ABC to Screen 'The Muppets' Early With Mobile Theater Tour

From Hollywood Reporter
by Lesley Goldberg
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ABC is hitting the road in a bid to provide early sampling to three high-profile new fall shows. The network will offer early screenings of The Muppets and Quantico as well as Blood & Oil with a six-market tour. (The Muppets will preview the 10-minute presentation since there is not yet a pilot as the show doesn't begin production until August.) 

All screenings will take place inside the Cinetransformer (seen above), a 91-seat mobile cinema that is housed inside a 53-foot double-expandable trailer that is said to replicate every facet of a movie theater experience. 

The tour will kick off June 11 at CMA Fest in Nashville and run through June 14. Fans at all six locations — Chicago Navy Pier, Riverdays in Detroit, Summerfest in Milwaukee, the San Diego County Fair and the California State Fair — will also receive swag including t-shirts, pins and hats. 

The mobile tour marks the first of what are expected to be many new and forward-looking approaches by the broadcast networks to generate early buzz in an attempt to cut through the clutter of Premiere Week. 

ABC will launch the bulk of its new fall lineup during mid-September — with many of the season premieres already facing CBS' bows. 

A full schedule of ABC's Summer Block Party screenings follows.

CMA Fest - Nashville, TN Thursday, June 11-Sunday, June 14 (11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.) Corner of Broadway and 2nd Street

NAVY Pier – Chicago, IL Tuesday, June 16 – Wednesday, June 17 (11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.) Polk Bros. Park 600 East Grand Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611 

Riverdays – Detroit, MI Friday, June 19 – Sunday, June 21 (12:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.) 600 Renaissance Center Detroit, MI, 48243

Summerfest – Milwaukee, WI Thursday, June 25 – Sunday, June 28 (1:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.) 20 North Harbor Drive Milwaukee, WI 53202 

San Diego County Fair – Del Mar, CA Thursday, July 2 – Sunday, July 5 (12:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.) 2260 Jimmy Durante Boulevard Del Mar, CA 92014 

California State Fair – Sacramento, CA (12:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.) Friday, July 10-Saturday, July 11 1600 Exposition Boulevard Sacramento, CA 95815