UPDATE: No more tickets are left for the “It’s a Wonderful Binge” premiere, American High announced Thursday. Any remaining RSVPs will be put on a waitlist.
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American High is inviting Central New York to binge-watch some movies on the big screen.
The Liverpool-based film studio will celebrate its new Christmas movie, “It’s a Wonderful Binge,” with a double-feature screening at The MOST (Museum of Science and Technology) in downtown Syracuse on Friday, Dec. 9. The 2020 film “The Binge” will be shown in the MOST’s National Grid ExploraDome at 7 p.m., followed by a red carpet entrance at 8:30, and the premiere of “It’s a Wonderful Binge” at 9.
Jordan VanDina, who wrote both films and makes his feature-length directorial debut with the sequel, will be flying into Syracuse for the premiere and participate in a Q&A after showing “It’s a Wonderful Binge.”
The event will also include a “festive reception” at 6:30 p.m., a party mixer with beer and a DJ at 11 p.m., and an after-party starting at midnight at 3 Lives Arcade Bar.
Admission is free, but attendees are required to RSVP in advance by filling out this online form.
"It’s A Wonderful Binge," a Christmas-themed sequel to "The Binge," is the latest movie filmed in Syracuse by American High. Pictured: Tim Meadows and Dexter Darden. (Photo by: Brett Roedel/Hulu)
“It’s a Wonderful Binge,” American High’s first Christmas movie shot in Syracuse, will also premiere on Hulu that same day (Dec. 9).
The new comedy film, previously known as “The Binge 2: It’s a Wonderful Binge,” is a sequel to 2020′s “The Binge,” a sort-of spoof of “The Purge” set in the near future where drugs and alcohol are banned except for one day a year. A trailer for “It’s a Wonderful Binge” includes nods to “Love Actually,” “The Santa Clause,” and “It’s a Wonderful Life,” the holiday classic that was partly inspired by the nearby town of Seneca Falls.
“All drugs and alcohol are illegal except on the day of the Binge. Several years after their first Binge, best friends Hags, Andrew, Sarah, and Kimmi face the realities of young adulthood as the annual Binge Day is moved to Christmas Eve. Amidst the chaos, Hags plans a proposal to Sarah while Andrew deals with his rocky relationships with his family and his girlfriend Kimmi. Will they survive this holiday season?” the synopsis says.
The cast includes returning stars Eduardo Franco (as Andrew), Dexter Darden (Hags), Zainne Saleh (Sarah), and Marta Piekarz (Kimmi), along with new cast members Danny Trejo (”Machete”), Nick Swardson (”Grandma’s Boy”), Kaitlin Olson (“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”), Tim Meadows (“Saturday Night Live”), Paul Scheer (“The League”) and Karen Maruyama (“Whose Line Is It Anyway?”).
"It’s A Wonderful Binge," a Christmas-themed sequel to "The Binge," is the latest movie filmed in Syracuse by American High. Pictured: Danny Trejo, left, and Eduardo Franco. (Photo by: Brett Roedel/Hulu)
Original “The Binge” stars Vince Vaughn, Skyler Gisondo, and Grace Van Dien do not appear to have roles. Van Dien and Franco co-starred in “Stranger Things 4″ earlier this year as Chrissy and Argyle.
“The Binge” was the largest movie ever shot in Syracuse and the first franchise for American High, based in Liverpool, N.Y. More than 2,000 extras and 50-60 local crew members worked on the first film, which included scenes at Syracuse Studios (formerly Liverpool High School and the A.V. Zogg Middle School in Liverpool), Onondaga Lake Parkway, Hanover Square, Carnegie Library, Clinton Square, Village Burger in Liverpool, a bridge in Van Buren, and the Greater Syracuse Soundstage (formerly known as the nano film hub in DeWitt).
Jeremy Garelick, who directed “The Binge,” produced “It’s a Wonderful Binge” along with Will Phelps, Ryan Bennett and Molle DeBartolo for American High, and Mickey Liddell and Pete Shilaimon for LD Entertainment. LD Entertainment’s Michael Glassman is also on board as an executive producer, as is Andrew Reyes.
The new movie is one of 15 films shot by American High in the Syracuse area over the last five years, along with “Banana Split,” “Holly Slept Over,” “Looks That Kill,” “Big Time Adolescence,” “The Ultimate Playlist of Noise,” “Plan B,” “Sex Appeal,” “Crush,” I Love My Dad,” “Empire Waist,” “Sid Is Dead,” “Miguel Wants to Fight” and a currently untitled Kevin James film.
See behind-the-scenes photos from “It’s a Wonderful Binge” during filming:
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