“Saturday Night Dead”? The film about the opening night of “SNL” is a surprise hit in limited release

“Saturday Night Live” is celebrating its remarkable 50th anniversary this year with many high-profile presenters, musical guests and a primetime special in February 2025.

But something went wrong with the new Jason Reitman film “Saturday Night,” about the show’s first night in 1975.

The Sony release fails to open at the box office. Last night, “Saturday Night” grossed $102,000 in 21 theaters. That’s five thousand dollars less than last Friday night in just five theaters.

Fans of the series will not see this film. The audience that saw the first show in 1975 will not be coming.

The Reitman film has received mixed to good reviews, with a 79% on Rotten Tomatoes. There is no spectator stand yet.

“Saturday Night” had strange marketing. It played in Telluride and Toronto. But there was no big local premiere for a New York film. The surviving stars – Jane Curtin, Laraine Newman, Chevy Chase – were very maternal. So far, there have been no attempts to join “SNL.”

Maybe fans feel like they already know the story. Or that “SNL” is a TV thing. But I’m surprised. The general hype before “Saturday Night” was great.

PS One note: I don’t know why Sony released this movie and not Universal, which owns NBC and SNL. Probably a good reason that smarter people will explain to me.