MGM’s Thelma & Louise is turning 30, and the studio is holding a special drive-in screening event June 18 in partnership with Cinespia’s Drive In at The Greek in Los Angeles. The pic was originally released over Memorial Day weekend in 1991, on May 24.
Geena Davis, who played Thelma, and Susan Sarandon, who played Louise, will participate in a Q&A before the screening.
“Thelma & Louise is a landmark film that left an indelible mark on popular culture when it was released 30 years ago,” Michael De Luca, MGM’s Film Group chairman, and Pamela Abdy, MGM’s Film Group president, said Thursday. “We’re thrilled to celebrate its lasting legacy with a special screening event, and look forward to honoring Geena and Susan, whose groundbreaking characters paved the way for female empowerment stories in Hollywood.”
Said Davis: “What was so striking was the intense reaction to the film. Thelma and Louise end up driving off a cliff, and still viewers felt exhilarated by their story. It made me realize how few opportunities we give women to come out of a movie feeling inspired and empowered by the female characters. It changed everything about how I chose roles moving forward.”
Added Sarandon: “When we were filming Thelma & Louise 30 years ago, we had no idea the kind of cultural impact it would continue to have for decades. At the time, it was revolutionary to have two women in a film that weren’t enemies and were having fun together on screen. I think that’s been one of the biggest breakthroughs — today there are so many brilliant female actors making films where women aren’t adversarial to each other and have the power to determine their own destiny. “
Directed by Ridley Scott, Thelma & Louise grossed over $45 million at the domestic box office (unadjusted for inflation) and went on to be nominated for six Oscars including Best Director and Best Actress each for Davis and Sarandon. The pic’s scribe Callie Khouri won Best Original Screenplay in her first outing at the Oscars.
The pic follows accidental outlaws, Thelma and Louise, on a desperate flight across the Southwest. With a determined detective (Harvey Keitel) on their trail, a sweet-talking hitchhiker (Brad Pitt, in one of his early roles) in their path and a string of crimes in their wake, their journey alternates between high-speed thrill ride and empowering personal odyssey.
A portion of the drive-in event proceeds will benefit the LA Regional Food Bank and The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media.