High school students can get free tickets to “The Imitation Game” thanks to a partnership between the Oscar-winning film’s distributor, the Weinstein Company, and AMC Theatres.
The promotion is nationwide across 180 theaters. It lasts for one day only — Friday, March 6. The film has an educational component in that it centers on mathematician Alan Turing, the head of the research team that cracked the Nazis’ Enigma code during World War II. Despite his contribution to the Allied war effort, Turing was chemically castrated for homosexual activity. Research Turing did on the so-called Turing machine, a theoretical simulation of a computer algorithm, is considered to be an early precursor to modern computers.
Because of the film’s subject matter, AMC is reaching out to high school computer classes, math and science teams and LGBT clubs. The free high school screenings of the film will include a special taped introductory message from writer Graham Moore, winner of this year’s best adapted screenplay Oscar.
“The Imitation Game” isn’t the only Oscar nominee to reach out to school groups. “Selma,” a look at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s role in pushing for the Voting Rights Act, also offered free tickets to students in certain cities. In past years, the Weinstein Company has engaged in similar outreach to students and teachers on films that deal with historically significant subjects such as 2013’s “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.”
“The Imitation Game” has earned $86.6 million at the domestic box office, making it the year’s highest-grossing arthouse release. Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley star in the film from director Morten Tyldum.
