Columbia Pictures is shifting the release of “SNL” dramatization “Saturday Night” two weeks up to a limited platform release, ahead of the film’s wide release, the studio announced on Friday.
Sony is now giving Jason Reitman’s period comedy a three-tier rollout: it will first release the film in Los Angeles, New York and Toronto on Sept. 27, followed by a limited release on Oct. 4, before going wide on Oct. 11.
The film recently premiered at the 2024 Telluride Film Festival and garnered critical acclaim. The historical project currently holds an 85% Rotten Tomatoes critic score.
In her review of the film, TheWrap’s Carla Renata wrote, “At 11:30 p.m. on Oct. 11, 1975, a ferocious troupe of young comedians and writers changed television and pop culture forever. ‘Saturday Night’ is based on the true story of what happened behind the scenes in the 90 minutes leading up to the first broadcast of what was originally called ‘NBC’s Saturday Night’ (because a competing show with Howard Cosell had the ‘Saturday Night Live’ title). Full of humor, chaos, and the magic of a revolution that almost wasn’t, we count down the minutes in real time until we hear those famous words…’Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night.’”