With The Toxic Avenger set to be released in just a few days, Cineverse is partnering with Undue Medical Debt to do some good. The rest of the film’s marketing budget will be spent on eliminating medical debt for real-life families. The company promises that at least $5 million in medical debt will be erased no matter what, but for every million the film makes at the box office, another million in debt will go up in toxic smoke.
“We spent hours brainstorming how to close out the campaign and, while sending Toxie to the moon was appealing, no idea came close to combating unexpected medical debt for families,” said Cineverse SVP of Marketing Lauren McCarthy. “The Toxic Avenger had his entire life upended by crushing medical costs so, as Toxie says, ‘Sometimes you have to do something.’”
Marisa Clemente, Vice President of Philanthropy at Undue Medical Debt, added, “As the medical debt crisis continues to grow we’re grateful for this partnership with The Toxic Avenger film, which is not only funding debt relief but also shining a light on the human impact of a broken system. We are always looking to team up with real-life superheroes who support our mission — including movie lovers, who now have an easy way to enjoy a reimagined classic while supporting financially and emotionally burdened families.”
Undue Medical Debt is a nonprofit that leverages donations to purchase qualifying medical debt (for individuals four times or below the federal poverty level or who have medical debt that is 5% or more of annual income) in bulk from providers like hospitals and also collection agencies for pennies on the dollar. This means that one dollar donated, on average, erases $100 of unpayable medical debt.
The Toxic Avenger will hit theaters on August 29, and it sounds like an absolutely outrageous flick, in the best way possible. “Is it for everyone? God, no. But The Toxic Avenger was never meant to be a four-quadrant crowd-pleaser,” wrote our own Michael Conway. “It’s an inside joke, yes—but it desperately wants you in on it. For fans of the original, for gorehounds, and for anyone who’s ever shouted “they don’t make movies like they used to”—look no further. This is the return of a cult icon in the most gloriously disgusting way possible.” You can check out the rest of his review right here.
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