‘Synchronic’ Directors Urge Viewers To Avoid Theaters Ahead Of Sci-Fi Thriller’s October Release

Directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead said potential viewers should not head to indoor theaters to watch their sci-fi thriller Synchronic.

“We want to be very clear: at the time of writing this, we personally wouldn’t go to an indoor theater, so we can’t encourage you to,” Moorhead said in an Instagram post. “To us, this isn’t only about feeling safe in a theater, this is also about the scientific community indicating that enclosed spaces like movie theaters are still a hazard for spreading Covid-19 to others.”

Moorhead’s social media notice, posted on Friday, came the same day Well Go USA announced that Synchronic would hit drive-ins and movie theaters in October. The statement, also penned by Benson and producer David Lawson, said that the movie will have a VOD release in the coming months, which means that viewers can still catch the flick without potentially exposing themselves to the infectious disease.

While Moorhead said he doesn’t encourage viewers see Synchronic at indoor theaters, he pleads those planning to do to adhere to all the safety guidelines, which may range from maintaining a safe social distance to wearing face coverings.

“We are infinitely grateful for anyone checking out our movies, as well as everyone who has worked on them, and want all of you to remain as healthy as possible during these unprecedented times,” the statement concluded.

Moorehead and Benson’s film follows to New Orleans paramedics whose lives are ripped apart after encountering a series of horrific deaths linked to a designer drug with bizarre, otherworldly effects. Patriot Pictures, Rustic Films and XYZ Films produce the film, with Michael Mendelsohn’s Union Patriot Capital Management providing financing.

Synchronic, starring Jamie Dornan and Anthony Mackie, comes to drive-ins and theaters on Oct. 23.

Read the directors’ full statement below.

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