“Heated Rivalry” Is Getting A Theatrical Release

By
Garth Franklin
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HBO Max

Everyone’s coming to the cottage as Crave and HBO’s smash hit sensation “Heated Rivalry” is set to get a theatrical release.

Nearly one year after the gay hockey romance series premiered and became a pop culture phenomenon, it has been announced that all six episodes of the show’s first season are coming to cinemas in North America, the U.K., Australia and New Zealand.

Sphere Abacus is partnering with Regal Cinemas in the U.S. for the release. Regal will show the episodes in over 275 of its own locations. It will also serve as nationwide distributor, bringing the series to 650 theatres in total including AMC and Cinemark locations.

Regal screenings will also feature welcome content from the series’ cast and director, while participating locations will offer limited-time themed cocktails: Summer in Montreal and Russians Don’t Blush. Brooks LeBoeuf, senior vice president of U.S. content at Regal, said in a statement Thursday:

“When a series connects with audiences the way ‘Heated Rivalry’ has, we look for ways to bring it to the big screen and give fans a reason to experience it together. Nearly a year after its premiere, we’re proud to work with our partners to turn a season fans have watched again and again into a true theatrical event. It’s a chance to celebrate the story, its creators and its performances before Season 2 arrives in 2027.”

The release will involve three paired screenings of two episodes each – Episodes 1 and 2 (“Rookies” and “Olympians”), Episodes 3 and 4 (“Hunter” and “Rose”), and Episodes 5 and 6 (“I’ll Believe in Anything” and “The Cottage”). Tickets for each pairing cost $9.99. The screenings will run across November 6th-30th.

The series focuses on the ‘complicated situationship’ between rival generational talents in the ice hockey world – Canadian Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams), and Russian Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie).

François Arnaud, Robbie G.K., Christina Chang, Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova, Sophie Nélisse and Dylan Walsh co-star in the series which quickly became a global hit and turned Williams, Storrie and Arnaud into some of the most in demand talents in Hollywood. The show also drew critical acclaim and became the top-rated non-animated acquired series on HBO Max since it launched in 2020.

Advance tickets are available now at theater box offices, on mobile apps and through REGmovies.com. The re-release comes as the second season is currently filming in Toronto.