‘Sherlock’ Special to Receive Theatrical Screening in January
Good news: We know the title of the upcoming Sherlock special, and we know it’s airing in America on January 1 at 9pm, thanks to Masterpiece and your local PBS station. Additionally, we also know we’ll be seeing new Sherlock on the same day as our friends in the UK, for the first time ever.
The cherry on top of this sundae of awesome is that after you get your feelings about The Abominable Bride under control following its television premiere, you can go see it again in a movie theater with fellow Sherlock fans!
Yes, Sherlock is getting its first big-screen theatrical release, and is expected to screen in over 500 theaters across the United States.
We’ve known for a while now that The Abominable Bride would be shown theaters, much like Doctor Who’s 50th anniversary episode was back in 2013. But details had been relatively vague until recently about what that screening might actually look like. (And a lot of this depends on where you live – screening dates and times in the UK and US are very different, and I assume this is the case in other places around the world as well.)
For those of us in the US, the special will be in theaters for two days, on Tuesday, January 5 and Wednesday, January 6. The theatrical version of the episode will include 20 minutes of additional footage, including a guided set tour of 221B Baker Street with executive producer Steven Moffat, plus a short “making-of” with stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman.
Masterpiece producer Rebecca Eaton is confident that fans will still flock to the theater to see Sherlock on the big screen, despite the fact that the episode will air on TV first.
“Sherlock fans just can’t get enough of the show in any way, shape or form,” she said. “Offering the show on lots of platforms makes it more of an event; good buzz raises all boats.”
(Spoiler alert: She’s totally right. For me – and I assume others like me – half the fun of the screening experience is watching the episode in a roomful of other super fans. The Doctor Who anniversary theater screening was fantastic – people came in costume, took photos, made new friends. I can’t imagine this Sherlock version will be any different.)
Tickets for The Abominable Bride are now on sale, and you can purchase them on FathomEvents.com or at participating theater box offices. (FYI: For any of you locals, I’ll probably be hitting up the January 5 screening at Gallery Place if you’d like to say hello!)
Will you go see Sherlock on the big screen?
