ICYMI: “Hate to Love: Nickelback” is getting a theatrical release this month

by Sara Harowitz on March 12th, 2024 at 1:17 PM

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How can one band simultaneously be one of the most successful musical acts in history and one of the most hated?

Such is the question at the heart of Hate to Love: Nickelback. The documentary follows the band from its beginnings in Hanna, Alberta, to its massive worldwide success in the early aughts, to its reputation for being one of the most disliked acts in popular culture. The intimate, behind-the-scenes film takes viewers into the heart of the foursome, highlighting the people who make the music—and unpacking, examining, and celebrating the music itself.

Led by lead singer Chad Kroeger (who is now a Fraser Valley resident), Nickelback has sold 50 million albums worldwide, making the band one of the most commercially successful musical acts ever to come out of Canada. As a society, we seem to love to drag thriving people down, so it’s perhaps no surprise that folks soon took to social media to declare their hatred for Nickelback, some even going so far as to harass its members in public. But was this vilification deserved? (No.) And why has it endured? (Because internet.)

After premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival last September, Hate to Love: Nickelback is getting a special worldwide theatrical release for two nights only. On March 27 and 30, superfans and even haters (who, perhaps, are just closeted fans?) can watch the film at select theatres across the globe; in Vancouver, it’s showing at International Village Cinemas.

“We are very excited to finally bring this film to theatres this spring,” the band says in a statement. “We hope everyone enjoys our story—fans, friends, or otherwise.”