by admin | Jul 18, 2025 | FirstShowing News
Official Trailer for Indie Horror ‘The Observance’ Featuring Ted Raimi
by Alex Billington
July 18, 2025
Source: YouTube
“The only people lying here are the killers and your precious cult!” Preach! Beyond Casual Media debuted the first official trailer for an indie horror thriller film titled The Observance, described as a psychological horror about a cult. This premiered at a few indie film festivals earlier this year and it still doesn’t have a release date set yet, but they’re hyping it up anyway with a fancy website and this trailer for now. After five years in a coma, Madison Neubauer awakens… only to discover that her home and family are ensnared by “The Observance”, a ruthless religious cult hell-bent on preserving its darkest secrets. They’ve got the whole town ensnared. Director Robert Hollocks delivers a haunting, suspense-filled vision, co-written with Amy Rhinehart Bailey, filled with psychological twists and chilling revelations. Starring Ted Raimi as Richard Abernathy and Kate Dailey as Madison Neubauer, and many others. There is even a viral website for this scary religious cult right here. This doesn’t seem like it will be a good film, but it’s still worth a look anyway.
Here’s the official trailer (+ poster) for Robert Hollocks’ horror film The Observance, from YouTube:
The Observance is the story of a woman who awakens from a five-year coma after a terrible car accident to find her world drastically altered. An enigmatic, Svengali-like religious leader has taken over her home and her husband and daughter have fallen completely under his control. But it’s not just her own family – the entire town is under the influence of his insidious cult. Ready to uncover the truth, she underestimates just how far the cult will go to protect its secrets. The Observance drops right into the middle of a cultural identity crisis: where truth is up for grabs, belief is a battleground, and everyone’s trying to figure out where they belong. The Observance is made by producer / writer / filmmaker Robert Hollocks, a former Paramount Pictures employee, and director of the film Applewood previously. The screenplay is written by Amy Rhinehart Bailey and Robert Hollocks. Produced by Amy Rhinehart Bailey, Robert Hollocks, Karl King. This initially premiered at the Berlin Indie Film Festival earlier this year. Beyond Casual Media will debut Hollocks’ The Observance film sometime later in 2025 – stay tuned. Visit the film’s official site. Intrigued?
Find more posts in: Horror, Indies, To Watch, Trailer
by admin | Jul 18, 2025 | FirstShowing News
Editorial: Selling IMAX Tickets One Year Before the Release is Bad
by Alex Billington
July 18, 2025
“Her gifts were mixed with good and evil both.” On July 17th, 2025, at midnight, IMAX theaters around the world started selling tickets to next year’s release of Christopher Nolan’s movie The Odyssey. The gimmick was a “one year from now” trick to get movie geeks & Nolan fans to buy tickets now for a movie that isn’t even done filming yet. Many didn’t even know this was happening, only those closely following updates on social media and IMAX nerds who are in the know. Universal Pictures has barely even started marketing The Odyssey – arriving in theaters on July 17th, 2026 next summer. As someone who has been following movie releases for 20 years, as someone who adores and supports the theatrical experience above all else, I have to state for the record – this is a bad idea. It is indicative of a desperate, broken theatrical industry willing to use gimmicks and “exclusivity” to remain relevant. We’re in an era where any & all valid criticism is rejected and most people are not willing to see the bad side in anything. So I’m not surprised some will claim I’m crazy for saying this is bad. Rather than considering it really is bad & sets an annoying precedent.
I hope no other movies or studios do this. Please don’t start selling tickets this far out from the release. But knowing Hollywood, this might start happening more & more and it won’t be good for cinema. To dive right into it upfront: movies are not concerts. They’re not supposed to be exclusive events that you must book a year in advance. Movies are for everyone. When a movie opens in theaters, everyone is supposed to be allowed to go watch it, they should be able to book tickets. Yes, sure, the standard nowadays is usually 1 or 2 months early pre-sales begin for opening day / opening weekend (Marvel usually does this). And yes, there will be hundreds of other showtimes available at every last cinema around the world next July when this highly anticipated new movie releases. As one person on Twitter already yelled back at me: this is just one format, and a few showtimes on opening day for this one premium format. Just chill! “It’ll be fine…” It’s just way too far in advance to do this. Many people have made the joke, which is not really a joke: what if the movie is delayed? What if they have to push it back a few months? Well, everyone is screwed over… I guess?
