SOFIA, Bulgaria (Top40 Charts/ Sonisphere Festival/ NCM Fathom) - The 'Big Four,' Metallica, Slayer,
Megadeth and Anthrax, are bringing their historic European tour to the global stage via satellite to 800 movie theaters around the world in a special high definition cinematic event. These four legendary acts broke out of the underground thrash movement in the 1980s to dominate the metal world, selling millions of records and packing arenas across the globe.
Despite huge demand, these musical giants have never shared the same stage until now. The legendary June 22 concert from the tour's stop at the Sonisphere Festival in Sofia, Bulgaria, will be presented in the U.S. in more than 450 theaters in over 140 markets at 7:30 p.m. local time on the same day by NCM Fathom. The event will be broadcast into theaters in Europe, Canada and Latin America through other international exhibitor partnerships. Delayed screenings are also planned in Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. Tickets for The Big Four: Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax are available today in the U.S. at participating theater box offices and at www.FathomEvents.com or www.thebigfourlive.com, where fans can also view the event trailer.
In December 2009, the bands announced that they would be joining forces to take part in the traveling Sonisphere Festival for only seven shows across Europe. Now, this one-time-only event from the Sofia show makes it possible for fans far and wide to participate in what otherwise is a very limited run of dates. The high definition concert presentation will memorialize the event and the impact will be amplified globally in cinemas, making the dreams of fans around the world become a reality.
Lars Ulrich of Metallica says of this historic announcement, "Who would have thought that more than 25 years after its inception, thrash metal's Big Four would not only still be around, be more popular than ever, playing shows together at stadiums all over Europe, and on top of that, coming to a movie theater near you in high definition (for better or worse??!!) Bring it on!"
Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian says, 'Damn, as if this Big Four tour wasn't exciting enough, now we get to be on the big screen worldwide! Metal at the movies, two big horns up! It is unbelievably gratifying that this means so much to the metal community around the globe. Get your tix, grab some popcorn and get ready to bang your head!'
Declares Slayer's Kerry King, 'I can't believe someone didn't make this happen 15 years ago! The fans finally get what they want. I think it's awesome!'
Says Megadeth's Dave Mustaine, 'The magnitude of this event hasn't really sunk in yet, and I am thrilled to know that people around the planet will be able to walk into a movie theater and experience the greatest line-up of heavy metal in the history of the world!'
Presented in the U.S. by NCM Fathom, The Big Four: Anthrax, Megadeth, Metallica, Slayer will appear in 451 select U.S. movie theaters, including AMC Entertainment Inc., Celebration! Cinema, Cinemark Holdings, Inc., Clearview Cinemas, Cobb Theatres, Goodrich Quality Theatres, Hollywood Theaters, Kerasotes Showplace Theatres, Marcus Theatres, National Amusements and Regal Entertainment Group movie theaters, as well as The Carolina (Asheville, NC) and the Palace Cinema 9 (South Burlington, VT), through NCM's exclusive Digital Broadcast Network - North America's largest cinema broadcast network.
The Big Four: Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax digital event in cinemas is distributed globally by New York-based BY Experience. Presently, over 800 cinemas worldwide will exhibit the program. Additional cinemas/territories may be added. Exhibition times may vary by territory.
