On the heels of Music Box Theatre's popular annual Halloween programming, Music Box of Horrors, the theater announced this week a new partnership to bring Los Angeles' Beyond Fest to Chicago in April, 2026. From April 2-5, the Music Box and Beyond Fest will bring, according to a press release about the partnership, "four days of all-killer-no-filler, cinematic excess and celebration."
Over the course of the long weekend of programming, organizers say the fest will bring a variety of programming to Chicagoans and the Music Box's throngs of genre fans across Chicagoland, including late-night screenings, special guests and anticipated premieres. In its most recent iteration in Los Angeles, Beyond Fest hosted the U.S. premiere of Park Chan Wook's No Other Choice, opening later this year from Neon; a world premiere of a 4K restoration of Salem's Lot; and special screenings including Big Trouble in Little China on 70mm and Dr. Strangelove on 35mm.
“Since inception, Beyond Fest has existed in service of film fans and filmmakers that are obsessively passionate about film,” said Christian Parkes, Beyond Fest founder. “This passion isn’t something that resides exclusively in Los Angeles; for decades, Music Box Theatre has fostered and entertained some of the best audiences in the world. It’s going to be electric, having our worlds collide.”
The program won't just be a rehash of the fest's September, 2025 event, either; the festival is now accepting submissions for programming consideration via FilmFreeway, the industry-wide tool used by independent filmmakers seeking festival play for their films.
“The Music Box has always been a home for bold, visionary cinema,” said Music Box Theatre owner, Brody Sheldon. “Partnering with Beyond Fest means bringing that energy to a new generation of filmmakers and fans — the ones who make this city’s film scene the loudest, smartest, and most passionate in the country.”
The fest's full line-up, including ticketing options, special guests and other details, will be announced closer to the festival.
