Hit Film About Friendships, Midlife Crisis, Pizza and Bowling Knocks Down All The Pins With Hungry Moviegoers
“Undemandingly enjoyable!” Variety, 79% Fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes
“Phoenix, Oregon“, the sweet and sincere slice-of-life dramedy comes to home video on Monday, June 1st after achieving major movie buzz despite its official opening being canceled due to the pandemic forcing theater closures nationwide.
The film was scheduled to open in theaters nationwide March 20th just as all theaters were being forced to close due to concerns over coronavirus. Rather than shelve the movie indefinitely, the “Phoenix, Oregon” creative team quickly pivoted to create America’s very first “Theatrical-At-Home” screening process.
Moviegoers were encouraged via social media posts to purchase a “ticket” for a one-time showing of the film at www.phoenixoregonmovie.com at a bargain matinee price of just $6.50. All proceeds were then split with the shuttered theaters who had planned to show the movie before Covid-19. That successful “do well by doing good” initiative stuck a chord with appreciative movie fans and led to an additional very successful theatrical-at-home fundraiser for Oregon restaurant workers sidelined by the pandemic, which quickly raised thousands of dollars on their behalf.
“Pretty soon, they were talking about the movie on the CBS Evening News, Fox News Channel, all over the media and internet. I think it really resonated with people that we tried to help and give back, rather than charge $20.00 for a digital release when people are hurting, and cut the theaters out of the equation. In the end, we probably got more attention for Phoenix, Oregon with our theatrical-at-home platform and helping others than we would have gotten with the traditional release in theatres”, said Gary Lundgren, the film’s writer and director.
With the theatrical-at-home campaign winding down, “Phoenix, Oregon” comes to streaming and rental platforms Monday, June 1st via Apple TV/iTunes, Amazon Prime Video Direct, Google Play, VUDU, AltaVOD, Xbox InDemand, DirecTV, DISH Echostar and Telus Canada The movie is available now for pre-order on Apple TV/iTunes. The film will also be available on DVD and Bluray online and at retailers nationwide.
“Phoenix, Oregon” is about two small-town friends, a graphic novelist and a chef, who defy a midlife haze by seizing an unlikely opportunity to reinvent their lives by quitting their jobs to restore an old bowling alley and serve the “world’s greatest pizza.” The friends are played by veteran character actors James Le Gros (Amazon Prime’s ‘Hunters’) and Jesse Borrego (Fox’s ’24’), with support from Lisa Edelstein (Netflix’s ‘The Kominsky Method’), Reynaldo Gallegos (‘Triple Frontier’), Diedrich Bader (ABC’s ‘American Housewife’) and Kevin Corrigan (Showtime’s ‘Ray Donovan’).
The film was released by Aspiration Entertainment in association with Ryan Bruce Levey Film Distribution and was produced by Joma Films with Pied Piper Productions, Lui-G Films, and Sunset Dynamics.
For more information, or to schedule an interview, contact Allen Media Strategies Shaili Priya or Burke Allen at 703-622-3882 or shaili@