Nolan’s The Odyssey is the first ever movie shot entirely with IMAX cameras. Every scene, every moment, everything in it is being filmed on IMAX cameras – a daunting task considering IMAX cameras are extremely heavy & large, and create a great amount of noise (when shooting on 65mm film). IMAX says they invented brand new cameras for Nolan to use on this production. Photos from the set indicate this invention is just a gigantic sound-proof box that goes over the camera so they can record dialogue and natural sounds without having to completely ADR / dub everything later in post-production. Nolan and his crew is still out filming now – they just landed in Morocco this week with Matt Damon and Zendaya and Tom Holland present. Yes it’s exciting to follow movies, from pre-production through filming through post-production to release. I’ve been doing this for 20 years. But selling tickets to a movie right now that doesn’t open for one year? That’s just ridiculous. I have no idea where I’ll be, what I’ll be doing, what will be happening in the world next July. Do you? No one does. I get that they want to hype this up, and I get that the tickets are being sold for special opening day 70mm IMAX showings but that still doesn’t change the fact that it’s a frustrating gimmick.
Here’s one big reason why this kind of exclusive distant pre-sale is bad. Did you forget (or fall asleep? or just didn’t know?) to buy your tickets when they randomly went on sale earlier this week for a movie that doesn’t open for another 12 months? There were only few hundred available for each showtime (unlike thousands at concerts). Well, too bad, you won’t be able to get 70mm IMAX tickets on opening day anymore. You missed that chance. But scalpers are now reselling them for hundreds of dollars! They might even end up hitting $1K by next summer. I bet you there are tons of people (genuine Nolan fans!!) who will find out this pre-sale happened only in 2026 and will be pissed off that everything has been sold out for the last 6 months already. Dangling the hype carrot in front of people is the easy thing to do nowadays and will always result in people thinking their excitement and eagerness to pay corporations is righteous & pure. How dare I question that! But at this point, it’s not about the movie, it’s about getting people to give their money for that excitement, and do so way ahead of the actual opening. This isn’t a one-off event. This should be a celebration of cinema, not gatekeeping. Movies are something we all experience together, not only those who booked a year early.
And yes of course, every time I mention this, someone always responds with “but there will be tons of other showtimes added for release, calm down.” Why isn’t it the other way around…? Can’t they calm down about this one-year-from-now pre-sale gimmick? I definitely want to go to the 70mm IMAX openings, too, but I don’t want to book my tickets right now. It’s way too early to even be thinking about this. Let them finish the film and start marketing it before we even start to think about buying tickets for it. Once their full marketing campaign begins in 2026, once more people hear about it, of course, maybe then we should start organizing theaters. You want to see it that way? Well unfortunately you now have to wait until September 2026 to find a 70mm IMAX ticket. Or maybe those tickets will be sold out a year in advance, too? I’m not the only one grumpy about this. Many other people have voiced their frustrations on Twitter as well. A few of them here:
It’s hard to say I’m happy for everyone who got tickets now. Because no one should be fighting for tickets to see this movie right now. It’s too early. Of course, I understand that Nolan’s The Odyssey is a spectacularly unique cinematic experience as the first movie ever shot entirely with IMAX cameras. But it’s not the only movie that’s a special cinematic event. James Cameron’s Avatar 3 (aka Avatar: Fire and Ash) opens in December 2025, five months from now, and they haven’t even begun talking about tickets yet. Because they haven’t even started marketing it yet! (The first teaser trailer is out next week.) Nolan’s The Odyssey already has a teaser trailer out, but only in theaters (it’s not available online yet). There’s no reason to pull this stunt and start selling tickets in advance. In fact, many cities don’t even have this option. Where I live in Berlin, we have only one IMAX theater and it’s not setup for 70mm projection (only laser which is still stunning). There’s nowhere else near me offering the pre-sale and I’m sure this theater isn’t even thinking about tickets yet. Yes, every theater is excited about The Odyssey coming out next year. This pre-sale reeks of the industry being genuinely scared that only massive tentpole releases like The Odyssey are the only movies keeping them afloat and allowing them to make boatloads of money like they used to before the Covid-19 pandemic.
