Co-director Cary Solomon says the filmmakers are negotiating with distributors to bring the pro-life project to movie theatres in 10 to 20 Canadian cities.
鈥淭his all emanated out of the pro-lifers who came out of Canada, so I think you should be really proud of yourselves,鈥� Solomon said during a May 24 news conference.
Unplanned is based on the memoir of Abby Johnson, a former Planned Parenthood clinic director who became a pro-life advocate. A recent Edmonton screening 鈥� which packed a 3,000-seat hall at the Edmonton Expo Centre 鈥� played a major role in instigating the negotiations, organizers said.
鈥淥n the May 14th screening there were some influencers in the room, and the next morning conversations were already happening,鈥� said Faytene Grasseschi, a pro-life advocate and television host based in Ontario.
Cineplex, which owns the majority of theatres in Canada, said there are two requirements to add a film to its schedule: a distributor and a film classification.
鈥淲e would certainly discuss screening the film in Canada with any distributor that picks up the rights and covers the costs associated with theatrical distribution,鈥� said Sarah Van Lange, Executive Director of Communications for Cineplex.
Solomon says the film has received a lot of censorship in the U.S, where TV networks have refused to show ads promoting it. Despite that, Unplanned exceeded expectations by earning $18 million after its release this spring, three times what it cost to make.