Cinerama’s Fists & Fury Brings Bruce Lee to the Big Screen

Calling all Jiu-Jitsu and Kung-Fu fighters and fans alike: This week, full-contact combat is coming to the big screen in Seattle. Fists & Fury, Seattle’s first Mixed Martial Arts Festival will debut at Cinerama on Friday, February 27 through Thursday, March 5.

The idea of hosting a MMA festival stemmed from Microsoft co-founder and Cinerama owner Paul Allen, growing beyond a desire to watch Bruce Lee on the big screen. The festival will feature modern hits like Kill Bill Volume 1 & 2, alongside films straight out of Hong Kong, many of which required Cinerama director of operations Greg Wood to extensivly track down, and have never been screened in the U.S. before. “It was a truly collaborative effort. We combined the wisdom from fanatics with our own research of top titles in the genre to create a list of more than 80 titles, then narrowed it down to 20 of the most popular to create the programming we have today,” Wood says. “For the Bruce Lee movies, we had to locate a small company in Hong Kong who owned the movies in order to ship the films to Seattle and secure the rights to show them. It was important that we include a variety of movies, from the classics to more modern films like IP Man and Kung Fu Hustle.”

Fists & Fury will feature 20 MMA and Samurai films, showcasing the unique breadth of the newly renovated theater’s technical capabilities. Viewers can watch old flicks like Seven Samurai (1954) in 35mm, then switch to viewing a modern movie screened using the world’s first 4K laser projector, which has a light output of 60,000 lumens that translates into films with more clarity and color accuracy than ever before.

All technicalities aside, movie-goers can expect a diversion from the types of festivals that Cinerama usually hosts, and a fun, more outwardly energetic movie experience. “Before we’ve done sci-fi, horror, and classics, so this has a little more action and street cred. It’s hitting on a cross-demographic, beyond our normal core group of customers. Plus, it’s a nice break from routine.” Wood says. The film he’s anticipating the most? Kung Fu Hustle.

Sci-fi robots fight monsters in “The Mural at Cinerama” in Belltown, created by Don Clark of local design firm Invisible Creature; Photo: Lara Swimmer

Viewers will also enjoy all the perks of Cinerama’s renovation, which wrapped up this past November. New features include bigger seats with more legroom and an online seat reservation system (though tickets can still be purchased at the theater). Food and drink options now span into the beer, wine and cider realms while still serving up old favorites like its chocolate popcorn.

We’re ready for a week of old-school and new-school combat–complete with the amazing picture and sound quality Cinerama is known for. Even the most unskilled of ninjas will enjoy a fun and unique viewing experience. For showtimes and more details visit the website here.