As much as this one-year-from-now ticket sale gimmick bothers me, there might be an ulterior motive for it. During the release of Ryan Coogler’s Sinners earlier this year and Nolan’s Oppenheimer a few years ago, one problem that came up in the theatrical exhibition industry: not many theaters have 70mm projectors anymore. They’re gigantic machines that cost a lot of money and require constant maintenance & technical management, along with a highly skilled (and well-paid) projectionist to run them. The industry is starting to realize that more & more movie fans prefer “special” formats like 70mm over standard digital projection. They’re worth installing. But how do you convince more theaters to install and pay a pretty penny for 70mm film projectors? You need to show them numbers. Perhaps this is a sneaky strategy from IMAX so that they can go out and convince more theaters to do this. It gives them one year of lead time. And now they can go around saying “look, we sold out hundreds of showtimes for the 70mm IMAX format one year in advance! There is huge demand!” Sure, okay, that makes sense – but can’t they prove there is huge demand without having to do this pre-sale gimmick? And most importantly, this excitement to watch 70mm IMAX releases is not sustainable year-round. Nolan can pull it off, and a few other filmmakers can draw people to theaters, but the rest of the year people might just stay home or prefer to pay normal prices for normal showtimes…
I just had to get this off my chest. I adore Christopher Nolan and his movies, I’ve been supporting watching his movies in theaters since this website started in 2006. But I am not happy with this one year early ticket trick. And I’m already worried about figuring out when the heck I’ll need to book tickets to watch the movie in IMAX in my own city. Above all else, I hope this does not set a precedent in Hollywood. And I hope we can all go enjoy the grandeur & glory of Nolan’s The Odyssey movie next year without having to think about booking tickets months in advance. Until then, I’m waiting for Universal to release the teaser trailer online so everyone can see it… What do YOU think? Did you get tickets already? Or will you wait until next year?
Find more posts in: Discuss, Editorial, Feat
by admin | Jul 18, 2025 | FirstShowing News
Official Trailer for ‘The A-Frame’ Quantum Physics Trippy Sci-Fi Film
by Alex Billington
July 18, 2025
Source: YouTube
“This is the A-Frame. This is your cure.” Dark Star Pictures has unveiled an official trailer for a sneaky little indie sci-fi film titled The A-Frame, a quantum physics thriller ready for release soon. This first premiered at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival last year, then played at the Fantasia, Screamfest, Trieste Science+Fiction Festivals last year. A quantum physicist develops a machine that creates a tunnel to a subatomic universe. In his quest to prove the machine’s efficacy, he inadvertently discovers a radical treatment for cancer. A young pianist is diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer, and with no where else to turn to save her hand, she hopes his groundbreaking experiment might help her. But with all experiments, things can, and sometimes, go horribly wrong… The film stars Johnny Whitworth as the inventor, Dana Namerode as the pianist, with Nik Dodani, Laketa Caston, Phillip Andre Botello, Larissa White, J. Barrett Cooper, and Stephen Jared. This looks like it gets real trippy and crazy. The A-Frame machine looks like the machine from Cronenberg’s The Fly, which seems to be what he’s going for because the cancer walks out of it. Freaky.
Here’s the official trailer (+ posters) for Calvin Lee Reeder’s sci-fi film The A-Frame, direct from YouTube:
Donna (Dana Namerode), a talented pianist, is crushed when she is diagnosed with a form of bone cancer that directly affects her ability to play the piano. Her life takes a major turn when the doctor recommends amputation as the only solution to stop the spread of the disease. This shifts her life from one filled with music, joy & friends, to a series of hospitals, group counseling, and… quantum physics. After exhausting all other options, Donna discovers one final chance to keep her hand. Enter Sam (Johnny Whitworth), a mysterious black-market scientist, who holds the key to solving all of Donna’s problems. However, when ambitions get high & egos go unchecked, Sam’s intentions come into question. The A-Frame is written and directed by American indie writer / filmmaker Calvin Lee Reeder, director of the films Jerkbeast, The Oregonian, The Rambler, and Harbor Island previously. Produced by Ran Namerode, Angelia Adzic, Cole Payne, Vincent Grashaw. This first premiered at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival last year. Dark Star debuts Reeder’s The A-Frame in select US theaters on July 25th, 2025 + on VOD starting August 5th. Curious?
