The movie double feature may seem like a relic from a bygone era, but Paramount is bringing it back this weekend with its two biggest films of the year. The Brad Pitt zombie thriller World War Z and Star Trek Into Darkness will be playing on a double bill in US theaters from this Friday, August 30th through September 5th — for the price of a single ticket. Paramount has set up its own site for filmgoers to find the closet theater showing the double feature, though tickets are available through standard online ticketing outlets as well. A number of different theater chains, including Regal and AMC, are participating.
It's actually not the first time Paramount has brought World War Z out for a special engagement; earlier this month the film had a one-week IMAX 3D run to help pad out its domestic box office returns. World War Z started the year with a tremendous amount of bad buzz due to the extensive tinkering the film underwent after principal photography (writers like Damon Lindelof and Drew Goddard were brought in to completely rethink the film's third act after the original version failed to satisfy). We found the final product to be an exhilarating thriller, and it's gone on to earn over $198 million at the US box office. JJ Abrams' Star Trek Into Darkness did even better, bringing in over $227 million in the US. With many in the entertainment industry pushing for films to spend less time in theaters in order to maximize home video revenues, it's a refreshing change that gives movie fans the chance to see two true summer tentpole films the way they were intended: in the theater.