IU Cinema will present a back-to-back screening of “The Matrix” trilogy starting at 1 p.m. June 1 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the first film’s release. Tickets for the entire day are available online for $8. Food truck service will be available outside during the 15 minute intermissions between the three films.
“The Matrix” won four Academy Awards and grossed over $460 million at the box office upon its release in the United States on March 31, 1999. It was added to the National Film Registry for preservation in 2012 and has left an irreversible impact on the world of science fiction film.
The trilogy stars Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss and Hugo Weaving. Several big actors were considered for the role of Neo, played by Reeves, including Will Smith, Brad Pitt, Val Kilmer and Johnny Depp.
The entirety of “The Matrix” trilogy was written and directed by two transgender sisters, Lana and Lilly Wachowski, known collectively as the Wachowskis. The sisters came out as transgender after the first film’s release. “The Matrix” was released in 1999 and both its sequels, “The Matrix: Reloaded” and “The Matrix Revolutions” were released in 2003.
The film franchise revolutionized the genre of science fiction in film with iconic slow-motion scenes and action sequences inspired by kung fu movies and Japanese anime.
