Art-house streaming platform Mubi has secured the rights to Grand Theft Hamlet, an inventive documentary that fuses the iconic tragedy of Shakespeare’s Hamlet with the ultra-violent, virtual world of the video game Grand Theft Auto. The acquisition includes all U.S. rights and exclusive global SVOD rights, allowing the award-winning film to be streamed worldwide.
Grand Theft Hamlet, directed by Pinny Grylls and Sam Crane, takes a unique look at two unemployed theater actors struggling during the 2021 COVID lockdown. The duo decides to adapt Shakespeare’s Hamlet entirely within the chaotic landscape of Grand Theft Auto, bringing an entirely new interpretation to the classic work. The film recently premiered at SXSW, where it took home the documentary feature jury award, drawing acclaim for its innovative, entertaining, and emotional take on blending two seemingly unrelated worlds. The Hollywood Reporter’s critic Leslie Felperin called the film “innovative, highly amusing, and often touching,” adding to the mounting praise for this inventive piece.
The documentary’s journey has been eventful, with a planned U.K. premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on October 15th, followed by a special screening at the BFI IMAX on October 20th. Mubi intends to make the film available for streaming in early 2025, with more specific release information coming soon.
The project received financing from BFI Doc Society, Park Pictures, Altitude, and Spark Features, and it’s being distributed globally by Altitude Film Sales, which managed the deal negotiations with Mubi. The acquisition of Grand Theft Hamlet continues Mubi’s recent trend of building a diverse and artistic content lineup, as it aims to enhance its international streaming offerings.
Recently, Mubi has focused on expanding its theatrical presence alongside its core streaming business, acquiring high-profile projects for distribution across multiple markets. They recently experimented in the U.S. market with Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance, a body horror drama starring Demi Moore. The film, which premiered on nearly 2,000 screens domestically, has grossed close to $10 million since its release, marking a successful venture into larger-scale theatrical distribution.
Mubi has also expanded its portfolio by acquiring several buzzworthy titles at international film festivals. These include Luca Guadagnino’s Queer, featuring Daniel Craig, which Mubi secured for several key territories, including the U.K., Canada, Germany, Spain, and India. Another recent acquisition is Alex Ross Perry’s Pavements, a music documentary chronicling the rise of the influential ’90s indie band, which Mubi picked up for territories such as the U.K., Germany, France, and Canada.
Adding to its growing slate, Mubi also recently acquired Andrea Arnold’s Bird and Magnus von Horn’s The Girl With the Needle, both of which were notable entries at the Cannes Film Festival. These acquisitions demonstrate Mubi’s commitment to art-house cinema and its dedication to providing audiences with distinctive, high-quality content.
