Fathom Gives Chonda Pierce Documentary a Major Push
Fathom Events is giving a major push to Christian comedian Chonda Pierce, booking 512 U.S. theaters for an Oct. 27 screening of her documentary “Chonda Pierce: Laughing in the Dark.”
This is the fourth-largest rollout for Fathom, which specializes in presenting live events for theatrical chains. It’s co-owned by AMC Entertainment, Cinemark Holdings and Regal Entertainment Group. “The Sound of Music 50th Anniversary” was presented at 800 locations in April, while “Finding Noah: An Adventure of Faith” screened at 637 sites and “Ed Sheeran: Jumpers for Goalposts” showed at 584 theaters.
“Laughing in the Dark,” presented by Fathom Events and Fuseic Entertainment, centers on Pierce dealing with obstacles such as death and depression through faith and humor. Her husband of 31 years died last year.
The documentary will be followed by a 30-minute discussion, dubbed “Finding Light in the Darkness,” with Roma Downey, Kevin Sorbo, Sherri Shepherd, Monica Crowley, Monica Crowley and Kay Robertson of “Duck Dynasty.”
“Due to popular demand, several theater locations have upgraded to larger auditoriums, added extra auditoriums and even additional showtimes for the event,” said Fathom’s VP of Programming Kymberli Frueh. “Ticket sales for the event have already met initial projections, and with several days of pre-sales and walk-up tickets yet to come, the event should greatly exceed expectations.”
Pierce, often billed as the “Queen of Clean,” performs over 100 concerts annually. Five of her albums have gone gold, while two are platinum.
“I have allowed a film crew to expose very tender and private moments in my life simply hoping to continue a dialogue about faith, depression, grief and pain to promote healing for broken hearted people,” she said.
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