Lionsgate Plans Treadmill Screening Challenge for Stephen King Film in Los Angeles

Lionsgate is hosting a unique treadmill screening event for the upcoming Stephen King film adaptation The Long Walk, where attendees must maintain a walking pace of at least 3 mph throughout the entire 108-minute movie or be removed from the theater. This endurance challenge mirrors the film's dystopian plot in which 50 teen boys participate in a brutal walking contest where slowing down results in warnings and eventual execution. The screening, held at the Culver Theater in Los Angeles on August 30, replaces all theater seats with treadmills and is a private event for influencers and selected fans. The film, directed by Francis Lawrence and starring Cooper Hoffman and David Jonsson, releases widely in theaters on September 12. While there is no tangible prize for completing the treadmill challenge other than the early viewing experience, the event has been praised as an innovative marketing idea by celebrities like Patrick Schwarzenegger. This immersive promotion aims to physically and mentally engage viewers by simulating the movie’s intense walking contest experience.