Movie premieres in carpark: 'perfect' but 'a little weird'

Dave Franco, left, poses with his wife, cast member Alison Brie, and cast members Dan Stevens and Sheila Vand. Photo / AP

Franco goes low-key as he unveils his directorial debut, The Rental, at a drive-in.

Dave Franco says the drive-in premiere for his directorial debut was "perfect" but "a little weird".

The 35-year-old actor found himself at the centre of Hollywood's evolving response to the coronavirus pandemic last week as he premiered his directorial debut, The Rental, to more than 1300 people at the Vineland drive-in theatre in Southern California.

Joined by stars including wife Alison Brie, Dan Stevens and Sheila Vand, he took off his face mask to pose for photos in a huge car park, then took questions via Zoom from his car once the film ended.

It beat a traditional, more buttoned-up red-carpet event, Franco said: "It didn't feel like there was a spotlight on me or the cast ... more like this communal experience where everyone was just excited to get out of their homes and, you know, let loose with a group of fellow movie lovers. It was perfect."

Franco said Brie calmed him down about the shortcomings of an outdoor screening: patchy audio over the FM radio and ambient light drowning out darker sections of his horror thriller.

Director Dave Franco and Alison Brie on screen during a Zoom session. Photo / AP

"Trust me, it is not what I do. I am a crazy perfectionist. I annoy everyone around me because I won't stop until it's perfect. And so it was hard for me to let go, but it was nice having Alison next to me — she forced me to let go."

His movie is set to be released via video-on-demand and at drive-ins and traditional theatres in the United States on July 24. But the nation's largest cinema chains have been adjusting their reopening plans regularly in response to health officials. Franco said that like many in Hollywood, he was tracking Christopher Nolan's Tenet, scheduled for release July 31.

"Obviously that's the giant movie that everyone's focused on and that all the theatres are really trying to open in time for that film. So we've just been kind of stepping back and monitoring. If they're not opening for Tenet, they ain't opening for us. I'm happy to creep behind Christopher Nolan all day."

Franco is hoping to hold another premiere event closer to the movie's release — maybe even in a traditional theatre. There's something about the big screen.

Dave Franco poses for photographers in a California carpark. Photo / AP

"Just seeing how many people are flocking to drive-ins around the country, it just proves that the movie-going experience is so special," Franco said.

"There's a lot of talk about the future of film being mainly digital.

"But I think right now we're really seeing how much people love going to the movies."

- AP