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Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘Licorice Pizza’ Trailer Debuts on 35mm at Repertory Theaters Before Online

Paul Thomas Anderson fans in London are getting a first look at his new movie.

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Paul Thomas Anderson Wilson Webb/©Warner Bros./courtesy Everett Collection

London’s Prince Charles Cinema has confirmed it is now screening the trailer for Paul Thomas Anderson’s new movie, “Licorice Pizza,” on 35mm film. Rumors surfaced last week that a trailer for Anderson’s latest was popping up attached to repertory screenings at London’s Prince Charles Cinema and Los Angeles’ New Beverly Cinema. Per Prince Charles Cinema, the “Licorice Pizza” trailer is playing ahead of “Mulholland Drive” and “After Hours” on September 14 and then again September 19 ahead of Anderson’s own “Boogie Nights.”

“PSA: Please do not attempt to record the screen as it plays,” the theater added on social media. “Our team will be watching. Just sit back and enjoy the show.”

“Licorice Pizza” (previously thought to be titled “Soggy Bottom”) is a coming-of-age movie set in the San Fernando Valley during the 1970s. The film finds Anderson returning to a similar setting as his breakthrough feature “Boogie Nights” (so it’s no surprise he’s attaching the trailer to a “Boogie Nights” screening in London). Cooper Hoffman, son of the late actor and frequent Anderson collaborator Phillip Seymour Hoffman, stars in the lead role. Plot specifics remain under wraps, but the film reportedly centers on Hoffman’s character getting into acting as a teenager. The supporting cast includes Bradley Cooper, Alana Haim, and Benny Safdie.

As for the title, Licorice Pizza was a real-life record store in Los Angeles that has since closed. The real-life location pops up in films such as “Fast Times at Ridgemont High.” Given Anderson’s love for theatrical exhibition, it’s no surprise he’s screening the “Licorice Pizza” trailer exclusively in theaters before it drops online. Anderson’s friend and fellow filmmaker Christopher Nolan pulled a similar move with the “Tenet’ teaser in August 2019. By attaching the “Licorice Pizza” to repertory screenings, Anderson seems to be reminding moviegoers that great films work best on the big screen.

Anderson shot the majority of his new movie in Los Angeles last fall during the pandemic. “Licorice Pizza” will mark Anderson’s ninth feature. His previous directorial efforts include “Hard Eight,” “Boogie Nights,” “Magnolia,” “Punch-Drunk Love,” “There Will Be Blood,” “The Master,” “Inherent Vice,” and “Phantom Thread.” The latter title earned six Oscar nominations, including Anderson’s second career nom for Best Director.

MGM (via United Artists) will open “Licorice Pizza” in limited release November 26. The drama will reach its nationwide expansion December 25.