera, the performing arts, major sporting events, music concerts, comedy series, Broadway shows, original programming featuring entertainment’s biggest stars, socially relevant documentaries with audience Q&A and much more. Additionally, Fathom events take audiences behind-the-scenes and offer unique extras – creating the ultimate entertainment experience for fans of all ages. Co-owned by the three largest movie theater circuits in the United States, AMC Entertainment Inc. (NYSE: AMC), Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CNK) and Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC), Fathom’s live digital broadcast network (“DBN”) is the largest cinema broadcast network in North America, bringing live events to more than 750 locations in 171 Designated Market Areas® (including all of the top 50). For more information, visit www.fathomevents.com.
About RiffTrax
Featuring the former stars of the Emmy-nominated, Peabody Award-winning show “Mystery Science Theater 3000,” RiffTrax is an entertainment company with over 200 feature-length films and over 200 shorts, all with the funny running commentary of Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett. In addition to their starring roles as Mike, Tom Servo, and Crow on “Mystery Science Theater 3000,” they have appeared on numerous radio and TV shows, penned the screenplays for Hollywood Blockbuster films, and authored numerous best-selling books. To find out more about RiffTrax, visit www.rifftrax.com.
About The Asylum
The Asylum is one of the world’s leading brand-oriented motion picture and television studios. With a focus on high-concept, market-driven entertainment, like SHARKNADO, The Asylum finances, produces and releases 25 films per year through its direct pipeline to the nation’s top retailers and its network of international partners. Since its founding in 1997, The Asylum has released more than 500 films and has built a library of over 200 original productions, including top-rated movie premieres for Syfy, Lifetime and Animal Planet networks. This year, The Asylum announces its first foray into series television with Z NATION, a 13-episode action-horror series premiering on Syfy.
About IGN Entertainment
IGN Entertainment is the leading Internet media and services provider focused on the video game and entertainment enthusiast markets. Collectively, IGN’s properties reach more than 57 million unique users worldwide, according to Internet audience measurement firm comScore. IGN is the Web’s #1 video game information destination and also owns the world’s largest men’s lifestyle website, AskMen.com. IGN is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, with offices across North America, Europe and Australia.
About Syfy
Syfy is a media destination for imagination-based entertainment. With year round acclaimed original series, events, blockbuster movies, classic science fiction and fantasy programming, a dynamic Web site (www.Syfy.com), and a portfolio of adjacent business (Syfy Ventures), Syfy is a passport to limitless possibilities. Originally launched in 1992 as SCI FI Channel, and currently in 96 million homes, Syfy is a network of NBCUniversal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies. NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation. (Syfy. Imagine Greater.)