A US theater will host the “100% real” taxidermy of the cocaine bear when the film is released later this month.
Directed by Elizabeth Banks, the action comedy film is inspired by the true story of an American black bear who ingested a bag of cocaine in 1985. In the film, which stars Keri Russell and Alden Ehrenreich, the bear is going to kill in a small town in Georgia.
The Kentucky Theater, an arthouse theater in Lexington, is offering a chance to see the stuffed bear that inspired the movie in the theater lobby on Friday, February 24 and Saturday, February 25.
The bear is owned by Kentucky For Kentucky and is believed to be the same bear that overdosed on cocaine in 1985, although some have questioned its authenticity.
Speaking to Syfy, Kentucky Theater manager Hayward Wilkirson said: “I called them and told them we were going to show the movie and (asked) if they would be willing to bring it to the lobby for a few days.
“Not only were they thrilled, but they said they had been contacted by a few other commercial multiplexes and said we were their first priority. They thought of us and we thought of them.”
A description on the theater’s website reads, “You can come see it, take pictures, and buy your own Cocaine Bear merchandise while you’re here.”
The film also stars O’Shea Jackson Jr., Christian Convery, Brooklynn Prince, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Margo Martindale. It is also one of the last roles of Ray Liotta, who died last year at the age of 67.
Cocaine Bear hits theaters in the US and UK on February 24.