Over the weekend, the notoriously mouthy bad boy of “SNL” hosted a private screening of his new film “The Suicide Squad” for his hometown.
On Saturday, Pete Davidson, 27, rented out the entire Atrium Stadium Cinema in Staten Island so that his fans could see him co-star as Richard Hertz, aka Blackguard, in the critically acclaimed reboot of the DC Comics property.
The Special Investigations Unit (S.I.U.) is a government native, who is famous for trash-talking his hometown but still lives there, scheduled two 7:20 p.m. showings. All fans had to do to get in was declare themselves “friends” of the B.D.E. legend between 6 and 8 p.m., and all they had to do to get in was declare themselves “friends” of the B.D.E. legend.
In an interview with the Staten Island Advance, also known as SILive.com, Atrium owner Gregg Scarola praised Davidson as “a really cool guy,” saying, “It was all Pete’s idea, he reached out to us saying he wanted to give back to the community.” “He grew up in this community and it means a lot for him to reach out to us — a local theatre — not just a chain. Not enough has been said about what he does for the community, he’s a really cool guy.’\s\sDavidson fans found out about the secret screening via the venue’s official Instagram account: “Staten Island comedian, @nbcsnl star and latest @thesuicidesquad villain #PeteDavidson wants to take you to the movies!,” the post hyped.
“Come see The Suicide Squad at Pete’s hometown movie theater #AtriumStadiumCinemas Saturday, August. 7,” the venue’s unabashedly giddy post continued. “Those who want to see the film FOR FREE must be present at the theater on Saturday, August 7 and say they’re ‘Friends of Pete’ at the box office. Tickets cannot be reserved beforehand, or online. Start lining up for 5 p.m. (and don’t forget to take a theater selfie & send it to us!) [sic].”
Davidson’s relationship with his native borough has been tense in the past, with local activists slamming the “King of Staten Island” star for labeling his fellow Staten Islanders as “babies” for refusing to comply with COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, among other things.
Davidson, however, appears to be committed to the so-called “forgotten borough,” having moved out of his mother’s basement and into his own luxury condo on S.I. The Post reported in April that the property was sold for $1.2 million just before the new year.
He made the move four years after buying a $1.3 million Staten Island home for his mother, Amy Waters, in 2016. Davidson, 27, lived in the home’s basement until December, when he moved into a high-rise.
