On Monday, March 15, in a first-ever motion picture and television event, USA will debut-in its complete, uncut entirety-the intense opening 10-minute sequence from Universal Pictures’ upcoming zombie horror film Dawn of the Dead. The heart-pounding footage, which immerses viewers nearly immediately into a surreal, terrifying world under siege by zombies, will be shown between 10:00 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., near the end of USA’s telecast of “Final Destination,” which begins at 8:00 p.m. Eastern/Pacific (check local listings) on Monday, March 15.
This first-time-ever telecast will allow viewers to watch a full, uncut sequence from the film five days before it hits theaters. USA Networks and Universal Pictures strongly caution that the footage contains graphic violence and language consistent with the film’s “R” rating and recommend that viewers exercise discretion before tuning in.
“Dawn of the Dead is so good it’s combustible,” commented Adam Fogelson, president of marketing for Universal Pictures. “It gets your adrenaline going and keeps it there. You’ll scream, laugh, hide your eyes and cheer. We wanted to find a way to give people a real taste of that before the film comes out. Showing the first 10 minutes of Dawn of the Dead unedited, exactly as it exists in the movie, speaks for itself. This material is intended for mature audiences, so the responsible place to air it is after 10 p.m. on USA, a cable network, with plenty of warning about its content.”
“This unprecedented telecast is exactly the kind of creative collaboration we love to offer our partners,” said Michele Ganeless, executive vice president and general manager of USA Network. “It’s a promotional win/win for everybody — USA gets unique content while Universal gains tremendous exposure for its film.”
Dawn of the Dead opens nationwide in theaters on Friday, March 19, 2004.
