A horror-comedy that got rave reviews and reportedly a multimillion-dollar acquisition deal is coming to theaters on Juneteenth weekend.
The Blackening, which originally premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and was acquired by Lionsgate in October, will be coming to theaters on June 16, 2023.
Source: The Blackening / Lionsgate
The Blackening centers around a group of Black friends who reunite for a Juneteenth weekend getaway only to find themselves trapped in a remote cabin with a twisted killer. Forced to play by his rules, the friends soon realize “this ain’t no motherfu**in’ game.”
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), The Blackening is inspired by a 3Peat comedy sketch of the same name written by Perkins and it skewers genre tropes and poses the sardonic question: if the entire cast of a horror movie is Black, who dies first?
Source: Amy Sussman/EV / Getty
The film stars Antoinette Robertson, Dewayne Perkins, Sinqua Walls, Grace Byers, X Mayo, Melvin Gregg, Jermaine Fowler, Yvonne Orji, and Jay Pharoah, and is produced by Marcei A. Brown, Jason Clark, E. Brian Dobbins, Oliver, Story, and Sharla Sumpter Bridgett.
Source: Amanda Edwards / Getty
Source: Amy Sussman/EV / Getty
Source: Amy Sussman/EV / Getty
Deadline reports that The Blackening emerged as one of the hottest acquisition titles at TIFF and had three offers for at least a $20 million deal.
“The Blackening is a wildly entertaining horror movie that delivers jump-out-of-your-seat scares while also hilariously subverting the genre,” said Jason Constantine, Lionsgate’s President, Acquisitions and Co-Productions per Deadline. “Tim Story, Tracy Oliver, and Dewayne Perkins have delivered a movie that works on multiple levels — as huge fans of the genre, they’re able to be true to the conventions while turning them on their heads. We’re also thrilled to be reuniting with MRC Film as we bring this movie’s laughs and chills to audiences.”
Will YOU be watching The Blackening next Juneteenth?