MOVIE NEWS – According to a new press release, “in a first of its kind, NEON Osgood Perkins’ The Monkey is being presented to all of God’s children by showing it in churches and theaters nationwide.” That’s right, and licensed religious institutions can apply for the title on the God’s Bowling Strikes Tonight website. Perkins said at the film’s premiere that the name comes from a quote that was once explained to him: if a lot of people die at once, then “God is bowling tonight.”.

The website’s headline reads:

“Share the Gift of The Monkey with Your Congregation!”

This is followed by a famous quote from the Book of Revelation: “And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, and with famine, and with pestilence, and by the beasts of the earth.” The text below continues:

“For the first time since the creation of God’s great earth, a major motion picture is being shown in the churches, at the same time as the American multiplexes. Glory to the Lord for giving us this gift through the Motion Picture Gods; and glory to Osgood Perkins, who fills our hearts with this sacred gift on God’s green earth. Unite your congregation and share this sacred gift: show The Ape and click the button below.”

Religious Test for Applicants

When an institution applies, it is given three questions. The first: “Why should your church be blessed with The Monkey?” The second: “Is salvation by faith or by film?” The third: “What is the greatest sin?” The only possible answer is: “Moving around in a movie theater.” It is questionable how seriously this can be taken, since no contact information is required when applying. In any case, it is likely that NEON has already made arrangements with certain churches and cathedrals for screenings.

NEON and The Monkey Marketing Campaign

NEON is known for its unique and often brilliant marketing campaigns. For example, they previously built up a promotional campaign for the film Longlegs, also directed by Oz Perkins. The Monkey was no different, as this campaign resulted in the most-watched independent horror trailer of all time. According to the studio’s statement:

“With the release of its record-breaking final trailer, The Monkey quickly became the most-watched horror film of the year. Less than a week after its release, the full-length trailer for Perkins’ upcoming horror film became the most-watched independent horror film trailer of all time. The highly anticipated adaptation of Stephen King’s novella received more than 43 million views worldwide in its first 24 hours. It surpassed 100 million in three days and currently has more than 109 million views across all platforms.”

The Monkey is Oz Perkins’ second film to be distributed by NEON, following the previous hit, Longlegs. The studio has already agreed to distribute the director’s next film, Keeper, which is due out in October 2025. The Monkey will be released in theaters (and churches) on February 21, 2025.

The film stars Theo James, Tatiana Maslany, Christian Convery, Colin O’Brien, Rohan Campbell, Sarah Levy, and Elijah Wood. The film is produced by James Wan (The Devil Made Me Do It, Saw) and Michael Clear of Atomic Monster; Dave Caplan (Babylon) of C2 Motion Picture Group; Brian Kavanaugh-Jones (Insidious) of Range Select; and Chris Ferguson (Longlegs, Child’s Play) of Odd Fellows. The film was financed by C2.

Source: MovieWeb