Movie theaters took a big hit during the pandemic, but as people begin to venture out again, high-profile artists are taking to the silver screen to engage fans through limited time showings. Both ABBA, who will soon be kicking off a series of innovative hologram concerts in London, as well as Twenty One Pilots, who recently performed as avatars on Roblox, have announced new cinematic fan events next month.
First up, ABBA: The Movie — Fan Event will be coming to theaters in the US and Canada on May 12th and 14th, giving fans the opportunity to see a digitally remastered version of ABBA: The Movie, originally released in 1977.
The movie, which is being rereleased to commemorate the group’s 50th anniversary, includes footage from ABBA’s 1977 Australian tour, including both behind-the-scenes moments and full-length performances.
“This will be such a fun event for fans to come together and experience ABBA on the big screen for the first time since the 1977 release,” said Kymberli Frueh, SVP of Programming and Content Acquisitions for Trafalgar Releasing, which is distributing the movie, in a statement. “We hope everyone will dig deep into their closets to find vintage 70s outfits to wear in celebration with us!”
Fans of current music duo Twenty One Pilots will also be able to hit theaters next month for the special Twenty One Pilots Cinema Experience, which will be showing in theaters around the world on May 19th, will encore screenings in select theaters on May 22nd.
The Twenty One Pilots Cinema Experience will feature an extended and remastered cut of the duo’s Scaled and Icy album release livestream from 2021, including over 20 minutes of new content, and is described as a “psychedelic reimagined take on live theater and performance on a massive scale.” Tickets for the event will go on sale beginning April 15th.
“Over the past ten years, Twenty One Pilots has developed into one of the most popular alternative music forces in the world,” said Frueh in a statement. "We are delighted to share this incredibly creative performance on the big screen in cinemas worldwide for a collective fan experience.”
Movie theaters are taking on an increasingly important role when it comes to fan experiences, as later this year Megan Thee Stallion will debut her immersive virtual reality concert experience with AmazeVR, which will be shown in select theaters outfitted with VR hardware and haptic motion chairs before becoming available to at-home VR users.