The Walking Dead finale and Fear the Walking Dead premiere to get theatrical release
By Derek Johns
The Walking Dead showrunner Scott Gimple has made no secret that he has big plans for the franchise moving forward and it appears he has made his first move.
In an event hosted by Fathom Events being billed as Survival Sunday, the upcoming season finale of The Walking Dead and the season premiere of Fear the Walking Dead will be making it’s way to AMC theaters.
Screenings will take place one night only on April 15th, with the event starting at 8:30 PM eastern time.
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While this is sure to excite the hardcore fans of TWD, this also feels like a case of AMC and Gimple overestimating the show’s current appeal.
This would’ve been a brilliant move for the season 7 premiere back when anticipation had reached a fever pitch but now at a time where ratings continue to dip, this feels like too little too late.
Granted producers have successfully hosted these type of events before — most notably Doctor Who.
On the flip side though these events can also backfire. Last year ABC premiered it’s first two episodes of Inhumans weeks ahead of its television airing to an at-best lukewarm reception and eventually a quiet cancellation of the show.
Warner Brothers tried a similar tactic back in 2016 when it came time to release it’s animated adaptation of the popular Batman comic The Killing Joke.
Instead of the normal straight-to-DVD release reserved for DC’s animated films, The Killing Joke received a special one-night a week ahead of the DVD, only to become widely regarded as biggest disappointment ever made from DC Animated.
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Tickets for Survival Sunday can be purchased at the Fathom Events website.
Do you intend to watch The Walking Dead finale? Will you shell out the extra money for the theatrical experience? Sound off in the comment section and don’t forget to follow us on Facebook & Twitter for more on your favorite shows!