Jack Black Scheduled to Attend Fundraiser for Variety – The Children’s Charity
Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC), a leading motion picture exhibitor owning and operating the largest theatre circuit in the United States, today announces that Jack Black is scheduled to attend an exclusive benefit screening for Sony Pictures’ upcoming film, “Goosebumps.” Regal Cinemas Pinnacle 18 IMAX & RPX in Knoxville, TN, will host the event on Thursday, September 24, with proceeds benefiting Variety – The Children’s Charity of Eastern Tennessee.
“Regal is honored to host Jack Black at this benefit screening to raise money for Variety’s special needs children. Throughout his career, Jack has been a true force in the entertainment industry and we are excited to bring this actor, musician and comedian to East Tennessee,” stated Greg Dunn, president and chief operating officer of Regal Entertainment Group. “We extend our sincerest gratitude to our friends at Sony Pictures for making this screening possible and helping raise funds for Variety.”
Variety – The Children’s Charity is a multi-million dollar philanthropic organization that spans the globe with 43 chapters in 13 countries, improving the lives of children through creative fundraising efforts, well-placed donations with exceptional children’s charities, and through its own charitable programs. With the help of volunteers and sponsors, Variety – The Children’s Charity continues its mission to provide lifesaving and life-enriching assistance to children in need on the local and international level. The local chapter of Variety was founded in Knoxville by Regal Cinemas in 2001 and since then has generated more than $7.6 million to assist children in East Tennessee.
“With the success of the ‘Goosebumps’ series of books, we know there is an enormous fan base of adults and children that are truly excited to see this adventure comedy up on the big screen,” said Ken Thewes, chief marketing officer at Regal Entertainment Group. “Regal is thrilled to bring this film and star to Knoxville for the benefit screening while raising money for a great cause.”
Beginning Friday, September 11, a limited number of tickets will be available for sale to the public at Regal Cinemas Pinnacle, West Town Mall and Riviera theatres in Knoxville. Each ticket will cost $50 with proceeds benefiting Variety. Guests of the event will enjoy a catered reception in the Pinnacle lobby before Black walks the red carpet to greet the crowd. After the red carpet reception, attendees will have the honor of being some of the first moviegoers to view the film.
Scholastic has over 400 million Goosebumps books worldwide in 32 languages in print since the series introduction in 1992, earning critical acclaim and dominating global best seller lists. R.L. Stine has been recognized as one of the bestselling children’s authors in history. Now, the literary phenomenon is coming to the big screen.
In Goosebumps, teenager Zach Cooper (Dylan Minnette), upset about moving from a big city to a small town, finds a silver lining when he meets the beautiful girl, Hannah (Odeya Rush), living right next door, and makes a quick friend in Champ (Ryan Lee). But every silver lining has a cloud, and Zach’s comes when he learns that Hannah’s mysterious dad is in fact R.L. Stine (Jack Black), the author of the bestselling Goosebumps series. As Zach starts learning about the strange family next door, he soon discovers that Stine holds a dangerous secret: the creatures that his stories made famous are real, and Stine protects his readers by keeping them locked up in their books. When Stine’s creations are unintentionally released from their manuscripts, Zach’s life takes a turn for the weird. In a crazy night of adventure, it’s up to Zach, Hannah, Champ, and Stine to team up and get all of these figments of Stine’s imagination – including Slappy the Dummy, the girl with the haunted mask, the gnomes and many more – back in the books where they belong to save the town. Directed by Rob Letterman, the screenplay is by Darren Lemke with the story by Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski, based on the Goosebumps book series published by Scholastic and written by R.L. Stine. The film is produced by Deborah Forte and Neal H. Moritz
