'Heated Rivalry' to Release in Movie Theaters, Two Episodes at a Time
Seven Lights
“Heated Rivalry” is heading to movie theaters for limited-engagement marathon screenings, distributor Sphere Abacus announced Thursday morning, The Hollywood Reporter reported. The hit Canadian hockey romance series, a Crave original that airs on HBO Max in the US, will screen all six episodes of its first season beginning November 6, according to The Hollywood Reporter, which notes the screenings mark the show’s one-year anniversary a little early; Variety reported the release comes almost a year after the series premiered in the US.
From November 6 through November 30, the screenings will be presented in three paired programs: episodes one and two (“Rookies” and “Olympians”), episodes three and four (“Hunter” and “Rose”), and episodes five and six (“I’ll Believe in Anything” and “The Cottage”), according to The Hollywood Reporter; Variety reported the theatrical presentations pair episodes two at a time. Tickets will run at $9.99 per screening, The Hollywood Reporter reported.
Sphere Abacus, the Bell Media company that helped bring the show international, partnered with Regal Cinemas in the US for the release, The Hollywood Reporter reported. Regal will show the episodes in over 275 of its own locations in the US, and the company also serves as the nationwide distributor, bringing the show to 650 theaters including AMC and Cinemark, according to The Hollywood Reporter; Variety reported the release spans more than 650 theaters nationwide. Regal showings will include welcome content from the cast, director and show creator Jacob Tierney, and participating locations will offer themed, limited-time cocktails — “Summer in Montreal” and “Russians Don’t Blush” — The Hollywood Reporter reported.
“Heated Rivalry is a global phenomenon creating a rush of social media and press activity wherever it lands. We’re very excited to give audiences the opportunity to watch the drama unfold on big screens in North America, the UK, Australia & New Zealand,” Hana Palmer, Sphere Abacus’ executive director of global distribution and partnerships, said in a release, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The outlet reported the announcement came after speculation on social media throughout the week.
Based on Rachel Reid’s novel of the same name, the series focuses on the “complicated situationship” between Shane Hollander, played by Hudson Williams, and Ilya Rozanov, played by Connor Storrie — generational talents in professional hockey and sworn on-ice rivals who meet as teenagers — according to The Hollywood Reporter. The first season also featured Christina Chang, Dylan Walsh, Sophie Nélisse and Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova, and used as secondary material Reid’s earlier novel “Game Changers,” centered on François Arnaud’s character Hunter and Robbie G.K.’s character Kip Grady, The Hollywood Reporter reported. Season two is filming in Toronto, with Williams and Storrie returning alongside new leading cast members Justice Smith, Charlie Gillespie, Daniel Diemer and Shaheen Jafargholi, according to The Hollywood Reporter.