Homebound audiences around the world have been mesmerized by the antics of zookeeper “Joe Exotic” in the TIGER KING limited series, so this month Showcase Cinemas, in partnership with Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, is offering a virtual screening of  ROAR, the once-forgotten 1981 film that shows what happens when mere mortal humans meet dozens of tigers and lions. Called “the most dangerous movie ever made”, no animals were harmed during the making of the film, but hundreds of cast and crew members abandoned the project and 70 were injured, including the on-camera mauling of a 14-year-old Melanie Griffith.

Beginning April 15, Showcase Cinemas will be hosting a virtual screening of ROAR by using Vimeo’s VOD platform. Along with the film screening there will be a video Q&A featuring John Marshall, one of the film’s stars. Advance tickets are on sale now.

10% of ticket grosses from the virtual screening will be donated to The Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation’s Pioneers Assistance Fund, which is dedicated to helping people who work in the motion picture industry. Currently, the PAF is providing financial assistance to theater employees furloughed by the COVID-19 crisis.

Originally released in 1981, ROAR was directed by Noel Marshall, a former Hollywood agent and producer on THE EXORCIST. It stars Marshall, his two sons, his wife Tippi Hedren (THE BIRDS), and his step-daughter, a teenage Melanie Griffith. The film was produced over a five year span on location at Marshall and Hedren’s wildlife preserve in California. A comedy, it follows the adventures of an American family living with lions and tigers on a nature preserve in Tanzania.

The film was a box office dud upon its initial release, generating only $2 million in sales. But the cult status of ROAR grew, eventually leading to a theatrical re-release in 2015.

ROAR Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2SjcO-18c4