Grand Theft Hamlet (2025)

[BluBonnet]

Mubi Acquires ‘Grand Theft Hamlet’ for U.S., Global Streaming

Art house streamer and distributor Mubi has snatched up all U.S. rights, as well as exclusive global SVOD rights, to Grand Theft Hamlet, Pinny Grylls and Sam Crane’s award-winning documentary mashup of Shakespeare’s Hamlet and ultra-violent video game Grand Theft Auto.

The doc follows two unemployed actors during the 2021 COVID lockdown who attempt to state Hamlet entirely within the GTA virtual game world. Grand Theft Hamlet premiered at SXSW this year, where it won the documentary feature jury award. It also won The Hollywood Reporter critic Leslie Felperin, who called the experimental film “innovative, highly amusing and often touching.”

The film will have its U.K. premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on Oct. 15, followed by a special presentation at BFI Imax on Oct. 20. Mubi plans to release Grand Theft Hamlet in early 2025, with further details to be announced soon. Grand Theft Hamlet was financed by BFI Doc Society, Park Pictures, Altitude and Spark Features. Altitude Film Sales are handling world sales on the doc and negotiated the deal with Mubi.

The acquisition is the latest in an art house buying spree for Mubi, which is expanding on its core streaming business with a robust theatrical slate in multiple territories. The group recently tested the domestic waters with the bow of Coralie Fargeat’s body horror drama The Substance, starring Demi Moore, which went out on nearly 2,000 screens in the U.S. and has grossed close to $10 million to date.

Mubi recently signed multiterritory deals for two buzzy titles out of the Venice Film Festival, snatching up rights to Luca Guadagnino‘s Daniel Craig-starrer Queer, across several international territories, including the U.K., Canada, Germany, Spain and India; and taking Alex Ross Perry’s music documentary Pavements, a portrait of the influential ’90s indie band, in all rights deals for the U.K., Germany, France and Canada among others.

[kylor]

[mwynn]

This show that all you need is time to make a movie. Go forth and create.

[mwynn]

I have seen some pretty good RP in GTA Online.

Not sure what this is.

GRAND THEFT HAMLET trailer - Cambridge Film Festival 2024 - YouTube

[BluBonnet]

[captveg]

I've watched my fair share of GTA RP, and I can totally see this being a blast if edited together well.

[BluBonnet]

UK Theatrical trailer (opens in the UK today)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLpGIHjwhNE

[mwynn]

Grand Theft Hamlet - Exclusive Trailer (2025) Sam Crane, Mark Oosterveen - YouTube

Still looking for a story here.


This is a story.

GTA 5 Roleplay - DOJ 311 - Bad Neighbors in Los Santos (Criminal) - YouTube

[captveg]

Originally Posted by mwynn

Grand Theft Hamlet - Exclusive Trailer (2025) Sam Crane, Mark Oosterveen - YouTube


Still looking for a story here.

The story is the staging of Hamlet within GTA in order to still participate in live theater during the pandemic when live theater was closed. It's a documentary about that process.

[mwynn]

Originally Posted by captveg

The story is the staging of Hamlet within GTA in order to still participate in live theater during the pandemic when live theater was closed. It's a documentary about that process.

These trailers are not doing a good job of showing that. It just looks like typical GTA online with random chaos. Hopefully someone will enjoy it.

[captveg]

Originally Posted by mwynn

These trailers are not doing a good job of showing that. It just looks like typical GTA online with random chaos. Hopefully someone will enjoy it.

Well, agree to disagree there. The new trailer you posted literally has the guy giving the casting call, text explaining that in 2021 UK live theater was shut down, the main guys questioning if they can pull it off, and then various scenes of them doing Hamlet in GTA.

[Mike0284]

GRAND THEFT HAMLET | Official Trailer | In US Theaters January 17 - YouTube

[Mr. Chaverria]

Intriguing but not sure if I've the patience to watch GTA in such a way. Maybe I'll watch it one day.

[BluBonnet]

Metacritic

[nashcameronn]

We really got Grand Theft Hamlet before GTA 6.

[BluBonnet]