“Willy’s Wonderland” Delivers in its World Premiere at Home as a PVOD Release

Rhea-AI Summary

Screen Media Ventures, a subsidiary of Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment (Nasdaq: CSSE), reported a successful opening weekend for the horror thriller Willy’s Wonderland, starring Nicolas Cage. The film achieved an 80% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and generated tens of millions of impressions for its trailer. The company anticipates continued revenue growth and increased Adjusted EBITDA in Q1 2021. Additionally, Screen Media plans to increase theatrical screenings of the film by 50% for next weekend.

Positive

• Successful opening weekend for Willy’s Wonderland with strong audience engagement.
• Film received an 80% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
• Expected to contribute positively to Q1 revenue and Adjusted EBITDA.
• Increasing theatrical screenings by 50% to capitalize on momentum.

Negative

• None.

Nicolas Cage Thriller is Expected to Add to Q1 Revenue and Adjusted EBITDA

NEW YORK, Feb. 18, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Screen Media Ventures, a Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Inc. (Nasdaq: CSSE) company, announced today the successful opening weekend Premium Video-On-Demand (“PVOD”) release of horror thriller Willy’s Wonderland, starring Nicolas Cage.

The feature by Landmark Studio Group (“Landmark”) is directed by Kevin Lewis from a screenplay written by G.O. Parsons. In Willy’s Wonderland, a quiet loner (Cage) finds himself stranded in a remote town when his car breaks down. Unable to pay for the repairs he needs, he agrees to spend the night cleaning Willy’s Wonderland, an abandoned family fun center. But this wonderland has a dark secret that the “The Janitor” is about to discover. He soon finds himself trapped inside Willy's and locked in an epic battle with the possessed animatronic mascots that roam the halls. To survive, he must fight his way through each of them.

“Willy’s Wonderland has quickly become a fan favorite as evidenced by the Rotten Tomato audience score of 80% and the tens of millions of impressions of the movie’s trailer,” stated David Ozer, CEO of Landmark.

“We are thrilled with the U.S. opening weekend performance for Willy’s Wonderland, and are expecting to see continued momentum into the second weekend,” said David Fannon, President of Screen Media. “We anticipate this movie will add to our Q1 revenue and Adjusted EBITDA.”

Willy’s Wonderland is produced by Nicolas Cage, Mike Nilon, Grant Cramer, Jeremy Daniel Davis, David Ozer and Bryan Lord. The Executive Producers are Tim Rouhana, David Nagelberg, David Fannon, Mark Damon, Seth Needle, Tamara Birkemoe, Adam Rifkin, Victor Perillo, Scott Harbert, and Jake Seal. Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment’s Screen Media Ventures, LLC, the film’s global distributor, has sold into key territories around the world, including U.K., Canada, Australia, Italy, Germany, Asia, Middle East, and Latin America.

Screen Media released Willy’s Wonderland in select theaters and is increasing the number of theatrical screens by 50% for the upcoming weekend. View the official trailer on YouTube.

ABOUT SCREEN MEDIA VENTURES
Screen Media Ventures, LLC, a Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment (Nasdaq: CSSE) company, acquires the rights to high quality, independent television series and feature films. Screen Media Ventures acquires worldwide rights for distribution through theatrical, home video, pay-per-view, free, cable and pay television, video-on-demand, and new digital media platforms. The company acquires AVOD rights for third party networks and is the main supplier of content for Crackle Plus and other Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment properties. With a library of over 1,500 television series and motion pictures, Screen Media Ventures is one of the largest independent suppliers of high-quality tv series and motion pictures to U.S. and international broadcast markets, cable networks, home video outlets and new media venues. For more information, visit: www.screenmedia.net.

ABOUT CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL ENTERTAINMENT
Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Inc. (Nasdaq: CSSE) operates streaming video-on-demand networks (VOD). The company owns Crackle Plus, which owns and operates a variety of ad-supported and subscription-based VOD networks including Crackle, Popcornflix, Popcornflix Kids, Truli, Pivotshare, Españolflix and FrightPix. The company also acquires and distributes video content through its Screen Media subsidiary and produces original long and short-form content through Landmark Studio Group, its Chicken Soup for the Soul Originals division and APlus.com. Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment is a subsidiary of Chicken Soup for the Soul, LLC, which publishes the famous book series and produces super-premium pet food under the Chicken Soup for the Soul brand name.

ABOUT LANDMARK STUDIO GROUP
Landmark Studio Group, a Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment company, is a fully-integrated entertainment company, which aims to create compelling, engaging and entertaining content for global distribution utilizing internal distribution channels, including Crackle Plus and Screen Media Ventures, or in partnership with third party platforms. Recent projects include the feature film Willy’s Wonderland, starring Nicolas Cage; the action film series, Trigger Point; and the television series, SafeHaven, as well as projects in active development to be produced in 2021 and beyond, including the original dramedy series, Flagrant, starring Michael Rapaport. Landmark Studio Group is headquartered in New York with offices in Los Angeles.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This press release includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks (including those set forth in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2020) and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ from the forward-looking statements. The Company expressly disclaims any obligations or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in the Company’s expectations with respect thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any statement is based. Investors should realize that if our underlying assumptions for the projections contained herein prove inaccurate or that known or unknown risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results could vary materially from our expectations and projections.

INVESTOR RELATIONS
Taylor Krafchik
Ellipsis
csse@ellipsisir.com
(646) 776-0886

MEDIA CONTACT
Kate Barrette
RooneyPartners LLC
kbarrette@rooneyco.com 
(212) 223-0561

FOR LANDMARK STUDIO GROUP:
Michelle Orsi
Three.Sixty Marketing + Communications
michelle@360-comm.com
310.418.6430

FAQ

What is the impact of <em>Willy’s Wonderland</em> on Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment's Q1 revenue?

The film is expected to add to the Q1 revenue and Adjusted EBITDA for Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment (CSSE).

What audience score did <em>Willy’s Wonderland</em> achieve on Rotten Tomatoes?

The film received an 80% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

When will <em>Willy’s Wonderland</em> increase its theatrical screenings?

Screen Media Ventures plans to increase theatrical screenings of Willy’s Wonderland by 50% for the upcoming weekend.

How did <em>Willy’s Wonderland</em> perform during its opening weekend?

The film had a successful opening weekend with significant audience engagement and impressions.