Find more posts in: Indies, Sci-Fi, To Watch, Trailer
by admin | Jul 18, 2025 | FirstShowing News
Fantasia Teaser for ‘Terrestrial’ Sci-Fi Thriller Starring Jermaine Fowler
by Alex Billington
July 17, 2025
Source: YouTube
“They come to Earth in secret and they choose when to be seen. And they choose when to remain hidden.” So they’re out there somewhere… Get an early look at this indie sci-fi film premiering at the Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal underway this week. Terrestrial is directed by filmmaker Steve Pink, best known as the director of the two Hot Tub Time Machine movies previously. During a weekend reunion, a rising sci-fi author welcomes three college friends to his home, but strange events begin to blur the lines between reality and imagination. Jermaine Fowler stars as the author Allen, about to hit it big with a book & movie deal, but something seems strange about him. In this quick teaser you can hear him talking about “The Neptune Cycle” sci-fi novels and the aliens in them. The cast includes James Morosini, Pauline Chalamet, Edy Modica, Rob Yang, & Brendan Hunt. Fantasia describes it as “a completely original and unpredictable dark comedy sci-fi thriller about belonging, paranoia, and idolatry.” Yep I’m in! Just enough of a spicy tease to get my attention, especially with all the glimpses that pop up at the end of this teaser. Check it out below.
Here’s the festival promo trailer (+ teaser poster) for Steve Pink’s sci-fi film Terrestrial, from YouTube:
Not long ago, Allen (Jermaine Fowler) was a struggling science-fiction writer trying to get his work seen and his voice heard. But now he’s living high in the Hollywood Hills in a big mansion with a fountain, a vintage Mustang, and a room devoted to “The Neptune Cycle”, the classic science-fiction novels written by Allen’s hero, S.J. Purcell (Brendan Hunt). His friends Maddie (Pauline Chalamet), Ryan (James Morosini) and Vic (Edy Modica) have come to visit and celebrate Allen’s big book & movie deal, but they’re quick to believe his out-of-nowhere good fortune may be too good to be true. And his erratic behavior isn’t helping matters any; he’s coming across as sad, paranoid, and delusional, not like someone who’s about to hit the big time. Is it writer’s block? Or maybe it’s the wrong time to visit? And maybe they weren’t the only ones?
Terrestrial is directed by the American filmmaker Steve Pink, director of the movies Accepted, Speechless, Hot Tub Time Machine 1 & 2, About Last Night, Best Intentions, The Wheel, and The Last Republican, plus episodes of the series “Children’s Hospital”, “The Detour”, “Angie Tribeca”, “Wayne”, “Santa Clarita Diet”, and “Cobra Kai” as well. The screenplay is written by Connor Diedrich & Samuel Johnson. Produced by Josh Jason, Molly Gilula, Molly Conners, AJ Bourscheid, Austin Lantero, Rachel Walden, Pauline Chalamet, Luca Balser. The film is world premiering at the 2025 Fantasia Film Festival in Montreal playing in the Cheval Noir section this summer. No other release dates are set – stay tuned for more. Look good? Anyone curious?
Find more posts in: Horror, Indies, Sci-Fi, To Watch, Trailer
by admin | Jul 17, 2025 | FirstShowing News
Freaky Trailer for Time Loop Film ‘Exit 8’ – Trapped in a Metro Station
by Alex Billington
July 17, 2025
Source: YouTube
“Enter the loop…” Can you find your way out of a Japanese train station? Umbrella Entertainment down in Australia is the first to release an official English language trailer for the Japanese film Exit 8, a time loop horror thriller from filmmaker Genki Kawamura. This premiered at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival in the Midnight section – somehow I completely missed it! A man gets lost in an underground passage. He follows the “guide” through the passage, but one after another, strange things happen to him. Is this space real? Or an illusion? Will the man be able to escape? This is based on a video game (it’s on Steam), which is obvious because the trailer has a game vibe, and it reminds me of “Severance”. The rules of his quest are simple: do not overlook anything out of the ordinary. If you discover an anomaly, turn back immediately. If you don’t, carry on. Then leave from Exit 8. But even a single oversight will send him back to the beginning. Will he ever reach his goal and escape the infinite corridor? This stars Kazunari Ninomiya and Yamato Kochi. I’m a big fan of twisted time loop films like this! Goes right on my watchlist – need to catch up with it soon.
