Fandango is allowing its VIP members to see early screenings of Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep. The ticketing company is teaming up with Warner Bros. to offer exclusive early access to the highly anticipated horror movie, which is set for general release on November 8th.
Doctor Sleep is an adaptation of Stephen King’s 2013 novel of the same name. It’s a sequel to The Shining, one of the most iconic horror movies of all time and one of Stephen King’s most popular movie adaptations. Set 40 years after the original film, Doctor Sleep follows an adult Danny Torrance (played by Ewan McGregor) trying to protect a young girl with powers similar to his own from a mysterious cult. Rebecca Ferguson also stars as the film’s main antagonist. Mike Flanagan, known for his work in horror on both the big and small screen, directed and wrote the screenplay for the film. The movie is rumored to include flashbacks and major references to The Shining.
Fandango VIP members will have the chance to see Doctor Sleep on October 30, nine days before its theatrical U.S release, and just in time for Halloween. Fandango is offering these screenings at about 400 theaters nationwide, with major theater chains like AMC Theatres and Regal participating. Tickets for the limited event go on sale today, and can be purchased exclusively on Fandango’s website. Warner Bros. is hoping that these early screenings will make seeing the movie more of an event, and will generate buzz that will help sell tickets when the movie is officially released.
Doctor Sleep isn’t the only VIP exclusive Fandango has offered this year. To encourage moviegoers to join Fandango’s free rewards program, Fandango has offered early screenings for films like Shazam!, Rocketman and How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World.
Though Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining is obviously a tough act to follow, Doctor Sleep was directed by rising star Mike Flanagan, who previously directed another Stephen King adaptation, Gerald’s Game. Flanagan is best known for adapting Shirley Jackson’s beloved horror novel The Haunting of Hill House into a critically-acclaimed ten-part series for Netflix, which is set to continue as an anthology with the upcoming second season, The Haunting of Bly Manor.
Doctor Sleep is one of many high-profile projects that Ewan McGregor has been a part of in recent years. McGregor was the voice of Lumière in the 2017 live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast, and will also appear in DC’s upcoming Birds of Prey movie as the villain Black Mask, which will be the character’s live-action debut. In more recent news, McGregor announced that he will be reprising his role as the Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi from the Star Wars universe.
More: Doctor Sleep Runtime Confirmed As Longer Than The Shining’s
- Doctor Sleep Release Date: 2019-11-08