AMC has had a good thing going with The Walking Dead for the better part of a decade, and the Fear the Walking Dead spinoff has filled in some blanks of the zombie apocalypse outside of what Rick experienced starting in the pilot. Now, both The Walking Dead and the spinoff are headed to theaters for a special event called "Survival Sunday: The Walking Dead & Fear the Walking Dead" that will celebrate the upcoming crossover between the two series.
The Season 8 finale of The Walking Dead and the Fear the Walking Dead Season 4 premiere will air commercial-free in theaters for one night only in April. In addition to the two episodes, viewers will get to see exclusive bonus content on the big screen, although details of the bonus content have not yet been announced. Tickets for the "Survival Sunday" event go on sale for the general audience starting on Friday, March 16. Members of TWD Fan Rewards Club have the option to order tickets ahead of time to earn points, beginning on March 15. The screening event will kick off live at 8:30 p.m. ET. Given that the Walking Dead Season 8 finale doesn't begin until 9 p.m. ET on AMC, the odds are pretty good that some of the exclusive bonus content will air ahead of the premiere.
"Survival Sunday: The Walking Dead & Fear the Walking Dead" will take place on Sunday, April 15. That said, not all fans of The Walking Dead franchise will necessarily have access to the theatrical event. The episodes will air in more than 750 select movie theaters throughout the United States, which means that some fans would have to travel a fair distance to watch in the theaters. For some, it might be best just to settle in for the evening and watch on AMC. If you do want to attend, you can find tickets at Fathom Events and participating theater box offices.
As popular as The Walking Dead and (to a lesser extent) Fear the Walking Dead have been over the years, it would normally seem rather odd that AMC would go so far as to coordinate a theatrical screening. Even pairing a finale with a premiere usually might not be that huge of a deal. What sets these two episodes apart is the fact that they'll feature Morgan crossing over from The Walking Dead to Fear the Walking Dead, although details about how he'll travel so far in a limited span of time are currently unclear. This will mark the first time a major character from the mothership appears on the spinoff, and all signs point to a significant arc for Morgan rather than just a cameo. The crossover (which seemed unlikely ever to happen for a while) is something the franchise has never pulled off before, making it something brand new and evidently worthy of theatrical release.
It's not unprecedented for TV shows to air episodes as events in theaters. Doctor Who aired its 50th anniversary special in select theaters as well as other big episodes, and Inhumans infamously attempted to hit the ground running by debuting its first two episodes in IMAX last fall. For The Walking Dead's sake, we have to hope that the "Survival Sunday" event is more of a success than what Inhumans managed, even if the Walking Dead even is one night only.
The Walking Dead/Fear the Walking Dead event will hit theaters on April 15. For new episodes of The Walking Dead in the meantime, tune in to AMC on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET. If you're still in the market for other series, our midseason TV premiere schedule and 2018 Netflix premiere guide can help you out.
