“THE BLACKENING” TO PREMIERE AT TRIBECA FESTIVAL

The new horror-comedy The Blackening from MRC will have its U.S. debut at the Tribeca Festival on June 13, according to a recent announcement from Lionsgate. The renowned Apollo Theater in Harlem will host the screening.

Rave reviews and a wild, boisterous midnight screening at the movie’s world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival last year led Lionsgate to purchase the movie from MRC.

A group of Black friends who get together for a Juneteenth weekend getaway in The Blackening end up trapped in a remote cabin with a deranged killer. The friends quickly understand that this is not a game once they are forced to follow his rules.

The Blackening, a satirical horror film directed by Tim Story (Ride Along, Think Like A Man, Barbershop) and co-written by Tracy Oliver (Girls Trip, Harlem) and Dewayne Perkins (“The Amber Ruffin Show,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”), pokes fun at genre clichés and asks the ironic question: If a horror film’s entire cast is Black, who perishes first? A Story Company, Tracy Yvonne, Artists First, and CatchLight Studios’ production is presented by Lionsgate and MRC.

Jason Clark, Marcei A. Brown, E. Brian Dobbins, Tracy Oliver, Tim Story, and Sharla Sumpter Bridgett are the producers of The Blackening, which stars Antoinette Robertson, Dewayne Perkins, Sinqua Walls, Grace Byers, X Mayo, Melvin Gregg, Jermaine Fowler, Yvonne Orji, and Jay Pharoah. Perkins and Vicky Story both contribute as co-producers.

Director Tim Story said, “Of course, we want The Blackening to be enjoyed by everyone – but it’s especially a celebration of and a theatrical event for Black culture. This film really shows that Black people are not a monolith – there are so many different things that define us, but also bring us together. That’s why it’s so deeply meaningful that we are premiering at the legendary Apollo. For more than a century, this theater has been the epicenter that originated so much Black entertainment before it sent its shockwaves out to the world. As we lead up to the release of our film on Juneteenth Weekend, it’s a unique pleasure to be celebrating our U.S. premiere in this historic place.”

On June 16, 2023, the movie debuts in theaters all over the country.