For millions who grew up in the 1960s and 1970s, Saturday morning cinema meant blissful hours watching the likes of Batman and Flash Gordon.
Now today’s children are being enticed to reinvented ‘Saturday pictures’ – but this time to see six young Roblox video gamers compete on the big screen.
Tickets for Kartoon Channel’s Gaming Challenge UK went on sale this weekend before an April 19 Easter launch in Vue cinemas nationwide.
Promoters claim it will be the first time a feature-length film of a video-gaming tournament has been on the big screen.
The stars, six British junior schoolchildren, were recruited via Facebook and a casting agency to play each other on the Roblox video game platform.
Roblox claims almost two-thirds of British children aged eight to 12 use its site every week.
Kartoon Channel executive Paul Robinson said the aim was to ‘recreate what used to be the Saturday morning cinema experience but with a modern idiom’.
He said: ‘I went to the Saturday pictures as a kid and it was a real family outing.
Filming took place in the children’s homes using high-definition web-cams to record their performances in eight games (Pictured: Abigail)
Tickets for Kartoon Channel’s Gaming Challenge UK went on sale this weekend before an April 19 Easter launch in Vue cinemas nationwide (Pictured: Thomas)
The stars, six British junior schoolchildren, were recruited via Facebook and a casting agency to play each other on the Roblox video game platform (Pictured: Ilyaan)
Roblox claims almost two-thirds of British children aged eight to 12 use its site every week (Pictured: Isaac)
All six children win prizes and the two finalists go head-to-head for the title of Ultimate Gamer (Pictured: Jaymee)
Roblox is an online game platform released to the public in 2006
‘We’re confident parents and grandparents will come along again. They want to understand things their kids love doing.’
All six children win prizes and the two finalists go head-to-head for the title of Ultimate Gamer.
Filming took place in the children’s homes using high-definition web-cams to record their performances in eight games.
Points are awarded at the end of each round with eliminated gamers able to choose prizes including a PS5, iPad and mobile phone.