“The Long Walk” Screening Turns into Real-Life Endurance Test in Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA - On Saturday, August 30, 2025, Lionsgate hosted a one-of-a-kind advance screening of its highly anticipated Stephen King adaptation The Long Walk, challenging select press, influencers, and fitness enthusiasts to maintain a three-mile-per-hour pace on treadmills for the entire 108-minute runtime.

In lieu of traditional theater seating, the Culver Theatre was outfitted with a row of treadmills facing the screen. Attendees were required to step onto the machines and sustain at least 3 mph; falling below that threshold triggered a warning, and three warnings resulted in immediate ejection from the screening, barring participants from viewing the film’s climax.

Organizers ensured participant safety by conducting pre-screening health assessments and stationing medical staff onsite. Periodic rest breaks were built into the event, and those who completed the full walking challenge were awarded a commemorative “Walker” badge.

“This is a marketing stunt that deeply immerses the audience in the film’s dystopian premise,” said one attendee. “It’s intense-every glance at your feet reminds you of the stakes faced by the characters onscreen.”

The Long Walk, directed by Francis Lawrence and starring Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, and Mark Hamill, follows a brutal annual contest in which teenage contestants must walk without pause-or face execution. The immersive treadmill screening is part of Lionsgate’s promotional push ahead of the film’s nationwide release on September 12.