Even though I’m already feeling worked over from 12 Years A Slave fatigue, given just how much coverage we’ve given the film – not only since its film festival circuit debut 2 months ago, but a good year+ before that, when the project was initially announced – I have to remind myself that the majority of you still haven’t seen it, because it hasn’t yet opened nationwide.
The weekend it debuted in theaters, it opened on 19 screens; the weekend after that, it expanded to 123 screens; and for its 3rd weekend, last weekend, it expanded even further, playing on a total of 412 screens across the country. Still not quite as wide as some of you might like (especially if none of those 412 screens are in your neck of the woods).
This weekend however, Fox Searchlight will begin the film’s nationwide expansion. I don’t have an exact screen count, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was in the low thousands, meaning the rest of America will finally get to the see the film that’s inspired plenty of conversation.
In consideration of this weekends nationwide expansion, For Searchlight has released a new featurette, titled The Cast, which introduces audiences to the diverse and talented cast of Steve McQueen’s acclaimed drama (and the roles they each play), including Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Lupita Nyong’o, Paul Dano, Benedict Cumberbatch, Adepero Oduye, Alfre Woodard, Paul Giamatti, and Sarah Paulson, to name a few key players.
Watch:
