AMC Theatres, Regal Cinemas, Cinemark, and other exhibitors will pay tribute to Chadwick Boseman, the “Black Panther” star who died last week of colon cancer at the age of 43, by screening “42.”
The baseball drama featured Boseman as Jackie Robinson, the Brooklyn Dodgers first baseman who broke the color line when he became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball in 1947. Warner Bros. and Legendary, the studios behind the 2013 film, are partnering with the theater chains to re-release “42” in more than 740 locations. Other circuits that will be playing “42” are Marcus, Alamo Drafthouse, Harkins, Galexy and a number of independent operators.
Tickets for “42” at AMC will be discounted at $5 and will be on sale by the end of Tuesday. It’s unclear what other chains will charge. Boseman’s other roles include James Brown in “Get on Up” and Thurgood Marshall in “Marshall.” His final film, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” co-stars Viola Davis and will be released posthumously on Netflix. Boseman appeared in another 2020 Netflix release as part of the ensemble cast of Spike Lee’s “Da 5 Bloods.”
“42” was critically praised when it was released and became a box office hit, grossing nearly $100 million globally on a $42 million budget.
On Monday, Harrison Ford, who appeared with Boseman in “42,” called the actor “as compelling, powerful and truthful as the characters he chose to play. His intelligence, personal dignity and deep commitment inspired his colleagues and elevated the stories he told.”
The Jackie Robinson Foundation praised the actor’s commitment to playing the part, saying that Boseman was “a consummate professional” who “absorbed every story, every memory, and every photo and film excerpt he could consume to help translate the soul of an American hero.”
Many of these chains are reopening locations after an extended shutdown brought on by the coronavirus crisis.