Avid fans of “The Walking Dead” will no longer be able to enjoy watching the zombie apocalypse on the big screen at the Gateway Film Center. The show’s network, AMC, has banned movie theaters across the country from screening the show.
The film center, along with other theaters nationwide, recently received a cease-and-desist letter from the network, Meghan Vesper, Gateways’ director of sales and marketing, said in an email. The Gateway announced this news on its Facebook page on Feb. 25.
Vesper did not provide details of the letter but simply said AMC stated that theaters could no longer screen “The Walking Dead.”
AMC did not return The Lantern‘s request for comment.
The show was part of the film center’s free series, “TV On the Big Screen,” and had been screened at the Gateway since the first season aired in October 2010 Sundays at 9 p.m.
The show’s popularity was reflected at the film center as well, with a large turnout for every episode, Vesper said.
However, AMC’s decision to ban screenings of the series has left many enthusiasts of “The Walking Dead” displeased.
“Fans have been disappointed to no longer watch this at the film center,” Vesper said in an email.
Kacie Kistler, a fourth-year in speech and hearing science, said while she only watched the show at the Gateway for the current (third) season, the experience allowed her to meet and bond with other fans.
Now that they can no longer gather at the theater, however, and because most of her friends do not have cable, the group meets at her apartment.
“It was just nice to be able to make an event out of it and just go to a nice big place and watch it,” Kistler said. “Now I have to fit everyone into my tiny apartment and watch it with them. I mean, it’s still fun but it was just nicer to go to a bigger place.”
Kistler said she also doesn’t understand why AMC will not let theaters screen the series.
“It’s confusing because they just show like the actual televised version so there’s commercials,” she said.
Brittanie Johnson, a fourth-year in agricultural science education, went to the film center to watch new episodes for the past two years and said she will mostly miss the viewing experience the theater provided.
“Personally I don’t have a huge problem with it because OSU provides cable channels and we’re still able to watch it, but I guess I’m a little sad to see it’s not on the big screen because it kind of gave a good atmosphere to watch the TV show,” Johnson said.
The Gateway held its final showing of “The Walking Dead” Feb. 24.
