VALPARAISO — Cinemark, which operates the multiplex in the Porter's Vale Shopping Center, is giving away 1,000 private watch parties for Halloween at a time when the coronavirus pandemic has been keeping many movie-goers home.
The Plano, Texas based company will start giving away watch parties, normally sold for at least $99, on its website and app at 10:31 a.m. Oct. 9. The watch parties allow people to reserve an auditorium for up to 20 guests.
“Private watch parties have quickly become a moviegoer favorite — offering customers an exclusively immersive cinematic experience with a group they trust,” said Wanda Gierhart-Fearing, Cinemark CMO. “In this ever-changing environment, Cinemark is happy to offer an alternative way to celebrate Halloween by bringing back some of the best movies for family fun or fright and giving away 1,000 private watch parties.”
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All month long, Cinemark will show Halloween classics such as "Hocus Pocus," "Coco," "Nightmare Before Christmas," "Halloween," "A Nightmare on Elm Street," "The Addams Family" and "The Exorcist: The Version You’ve Never Seen Before," encouraging families to come dressed in Halloween costumes.
The movie theater chain is offering discounts on concessions to try to get movie-goers to return after the coronavirus pandemic has killed more than 200,000 Americans thus far.
Cinemark, which operations more than 530 theaters nationwide, has taken many COVID-19 precautions, such as disinfecting auditoriums with pressurized sprayers between showtimes, requiring face masks, blocking off seats next to those purchased, and doing wellness checks of employees before every shift.
— Joseph Pete
11 movies you may or may not know were filmed in the Region
"Natural Born Killers"
One of the most famous scenes from the 1994 movie "Natural Born Killers" was shot in Hammond, specifically at the Hammond City Hall. The interior and exterior of the vintage 1930s building were used to recreate a city courtroom for a scene with Woody Harrelson's character plunging a knife into another man. Alas, much of the scene was cut from the final released film. The water towers in Calumet City can also be spotted in the movie.
The movie, starring Woody Harrelson, Juliette Lewis and Tom Sizemore, was released in 1994.
Click here for more info from IMDB.
"Pearl Harbor"
Aerial shots of U.S. Steel in Gary are used in "Pearl Harbor," although the shots are not intended to depict U.S. Steel but instead industrial Japan in 1942.
The movie, starring Ben Affleck, Kate Beckinsale and Josh Hartnett, was released in 2001.
Click here for more info from IMDB.
"Prancer"
The 1989 Christmas film classic "Prancer," is a claim-to-fame for LaPorte County. It's about an 8-year-old girl, played by young actress Rebecca Harrell, who rescues an injured deer, believing he is one of Santa's famous antler team. The movie's director John Hancock hails from LaPorte, Ind.
The movie, starring Sam Elliot, Cloris Leachman and Rutanya Alda, was released in 1989.
Click here for more info from IMDB.
"Public Enemies"
"Public Enemies" starring Johnny Depp as John Dillinger was released in 2008. The film starred Northwest Indiana and Chicagoland residents for onscreen roles and was filmed in the Region, particularly in Crown Point.
The movie, starring Christian Bale, Johnny Depp and Christian Stolte, was released in 2009.
Click here for more info from IMDB.
"Regionrat"
"Regionrat" was written and directed by Javier Reyna and stars Natassia Halabi and Connor Williams, who also starred in independent films like "UnMiracle" and "American Nobody."
The movie, released in 2018, is the indie film adaptation of Rich Laskowski's cult novel set in Northwest Indiana.
Click here for more info from IMDB.
"Rudy"
The movie "Rudy" was not only filmed at Notre Dame in South Bend, but there are also scenes that were shot in Whiting.
The movie, starring Sean Astin, Jon Favreau and Ned Beatty, was released in 1993.
Click here for more info from IMBD.
"Small Towns are Murder"
Actress Donna Burns readies for her close-up in "Small Towns Are Murder," filmed in Hammond's Mueller Hardware in November of 1987.
The film also stars Albert Julkes and Gerry Langedon.
"The Fugitive"
The 1993 runaway hit "The Fugitive" included scenes filmed around East Chicago's steel mills and in Whiting.
The movie, starring Harrison Ford, Tommy Lee Jones and Sela Ward, was released in 1993.
Click here for more info from IMDB.
"The Package"
Production assistant Chris Albrecht quiets the crowd before filming starts on "The Package" in Dolton, Illinois, in December of 1988.
The movie, starring Gene Hackman, Tommy Lee Jones and Joanna Cassidy, was released in 1989.
Click here for more info from IMDB.
"Transformers 3"
Adams Street in downtown Gary teems members of a film crew in 2010 during the shooting of "Transformers 3" at City Methodist Church in Gary. Scenes from the movie were filmed there.
The movie, starring Shia LaBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Tyrese Gibson, was released in 2011.
Click here for more info from IMDB.
“When Jeff Tried to Save the World”
"Napoleon Dynamite" star Jon Heder, "Parks and Recreation"'s Jim O’Heir and other Hollywood types have taken over Lan-Oak Lanes in Lansing to film the indie movie “When Jeff Tried to Save the World.”
The film crew scouted more than 40 bowling alleys in Los Angeles, but didn't find any with the right vintage look until former Munster resident and director Kendall Goldberg saw the 16-lane Lan-Oak Lanes, which still looks largely the way it did during the 1960s. The film crew has added an arcade and several neon signs, including a "Winky's World" one, for the filming.
Click here for more info from IMDB.