Movies have their time and, for the most part, fade into history. Occasionally, movies may end up gaining a cult following, or fandom, that lends them to stay relevant, even months or years later. One such movie is currently gaining more and more traction.
In 2019, the movie Alita: Battle Angel was released. While it did perform well at the box office, this did not immediately warrant a sequel, even though the ending of the movie was clearly a cliff-hanger left solely to set up for future movies. At the time, fans waited with bated breath for news of a sequel - it never came.
We’re now nearing the end of 2020 and Alita fans decided they didn’t want to sit still and let their beloved movie fade into obscurity. Thus, the Alita Army was born. Individuals and groups campaigned for a sequel or a re-release via many social platforms and the real world.
A banner was flown over the Oscars ceremony, paid for by the Alita Army through crowdfunding. They also saved for billboards and advertisements. One of the biggest wins for Alita’s Army was gaining support from both James Cameron and Robert Rodriguez, who both also wished to see their creation back on the big screen.
Eventually, cinemas caught wind of the campaigns and Cinemark Cinemas chose to screen the movie on 30 October in the US. Sadly though, nothing has yet to materialise for fans in other countries. Prior to the latest lockdown announcement, there were reports that “At the Drive-In” was going to be screening Alita: Battle Angel at 8pm on Friday, 4 December.
Unfortunately, this did not go ahead. By the end of October, that listing had been changed to another screening of Elf which infuriated many Alita fans. Currently, due to the Coronavirus situation, it is unknown if any of these movies will be able to go ahead.
Meanwhile, the Alita Army deems its work a success. By 1 November, the re-release of Alita: Battle Angel had also occurred in several other cinemas, and $128,000 of ticket sales were made. Alita fans are now awaiting an announcement to see if their hard work has truly paid off with a sequel they so richly deserve.