a roadshow theatrical release, also called a reserved-seat engagement, opens a film in a limited number of theaters in major cities, holding it in each city for a run of weeks before the prints move on. the format mimicked a stage production, with higher prices, one or two performances a day, reserved seats and an upscale atmosphere, and it promoted major films from the 1920s through the 1960s.
the presentation followed the shape of a stage show: an overture played before the film with the lights up and the curtains closed, then the first act, an intermission, the second act and exit music. short subjects and trailers were dropped, and souvenir programs with photos, production notes and cast biographies were sold in the lobby. walt disney's fantasia (1940) put its credits only in the program and included an intermission.
gone with the wind (1939) is an early major example: nearly four hours long, it was divided into the standard parts, and after its premiere at the loew's grand theatre in atlanta on 15 december 1939 it played roadshow engagements ahead of a general release in 1941 at popular prices. the practice became the showcase for the widescreen era: three-projector cinerama features could play only in specially equipped theaters, so they always received roadshow engagements, and 70mm prints with six-track stereophonic sound went the same way. it's a mad, mad, mad, mad world (1963), shot in ultra panavision 70 and presented in single-projector cinerama, opened at los angeles' new cinerama dome on 7 november 1963 at 192 minutes and ran there 66 weeks before united artists cut it to 163 minutes for general release.
the sound of music opened at the rivoli theatre in new york on 2 march 1965 with two performances a day, reserved seating and an intermission, and 2001: a space odyssey premiered at the uptown theater in washington on 2 april 1968 as a 70mm roadshow. the format faded in the 1970s as multiplexes spread and expensive flops made slow premium engagements unattractive; lost horizon (1973) was the last film musical to receive a roadshow release.
revivals have been occasional: dreamgirls played a reserved-seat engagement in three theaters in 2006 with program guides and $25 tickets, and quentin tarantino released the hateful eight on 25 december 2015 as a 70mm roadshow with programs, an overture and an intermission in roughly 100 theaters worldwide.
related profiles; Movie Theaters, Film Presentation Formats, The Golden Age of Hollywood
sources; roadshow theatrical release, gone with the wind, the sound of music, 2001: a space odyssey, it's a mad, mad, mad, mad world, the hateful eight
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