Dark Planet Releasing Announces Cinematic Release of Highly Anticipated Horror Movie Starring Horror Film Legend Doug Bradley

Collaboration with Emagine Entertainment, B&B Theatres, Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas, and MetaMedia Will Target Horror Enthusiasts Across the Country with Movie and Live Content Delivered Exclusively by MetaMedia’s Cloud-Based Cinema Network

LOS ANGELES – Dark Planet Releasing, Emagine Entertainment, B&B Theatres, Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas and MetaMedia have joined writer and director Doug Schulze (The Dark Below) to release exclusively in cinemas Thorns, a highly-anticipated horror film, featuring horror icon Doug Bradleyof Hellraiser fame.

Thorns has played to strong reviews and enthusiastic audiences at major genre film festivals worldwide, including Sitges in Spain, Fright Fest in London, Monsters of Film in Sweden and the New York City Horror Film Festival.

Film Reviewer Carl Fisher of GBHBL said, “Director Douglas Schulze has done a fantastic job of marrying religious dogma with an apocalyptic story, while also delivering on horror and gore.”

Tony Timpone, Co-Producer of Thorns, former longtime editor of Fangoria magazine, and horror luminary said, “It has been exciting watching Thorns’ international journey from festival to festival, picking up countless fans along the way. After a packed North American premiere at the NYC Horror Film Festival, now even more audiences in the US can embrace Schulze’s unique horror film in theaters across the country.”

Schulze said, “From our use of practical effects to its fueled music score, Thorns is meant as an homage to 1980s-era monster movies like The Thing, Hellraiser and Alien. For me the best horror cinema steers away from the computer realm when pursuing all things visceral. Thorns is meant as a visceral experience.”

Michigan-based Emagine Entertainment will host the North American Thorns red carpet premiere on Saturday, February 17, 2024 from its Royal-Oak theater. The premiere will feature live interviews with key cast members, including Bradley, who received the 2023 New York City Horror Film Festival’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Beginning on Friday, February 23, MetaMedia will exclusively deliver the movie to the following: Emagine Entertainment, Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas and B&B Theatres in a first wave of targeted cities including Detroit, Kansas City and San Diego, with a wider release scheduled for later in 2024:

• Emagine Royal Oak (Royal Oak, MI)
• Emagine Canton (Canton, MI)
• Emagine Novi (Novi, MI)
• Emagine Rochester Hills (Rochester Hills, MI)
• B&B Lee’s Summit 16 (Lee’s Summit, MO)
• B&B Overland Park 16 (Overland Park, KS)
• B&B Shawnee 18 (Shawnee, KS)
• Cinepolis Cinemas Vista Village (Vista, CA)
A recent New York Times newsletter noted that “there’s a growing legion of gore fans out there, as interest in scary films has been on the rise.” In 2014, horror movies made up a 2.69 percent share of the annual box office, but the percentage jumped up to 10.61 percent in 2023. Seeking to help facilitate and promote this trend in 2024, Emagine Entertainment, Dark Planet Releasing and MetaMedia are working closely with Schulze to deliver Thorns to horror film fanatics in cities where they reside.

“Emagine Entertainment is delighted to extend its support to independent filmmakers by offering them a platform to showcase their films. We take pride in providing a remarkable experience for both filmmakers and their guests, allowing them to witness their creations on the big screen, just as they were intended to be seen,” said Anthony LaVerde, CEO of Emagine Entertainment. “It is truly an honor for Emagine to host the red-carpet premiere and Q&A session for the film with esteemed guests Doug Schulze and Doug Bradley in attendance. This event promises to be an exhilarating experience for all attendees.”

“We see a major growing trend with the horror film genre, and we couldn’t be more excited to work with two major icons in the industry, including both Doug Schulze and Doug Bradley,” said MetaMedia Founder and Chief Executive Officer Jason Brenek. “As a company, it’s our goal to deliver the best event experiences in the world and the horror genre is providing some of the most stimulating and imaginative events out there.”

About Thorns

In Thorns, an ex-priest working for NASA is sent to investigate a remote observatory that went silent after receiving a mysterious radio signal from deep space. Upon arrival, he discovers the signal has opened a portal unleashing a thorned monster. The former priest must now summon his lost faith to stop the signal from jumpstarting the end of the world.

Thorns stars Jon Bennett, Cassandra Schomer and Bo Shumaker. Bradley plays the mysterious Archbishop.

About Emagine Entertainment
Emagine Entertainment’s affiliates own and operate luxury theaters in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Emagine operates theaters with a combined 30,068 seats and 342 screens. Emagine led the way in bringing luxury theaters to the metropolitan Detroit market. Emagine enjoys the honor and distinction of being named “Best Movie Theater” for several years running by the Detroit Free Press, the Detroit News, and WDIV television. Emagine has been named “Best Theater to See a First-Run Movie” by Hour Detroit Magazine consecutively for the past 9 years.

Emagine is a recognized innovator in the theatrical exhibition industry having been the first theater chain in the world to convert to 100% digital projection. In 1997, Cinema Hollywood (now Emagine Birch Run) was the first theater in Michigan to open with all stadium seating. Emagine was the first to introduce 4K projection to the Detroit market, and it boasted 3 of the first 100 Dolby Atmos® immersive sound systems deployed worldwide. On December 15, 2017, Emagine began operating the largest movie screen in the State of Michigan with the opening of its Super EMAX auditorium (featuring laser projection technology) at its megaplex in Novi, Michigan; and on December 19, 2019, Emagine opened the largest CinemaScope screen in the Midwest at its Emagine Canton/Westland location.

About MetaMedia
MetaMedia is the first global entertainment platform that delivers movies, premium content and live events to cinemas and other venues around the world. MetaMedia’s cloud-based platform provides for the secure, rapid and cost-effective delivery of big-screen entertainment to cinemas. MetaMedia is headquartered in Los Angeles. For more information, please visit http://www.metamedia.global