The zombie apocalypse arrived Wednesday night to more than 350 theaters.
"Range 15," the veteran-made, crowd-funded, star-studded, post-pandemic comedy, debuted this evening with showings across the country, having already raked in $500,000 in advance ticket sales, distributor Tugg said in a Wednesday afternoon news release.
Didn't get a ticket? Don't just head out to your local theater — tickets can only be purchased online, and some screenings already are sold out or are no longer offering seats. Interested viewers can check the movie's Tugg page to find out about future screenings or how to bring the movie to their area.
The movie cost about $1.8 million, Ranger Up founder and "Range 15" writer/star/producer Nick Palmisciano told Army Times late last year. More than $1.1 million of that budget came from fans via the film's Indiegogo page, which lists more than 10,500 contributors.
Palmisciano's Ranger Up teamed with Article 15 Clothing, a fellow veteran-operated apparel maker with a history of viral-video success, to make the movie. Its official premiere came in May at the GI Film Festival, where it took the GI Choice Film Award.
In addition to familiar faces from Ranger Up and Article 15 YouTube offerings (a recent selection: Article 15's Mat Best offers his not-safe-for-work ode to the Army poncho liner in "Be My Woobie"), "Range 15" features William Shatner, Danny Trejo, Sean Astin and other familiar Hollywood faces. Also appearing: Two Medal of Honor recipients (Leroy Petry and Clint Romesha), some military MMA icons (Randy Couture, Brian Stann and Tim Kennedy), one "Lone Survivor" (Marcus Luttrell) and at least one blow-up doll.
Tugg officials weren't immediately available to answer questions about how "Range 15" stacks up with other movies distributed via their platform. BoxOfficeMojo.com, a widely used source for movie financial data, considers 600 or more theaters a "wide" release, while mainstream blockbusters can debut on more than 4,000 screens. "Captain America: Civil War" opened in 4,226 theaters earlier this year, per the website.
Kevin Lilley is the features editor of Military Times.
