Buddy is getting the audience-participation treatment. Beginning Friday, October 2, fans can experience Casper Kelly’s twisted horror-comedy Buddy in theatres with Buddy: The Sing-Along Version, featuring on-screen lyrics for all of the film’s songs. The special theatrical engagement is inviting audiences to dress up, sing along, and join the terrifying orange unicorn and his friends for what Roadside Attractions and Saban Films are calling an immersive theatrical experience.
The sing-along version of Buddy will feature on-screen lyrics for songs including “It’s Buddy!,” “You’ve Got to Be Scared to Be Brave,” and “The Wrong Place in Town.” Fans are encouraged to dress up and sing their hearts out as Buddy gets a new life as a participatory theatrical event.
“BUDDY audiences have inspired us like nothing we’ve seen before,” said Roadside Attractions Co-Presidents Howard Cohen and Eric d’Arbeloff and Saban Films Co-President Jonathan Saba. “They’re already singing and dancing in the aisles. BUDDY: THE SING-ALONG VERSION is really just catching up with what these amazing fans are already doing — and we think they’re going to love it.”
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Before the nationwide opening, Buddy will hold a special Biggest Night Out Gala Premiere for the sing-along version on Tuesday, September 29, at the historic Alex Theatre in Glendale, California. The 1,300-seat movie palace will host director Casper Kelly, actors Delaney Quinn, Madison Skyy Polan, CJ Williams, Luke Speakman, and Buddy himself for the special event. Tickets for the orange-carpet premiere reportedly sold out within three hours of being posted on Buddy‘s social media pages.
The sing-along announcement comes as Buddy continues to perform strongly at the box office. According to the film’s distributors, Buddy has grossed more than $25 million over the last five weeks. The movie also had the biggest opening of 2026 for a film playing on fewer than 1,800 screens.
The film has also become the highest-grossing movie in Saban Films’ history. For Roadside Attractions, Buddy is now the studio’s third-highest-grossing film ever, surpassing Judy. Only I Can Only Imagine and Manchester by the Sea have earned more for the distributor.
Buddy turns a beloved children’s television mascot into a nightmare.
“Remember BUDDY—the bright orange unicorn and star of that classic children’s television show who brought joy and life lessons into your living room? Inside the colorful world of It’s Buddy!, children spend their days singing, dancing, and helping Buddy spread happiness. But when one child refuses to play along, Buddy isn’t pleased, and cracks begin to appear in the seemingly perfect world.”
That setup allows Casper Kelly to take something wholesome and turn it into something unsettling. Kelly is best known as the creator of the Adult Swim viral sensation Too Many Cooks, which began as an absurd parody of television sitcom opening credits before descending into bizarre horror. With Buddy, Kelly applies a similar sensibility to 1990s children’s television, creating a world that looks cheerful and harmless until something goes very wrong.
Kelly co-wrote the movie with Jamie King and directed it. The film stars Cristin Milioti, Delaney Quinn, Patton Oswalt, Michael Shannon, Topher Grace, and Keegan-Michael Key.
JoBlo’s Chris Bumbray reviewed Buddy after its world premiere at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, where it played in the festival’s Midnight section.
In his review of Buddy, Bumbray gave the movie a 6/10, praising its first act and Casper Kelly’s creativity while finding that the movie loses some momentum when it leaves Buddy’s television world. Bumbray described the first half hour as “mostly brilliant,” with the film unfolding as a series of increasingly dark Buddy episodes.
The review ultimately found Buddy inconsistent but worth watching, particularly for its satire of children’s television and its strong opening and final act.
The original Buddy arrived in theaters August 28 from Roadside Attractions and Saban Films. Now, audiences will have another opportunity to experience Casper Kelly’s bizarre horror comedy on the big screen thanks to Buddy: The Sing-Along Version.
Are you interested in seeing Buddy as a sing-along movie? Let us know in the comments.