Columbia Pictures’ Saturday Night, directed by Academy Award nominee Jason Reitman, opened in theaters nationwide following a staged release over the past few weeks, and the movie has failed to find an audience, sadly. The movie released in 2,309 locations on Friday, and grossed an estimated $3.44 million, bringing the total domestic gross to $4.19 million. The movie is also set to receive a release overseas later this year, and in the early months of 2025.

Saturday Night, a rapid-paced comedy-drama hybrid, takes audiences back to the evening of October 11, 1975, when a group of young comedians and writers tried to start a revolution in television with the first ever episode of Saturday Night Live. Directed by Reitman and co-written with Gil Kenan, his co-writer and producer on Ghostbusters: Afterlife and Frozen Empire, the film takes place in real-time, capturing the madness and chaotic 90 minutes behind the scenes leading up to the groundbreaking broadcast. The movie features a vast and sweeping ensemble cast including the likes of Gabriel LaBelle, Rachel Sennott, Cory Michael Smith, Ella Hunt, Dylan O’Brien, Emily Fairn, Matt Wood, Lamorne Morris, Kim Matula, Finn Wolfhard, Nicholas Braun, Cooper Hoffman, Andrew Barth Feldman, Kaia Gerber, Tommy Dewey, Willem Dafoe, Matthew Rhys, and J.K. Simmons.

How Good a Film Is ‘Saturday Night’?

As stated above, the movie has a Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, at 80% from 145 reviews to date. Ross Bonaime of Collider labeled it “Jason Reitman’s best movie in years” when he reviewed the film earlier this year at the Toronto Film Fesitval. He wrote:

“Saturday Night
is also the best film from Reitman
since his work with
Diablo Cody
in 2018’s

Tully

and 2011’s

Young Adult

. Reitman knows how to build the tension of this situation, a never-ending string of problems that need to be solved and quickly.
But beyond that,
Saturday Night
is an exciting, enthralling, and often hilarious celebration of
Saturday Night Live
with a tremendous cast that shows the unbelievable amount of work that goes into putting this show on. There is a clear love for the legacy and history of
SNL
and its importance in comedy and television, and Reitman captures that wonderfully here. By looking back at this iconic episode, Reitman has made one of his best films in years.”

Saturday Night is now playing in theaters nationwide. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates on the film and the rest of the box office.

At 11:30 PM on October 11, 1975, a group of young comedians and writers changed television history. The film, directed by Jason Reitman, captures the chaos and creativity behind the scenes in the 90 minutes leading up to the first broadcast of “Saturday Night Live,” highlighting the birth of an iconic show​.Release Date October 11, 2024 Director Jason Reitman Main Genre Biography Writers Gil Kenan , Jason Reitman Character(s) NBC Page , David Tebet , Dan Aykroyd , Milton Berle , Gilda Radner , Rosie Shuster Expand

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