Addison Cinema to host ‘Drop: Murder Mystery Screening’ Friday
Like the characters on-screen, audience members at a special Addison Cinema screening Friday of the new Blumhouse Productions thriller “Drop” will be plunged into mystery.
Described by Rolling Stone as “a pulpy bit of fun,” director Christopher Landon’s film has widowed Violet (Meghann Fahy) on a dinner date as she receives a series of anonymous text messages threatening that if she does not kill off her date (Brandon Sklenar), a person hiding in Violet’s home will murder her young son.
Mayhem ensues as Violet attempts to discover the culprit dropping these messages into her cellphone.
Blumhouse partnered with American Immersion Theater (AIT), a collective of actors, performers and creatives headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to present “Drop: Murder Mystery Screening” before the film at seven theaters nationwide.
People attending the 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 11, showing of “Drop” at Addison Cinema, 1555 W. Lake St., will be among the lucky ones.
“This kind of experiential storytelling is what American Immersion Theater was built for, and we can’t wait to see audiences experience it firsthand,” AIT founder Scott Cramton said in a statement.
At Friday’s screening, once guests are seated, they will join a live performance with planted actors portraying unsuspecting victims.
Without warning, AIT said, ominous memes will appear via AirDrop on their devices, with a promise of violence if the demands are ignored.
Over the course of the presentation’s 30 minutes, the tension leads to guests turning against each other to obey the mysterious sender.
At South by Southwest the “Drop” murder mystery “was a really big hit,” said AIT’s Jo Przybyla. She encouraged an early arrival for the PG-13 thriller, which opens in theaters on Friday.
Also under the AIT banner, The Murder Mystery Co. offers dinner theater shows in Arlington Heights at Palm Court Restaurant, 1912 N. Arlington Heights Road.
Tickets for “Drop” may be purchased in advance or at the door at Addison Cinema. For details, call (630) 932-4572.