Sharknado Poster - P 2013
PARIS — As Sharknado continues to take the world by storm, the SyFy original will now get a big-screen premiere in the French capital Feb. 8, 10 days ahead of its nationwide DVD release.
“It was on TV first in the U.S., and the success was so big they decided to do a one-night release across the U.S. We thought that was a great idea and wanted to do it in France as well,” said Fiorenza Cella, CEO of Free Dolphin Entertainment, which is planning the premiere. Sharknado showed in 200 theaters across the U.S. last August, and midnight screenings in New York and Boston were immediate sellouts for the Ian Ziering and Tara Reid vehicle.
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The historic Max Linder Panorama, which often shows classic and restored films, will host the event. “Historically, it’s one of the cinemas that has discovered new things, and what people want to see on the big screen is changing,” she said.
Though French tastes traditionally veer toward art-house fare, the social media phenomenon will appeal to the youth audience that like big American productions. “People want to see more special effects, and a movie like Sharknado is more appealing on the big screen because you get to see the effects. It’s hip, it’s fun.”
The Asylum producer David Rimawi will be in Paris to promote the film ahead of the premiere, and it is screening out-of-competition at the Gerardmer Film Festival in northern France this weekend.
Sharknado aired on cable channel SyFy France on Oct. 24.