Here’s the official trailer (+ poster) for Genki Kawamura’s time loop film Exit 8, direct from YouTube:
A man trapped in a endless sterile subway passageway sets out to find Exit 8. The rules of his quest are simple: do not overlook anything out of the ordinary. If you discover an anomaly, turn back immediately. If you don’t, carry on. Then leave from Exit 8. But even a single oversight will send him right back to the beginning. Will he ever reach his goal and escape this infinite corridor? Exit 8, also known as The Exit 8 or 8番出口 in Japanese, is directed by Japanese producer / filmmaker Genki Kawamura, director of the film A Hundred Flowers previously, and a producer on the anime films Mirai, Belle, Bubble, Suzume, and The Colors Within. The screenplay is written by Genki Kawamura and Hirase Kentaro. Based on the video game made by Kotake Create. Produced by Yoshihiro Furusawa, Minami Ichikawa, Taichi Itô, Taichi Ueda, Kenji Yamada, Genki Kawamura. This first premiered at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival in the Midnight section and it opens first in Japanese this August. No final US release date is set – stay tuned. Who wants to watch?
Find more posts in: Foreign Films, Horror, Indies, Sci-Fi, To Watch, Trailer
by admin | Jul 17, 2025 | FirstShowing News
Electric Full Trailer for ‘Tron: Ares’ Sci-Fi Spectacular with Greta Lee
by Alex Billington
July 17, 2025
Source: YouTube
“You think you’re in control of this… You’re not.” And here we go! Disney has revealed the second trailer for Tron: Ares, the third Tron movie that is a sequel to 2010’s Tron: Legacy. Made by Norwegian director Joachim Rønning, continuing his Disney tenure following directing Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, and last year’s Young Woman and the Sea. This spectacular sci-fi tech movie follows a highly sophisticated Program, Ares, who is sent from the digital world into the real world on a dangerous mission, marking humankind’s first encounter with A.I. beings. Greta Lee plays Eve Kim, the human lead in this sequel – a tech genius, analytical and observant. She’s one of the world’s best programmers: reclusive, anti social, and an important renegade in stopping the programs. Tron: Ares stars Jared Leto as Ares, Evan Peters as Julian Dillinger, with Greta Lee, Jodie Turner-Smith, Cameron Monaghan, Sarah Desjardins, Hasan Minhaj, Arturo Castro, Gillian Anderson, + Jeff Bridges back as the OG Kevin Flynn. “This October, worlds will collide.” This looks AMAZING! Wow. I didn’t think they could really pull off bringing the programs into the real world but WHOA! I will be there opening night.
Here’s the second official trailer (+ poster) for Joachim Rønning’s sci-fi sequel Tron: Ares, via YouTube:
They’ve also announced that Nine Inch Nails’ official score for Tron: Ares will be out September 19th:
You can also rewatch the first teaser trailer for Joachim Rønning’s Tron: Ares right here for more footage.
Tron: Ares follows a highly sophisticated program, Ares (starring Jared Leto), who is sent from the digital world into the real world on a dangerous mission, marking humankind’s first encounter with A.I. beings. The highly anticipated sequel to the sci-fi classics Tron (1982) and Tron: Legacy (2010). Tron: Ares, also known as Tron 3, is directed by Norwegian writer / filmmaker Joachim Rønning, director of the movies Bandidas, Max Manus: Man of War, Kon-Tiki, then he moved to Disney & made Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, and last year’s Young Woman and the Sea previously. The screenplay is written by Jesse Wigutow and Jack Thorne. Based on the original characters created by Steven Lisberger and Bonnie MacBird for the original Tron (1982). Produced by Sean Bailey, Jared Leto, Steven Lisberger, Emma Ludbrook, Jeffrey Silver, and Justin Springer. Disney will release Rønning’s Tron: Ares movies in theaters worldwide starting on October 10th, 2025 this fall. Who’s excited for more Tron?
Find more posts in: Hype, Sci-Fi, To Watch, Trailer
