The Irishman will play at Broadway’s Belasco Theatre before Netflix debut

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Best get your best suit pressed, your hair done right, and your fanciest monocles looking shinier than ever, for Martin Scorsese’s latest movie, THE IRISHMAN, is headed to Broadway. Netflix struck a deal with the Shubert Organization to screen the movie at the historic Belasco Theatre in New York ahead of its debut on the streaming service, making it the first movie to screen at the theatre in its entire 112-year history. If you’re going to make history, it may as well be with Scorsese.

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Deadline reports that the movie will screen at the theater starting on November 1 – December 1, and will replicate the same screening pattern typical to Broadway plays, like screenings at night Tuesday-Friday with matinee shows included for Saturday and Sunday, with no showings on Monday. Netflix will grant the theater state-of-the-art screening equipment for the run, all to give the 1,000+ seat auditorium the best viewing experience.

“We’ve lost so many wonderful theaters in New York City in recent years, including single house theaters like the Ziegfeld and the Paris,” Scorsese said in a statement. “The opportunity to recreate that singular experience at the historic Belasco Theatre is incredibly exciting.”

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The move to screen it at a large theater like the Belasco comes after certain major theater chains, like AMC, Regal, and Cinemark, have refused to screen the movie at their theaters, considering Netflix will make the movie available to stream three weeks later. While this continues the standoff between such chains and Netflix, more independent chains, like the Alamo Drafthouse, will have screenings of the movie as the streamer attempts to expand it for a more substantial nationwide release. 

The Belasco has been home to many notable productions over the years, the most recent hit being an adaptation of NETWORK starring Bryan Cranston. More related to THE IRISHMAN itself, star Al Pacino won the first of his two Tony awards at the theater for the 1969 play "Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?"

Scorsese's latest has nabbed him some of the best reviews of his career, with many critics hailing it as a triumph for the director and the veteran cast that includes Pacino, Robert De Niro, and Joe Pesci. Screening it at such a large theater not only recalls an era of massive, one-screen theaters but is a smart move on the promotion front. The movie is a serious frontrunner come awards season, and having such a grand debut will give it some serious clout to stand out from the pack. You can only hope those theater chairs are comfy enough for that 200-minute runtime, or else that's a 1,000-seat room filled with awkward chair shuffling. 

THE IRISHMAN hits the Belasco on November 1 and debuts on Netflix November 27.