Earlier this week, filmmaker Kevin Smith reopened his childhood theater in New Jersey under the name of Smodcastle Cinemas. Smith announced the deal back in August, and has big plans for the moviehouse, which includes a merch store in the lobby, a “film school camp” for young, aspiring filmmakers, and of course, plenty of special screenings of cult classics, including Smith’s own movies, complete with Q&A sessions, special events, and marathons. He has already screened Clerks III at the former Atlantic Moviehouse, and the first big View Askew event coming to the newly-renamed Smodcastle Cinemas will be a screening of Tusk next month, which will be preceded by a taping of Hollywood Babble-On, and followed by a Q&A.
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Last night, in an episode of Fatman Beyond, Smith shared a rough outline of some of the upcoming events, including screenings and Q&As with George R.R. Martin, Zack Snyder, and the Russo Brothers. This backs up an Instagram post he made yesterday, which also name-dropped people like James Gunn and Jason Reitman.
You can see the episode of Fatman Beyond below, with Smith’s talk about plans for Smodcastle coming up around the 1:34:00 mark.
Smith announced his intention to buy the theater — along with his wife, Jennifer Schwalback; investor Jeff Swanton; and Leeloo Multiprops, a company that sells movie props, collectables, and celebrity experiences — during a recent episode of Hollywood Babble-On, his podcast with Ralph Garman. The theater — which is almost 100 years old, and has been a staple of Smith’s hometown for his whole life — will be rebranded as Smodcastle Cinemas, and Smith plans to screen movies as normal most of the year, but also use the venue as home to speaking events, live shows, film festivals, and other View Askew-related shindigs.
Smith is currently on the road with Clerks III, doing a roadshow-style release that includes a hefty ticket price…but one that also includes a Q&A with the director and, often, members of the cast. The movie generated $2.7 million at special Fathom Events screenings earlier this month, which is a little over a third of the movie’s reported budget. Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, which got a similar release in 2019, reportedly sold so many copies on DVD and Blu-ray that Lionsgate approached Smith and told him that if he could make more View Askew movies “under a certain price tag” (Smith’s words), then they would be happy to have him.
You can find out about Clerks III‘s screenings and see if there’s one near you at clerks3.movie. Smodcastle Cinemas already has profiles set up on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, where you can get details on upcoming screenings and events.
