Arnold Schwarzenegger Hosts Exclusive Screening of Edgar Wright’s The Running Man for U.S. Veterans

Arnold Schwarzenegger heard a problem and actually did something about it: the VA’s movie theater was busted on Veterans Day, so a week later he hauled a bunch of vets to Skydance for a private screening of Edgar Wright’s new take on The Running Man. That’s a sentence I enjoy typing.

How it came together

• On Veterans Day, the Terminator icon and former California governor visited the VA and found out their theater was out of commission, which meant no movie nights for the retired service members there.
• He told them he’d fix it and immediately rang up his friends at Skydance and Paramount to see if they could host the vets in Skydance’s screening room. They said yes.
• Schwarzenegger had already seen Wright’s Running Man there and liked it, so that’s the movie he picked. He called the veterans the 'real action heroes' and set up a proper night out.
• He personally rented two buses to pick everyone up from the VA. Exactly one week later, on November 18, they all rolled into the Skydance offices for the screening.
• He posted a video of his intro on Instagram and used the moment to nudge people to act instead of just posting about problems.

Arnold’s reaction to the movie

He says he was blown away. In his words (paraphrasing here), Wright’s version nails the futuristic world he always wished he could show more of back when he starred in the original adaptation. That’s a pretty telling compliment from the guy who headlined the 1987 film.

A different read from a critic

Critic Chris Bumbray had a more mixed reaction. He praised Wright’s skill but said the movie can feel jam-packed and frantic, similar to how he needed multiple viewings to warm up to Scott Pilgrim. Even so, he felt the craft and spectacle win out, and while it didn’t hit exactly how he hoped, he still called The Running Man a must-see that plenty of people will love.

'Do good, whenever you can. That’s your greatest power, and don’t let anyone take it away from you. When you want to complain about something bad, say, "what good can I do?"'

The part I like

Sure, not everyone can call in favors at Skydance or rent two buses on a whim. But Schwarzenegger’s point lands: even buying one veteran a movie ticket beats a hundred posts about how the VA’s theater is broken. It’s a flex with a point, and in this case, a pretty great night out for the people who earned it.