Grand Ole Opry Film Partners With St. Jude for Limited Run

The Grand Ole Opry has finally come to the silver screen, and the venerable country institution is partnering with one of country music's most beloved charities for a limited theatrical run.

American Saturday Night: Live From the Grand Ole Opry premiered on Friday (Dec. 4) at select Carmike theaters around the country, including Nashville. To mark the first-ever feature film about the Opry, independent distributor DigiNext is donating a portion of every movie theater ticket sold during its initial run to benefit Country Cares for St. Jude Kids, which has raised $550 million dollars for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

The concert film features performances from some of country’s biggest names, as well as behind-the-scenes glimpses. Original performances include Brad Paisley singing “American Saturday Night” and “Country Nation,” Blake Shelton with “Boys 'Round Here” and “Gonna,” Darius Rucker with “Wagon Wheel” and “So I Sang” from Southern Style, the Band Perry with their mega-hit “If I Die Young,” and Brett Eldredge performing his first No. 1 single, “Don’t Ya.”

Filming took place on Aug. 31 at the historic Nashville venue, and Rucker in particular was honored to be included. “I’m so proud to be a part of it,” he said. “I’m one of the artists in it, talking about being a member of the Opry. I go there when I don’t play, just to talk to people and hang out. I’ve seen Vince [Gill] there, not playing, just hanging out, Marty Stuart, Little Jimmy [Dickens], Jim Ed Brown, God rest his soul. I love being a member.”

After a one-week limited run, the film is slated to return to theaters in a nationwide release early in 2016.

The Best Stories of 2015 (So Far)