Series Kicks Off with the 85^TH Anniversary of ‘The Wizard of Oz;’ Other Highlights Include Tributes to ‘My Fair Lady,’ ‘Gone with the Wind,’ ‘Blazing Saddles,’ ‘Rear Window,’ ‘Mean Girls,’ ‘White Christmas’ & More

Every Screening Features an Exclusive Introduction by Cinema Legend Leonard Maltin, Sharing Unique Insights on Each Film’s Continued Impact and Influence

 

DENVER – December 14, 2023 – Fathom Events announced today the 2024 lineup for its Fathom’s Big Screen Classics series, packed with landmark anniversary screenings that span 60 years of cinema. This year, the spotlight is on 12 beloved films released from 1939 through 1999 and beyond, headlined by a pair of 85^TH Anniversary presentations saluting The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind.

 

From My Fair Lady and White Christmas, to South Park: Bigger, Louder & Uncut and Blazing Saddles, this eclectic lineup offers something for everyone to enjoy, as several of Hollywood’s most iconic offerings return to the big screen in theaters nationwide starting January 28.

 

Renowned film historian and critic Leonard Maltin is returning this year as a pivotal part of Fathom’s Big Screen Classics series.  His priceless insight will shed light on each film’s enduring legacies and continued impacts in a series of exclusive introductions. After thirty years of discussing film as a regular fixture on “Entertainment Tonight” and Turner Classic Movies, Maltin has established himself as a trusted voice for generations of film enthusiasts. He now hosts a popular weekly podcast with his daughter Jessie called Maltin on Movies, and, for the past 25 years, he has been teaching at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts.

 

His best-selling paperback reference, Leonard Maltin’s Movie Guide, published from 1969 to 2015, is still sought after today, and the ever-popular Leonard Maltin’s Classic Movie Guide remains a useful reference for film aficionados of all ages. Maltin is also the author of several other chart-topping tomes, including “The Disney Films,” “Hooked on Hollywood,” and his autobiography “Starstruck: My Unlikely Road to Hollywood.”

 

Fathom Event’s 2024 Big Screen Classics roster includes (in order of screening date):

 

• The Wizard of Oz 85^th Anniversary
• My Fair Lady 60^th Anniversary
• Labyrinth
• Gone with the Wind 85^th Anniversary
• Steel Magnolias 35^th Anniversary
• South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut 25^TH Anniversary
• The NeverEnding Story 40^th Anniversary
• Rear Window 70^th Anniversary
• Blazing Saddles 50^th Anniversary
• Mean Girls 20^th Anniversary
• The Fifth Element
• White Christmas 70^th Anniversary

 

“Some of the greatest films ever made are celebrating important milestones in 2024, and Fathom Events, along with our studio partners, is proud to honor them as part of our Big Screen Classics series,” said Tom Lucas, VP of Studio Relations for Fathom Events. “Each of these films continues to attract and inspire new generations of fans, many of whom have never seen these beloved films on the big screen. This year’s block truly has something for everyone—from outrageous comedies and sweeping epics to intense thrillers, groundbreaking fantasy, and everything in-between. We look forward to sharing these cinematic treasures with fellow film enthusiasts, and we are honored to have the esteemed Leonard Maltin back on board to provide unique insights and behind-the-scenes info before each screening.”

 

Tickets for the Fathom’s Big Screen Classics 2024 series are on sale now at www.FathomEvents.com or participating theater box offices. For a complete list of events in the series and to purchase tickets, visit the Fathom Events website. Please continue to check the Fathom Events website for updates and to sign up for alerts.

 

The Wizard of Oz 85^th Anniversary (1939)

Dates: January 28, 29 & 31

 

In this classic musical fantasy, Judy Garland stars as Dorothy Gale, a young Kansas farm girl who dreams of a land “somewhere over the rainbow.” Dorothy’s dream comes true when she, her dog Toto, and her family’s house are transported by a tornado to a bright and magical world unlike anything she has seen before. Unfortunately, she makes a mortal enemy of a wicked witch when the house falls on the hag’s sister. Now, befriended by a scarecrow without a brain, a tin man with no heart and a cowardly lion–and protected by a pair of enchanted ruby slippers–Dorothy sets off along a yellow brick road for the Emerald City to beseech the all-powerful Wizard of Oz for his help to return home.

 

My Fair Lady 60th Anniversary (1964)                

Dates: February 4 & 5

 

Audrey Hepburn is willful, self-aware and ultimately self-reliant Eliza Doolittle and Rex Harrison is Professor Henry Higgins in this splendid widescreen adaptation of the smash Broadway musical by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe. My Fair Lady won the Academy Award® as Best Picture of 1964 and seven additional Oscars®, including Best Director (George Cukor), Best Actor (Harrison), and Best Art Direction. Based on George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, My Fair Lady still dazzles thanks to indelible performances, gorgeous cinematography, and songs like “I Could Have Danced All Night,” “The Rain in Spain,” “On the Street Where You Live” and “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face.”

 

Labyrinth (1986)       

Dates: March 6 & 10

 

Frustrated with babysitting on yet another weekend night, Sarah (Jennifer Connelly), a teenager with an active imagination, summons the Goblins to take her baby stepbrother away. When little Toby actually disappears, Sarah must follow him into a fantastical world to rescue him from the Goblin King (David Bowie). Guarding his castle is the labyrinth itself, a twisted maze of deception, populated with outrageous characters and unknown dangers. To get through it in time to save Toby, Sarah befriends the Goblins, in hopes that their loyalty isn’t just another illusion in a place where nothing is as it seems.

 

Gone with the Wind 85^th Anniversary (1939)

Dates: April 7, 8 & 10

 

Winner of eight Academy Awards® (plus two special achievement Oscars), Fathom Events is proud to celebrate the 85th Anniversary of one of cinema’s most celebrated motion pictures of all time: Gone with the Wind! Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Olivia de Havilland and Hattie McDaniel star in this classic epic of the American South, opening on the eve of the American Civil War, as rich, beautiful, and self-centered Scarlett O’Hara (Leigh, in her Oscar-winning role) has everything she could want—except Ashley Wilkes (Leslie Howard). As the war devastates the South, Scarlett discovers the strength within herself to protect her family and rebuild her life. Through everything, she longs for Ashley, seemingly unaware that she is already married to the man she really loves (Gable) – and who truly loves her – until she finally drives him away. Only then does Scarlett realize what she has lost… and decides to win him back.

 

Steel Magnolias 35^th Anniversary (1989)

Dates: May 5 & 8

 

Six silver screen icons –Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis and Julia Roberts –come together in this hilarious and heartwarming story of life, love, and a loss in a small Louisiana parish. At the center of the group is Shelby (Roberts), newly married and joyfully pregnant, even though her diabetes could make childbirth life-threatening. Terrified at the possibility of losing her only daughter, M’Lynn (Field) looks to her four closest friends for strength and laughter, as she fights to overcome her deepest fear of death to join Shelby in celebrating the miracle of new life.

 

A classic story of family, female empowerment, and big southern hair, the big screen is the perfect way to experience the film’s authentic Louisiana charm and celebrate 35 years of Steel Magnolias.

 

South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut 25^th Anniversary (1999)

Dates: June 23 & 26

 

Stan, Kyle, Kenny, and Cartman sneak into an R-rated movie to see their favorite Canadian superstars, Terrence and Phillip. When their parents find out, they declare war on Canada. Now the boys have to stand up to their parents, stop World War III and get Satan back to Hell before he destroys the world. It’s all part of a young boy’s life in this quiet little redneck mountain town.

 

The NeverEnding Story 40^th Anniversary (1984)

Dates: July 21 & 22

 

The NeverEnding Story tells the tale of Bastian (Barret Oliver) who, on his way to school one day, ducks into a bookstore to avoid bullies. Sneaking away with a book called “The NeverEnding Story,” Bastian begins reading it in the school attic. The novel is about Fantasia, a fantasy land threatened by “The Nothing,” a darkness that destroys everything it touches. The kingdom needs the help of a human child to survive. When Bastian reads a description of himself in the book, he begins to wonder if Fantasia is real and needs him to survive.

 

Rear Window 70^th Anniversary (1954)

Dates: August 25 & 28

 

Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window tells the gripping story of a recuperating photographer (James Stewart) who suspects his neighbor may be a murderer. As the mystery develops, he enlists his girlfriend (Grace Kelly) to help him investigate and piece together the clues as they race to bring the full picture into focus.

 

Blazing Saddles 50^th Anniversary (1974)

Dates: September 15 & 18

 

Ribald, tasteless, and hilarious… Mel Brooks‘ classic spoof of the Western genre pokes fun at everyone and everything. Together with his nefarious railroad baron-backer Hedley Lamarr (Harvey Korman), corrupt Governor Lepetomane (Brooks) cooks up a scheme to grant a reprieve to an African American convict (Cleavon Little), on the condition that the condemned man agrees to serve as sheriff of a small Western town—with the intent that the newly-minted lawman will only live long enough to serve the needs of the governor and his seedy benefactor. The acclaimed comedy earned three Academy Award® nominations, including Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Madeline Kahn); Best Music, Original Song; and Best Film Editing.

 

Mean Girls 20^th Anniversary (2004)

Dates: October 3 & 6

 

After living in Africa with her zoologist parents, Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan) must brave the wilds of high school where she is taken under the wing of the popular girls, The Plastics, led by the cool and cruel Regina George (Rachel McAdams). What follows is a treasure trove of sharp, witty humor that defined a generation, inspired a hit Broadway musical, and popularized countless catchphrases. Co-Starring and written by Tina Fey, and featuring Amanda Seyfried, Lacey Chabert, Lizzy Caplan, Daniel Franzese, and Amy Poehler, Mean Girls is nothing short of a pop culture phenomenon and an iconic classic.

 

The Fifth Element (1997)

Dates: November 17 & 20

 

Bruce Willis stars as Korben Dallas, a New York cab driver-turned-unlikely hero in this timeless story about love and survival set in the 23rd century. The acclaimed director of such films as Lucy, La Femme Nikita and Leon: The Professional brings to life a future world in which humanity has wandered out among the stars, spreading the life-energy of the universe and further agitating the dark force—whose time to strike back occurs only once every 5,000 years, when a doorway between the parallel dimensions briefly opens. That time is now, and Zorg (Academy Award®-winning actor Gary Oldman), the agent of darkness, intends to take advantage of it. Humanity’s hopes may lie with Leeloo (Milla Jovovich), who represents the fifth element, the life force. Leeloo holds unimaginable powers, but she needs help, found in the unwitting Korben. Nothing less than the future of the universe is in their hands.

 

White Christmas 70^th Anniversary (1954)

Dates: December 15 & 16

 

Two talented song and dance men (Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye) team up after the war to become one of the hottest acts in show business. One winter they join forces with a sister act (Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen) and trek to Vermont for a white Christmas. The result is stuff dreams are made of.

 

Visit the Fathom Events press site for artwork/photos related to the Fathom’s Big Screen Classics series.

 

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About Fathom Events

Fathom is a recognized leader in the entertainment industry as one of the top distributors of content to movie theaters in North America. Owned by AMC Entertainment Inc. (NYSE: AMC); Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CNK); and Regal Cinemas, a subsidiary of the Cineworld Group (LSE: CINE.L)., Fathom operates the largest cinema distribution network, delivering a wide variety of programming and experiences to cinema audiences in all of the top U.S. markets and to more than 45 countries. For more information, visit www.FathomEvents.com.