The Philadelphia Film Society cancels first screening of Spacey's new film
“Peter Five Eight,” a new film starring Kevin Spacey — the Oscar-winning actor accused of sexual misconduct by dozens in 2017 and acquitted of sexual assault charges in the U.K. last summer — was slated to premiere in Philadelphia on March 21 at the Philadelphia Film Center, with a reception featuring Spacey afterward.
On Thursday night, however, the Philadelphia Film Society canceled the event, saying the advertising inaccurately portrayed the event as a public premiere, instead of a private screening as originally planned.
“We work really hard on our curated programming and our public programming aligns with our values. This was never meant to be public,” said J. Andrew Greenblatt, CEO of PFS. “This was supposed to be a private rental run by someone else, it was also never said to be a premiere ... Once it looked like it was public, it did not align with what we do and with our values, and we wanted no association with that.”
Greenblatt did not specify what about the event did not align with his organization's values or the criteria for private events. He said he knew Spacey was in the film, but he had not seen it. “Obviously, going forward, we can certainly do a better job checking out the films that are inquiring,” he said.
In a statement on X released Thursday night, PFS said, “We apologize to anyone who may have been offended by our perceived and inaccurately portrayed involvement.” The rental request came from Montgomery County-based distribution company Invincible Entertainment, run by Art Institute of Philadelphia alum Tom Ashley, which is
releasing “Peter Five Eight.” The film, an indie thriller where Spacey plays an assassin, is being released in a limited theatrical run before it debuts online. Ashley said the advertising was not meant to insinuate the society's involvement and he understood why PFS canceled.
“They made a decision that they think is best for their image,” said Ashley. “From what I understand, they got some negative feedback and decided it wasn't something they wanted to pursue, and that's certainly their prerogative.”
Invincible Entertainment advertised the private screening on social media and offered ticket giveaways. The company did not discuss their promotion with PFS. “Certainly we never mentioned the film society, we only ever mentioned the center, because that's where it was. I don't know how else they would want us to say something — I mean, we have to tell people where it's gonna be,” said Ashley.
Another point of contention was Spacey's attendance, which Ashley insists PFS knew about from the beginning. “They were aware that we were planning on holding a VIP event with Kevin at the venue... that was all part of our original
conversation,” said Ashley. Greenblatt, who was an acquisitions consultant for Invincible Entertainment from 2012 to 2017, however, said he was unaware of the actor's planned appearance. “I don't think anyone on our team had confirmation of that,” he said.
Although Ashley harbors no hard feelings for PFS, he is frustrated with the reaction to Spacey. “It's been proven multiple times in court — and this is one of the reasons why we agreed to pick up the film — that he was found not guilty of these charges,” he said. “I would like to think that the court systems in the United Kingdom are sufficient in pursuing these things and getting to the truth. It's enough to say, `OK, let's give him another shot.'”
Directed by Michael Zaiko Hall, “Peter Five Eight” was filmed in late 2021 and 2022, as Spacey faced legal action from several accusers, including a civil lawsuit from actor Anthony Rapp, who said he was 14 years old when Spacey sexually assaulted him. In 2022, Spacey was found not liable. In July 2023, a London jury acquitted the actor of nine counts of sexual assault and indecent assault.
Rapp's accusation in 2017 prompted more than 30 men to accuse Spacey of inappropriate behavior and sexual assault, from film sets to theater stages. As a result, the actor's “House of Cards” character was killed off in the popular Netflix series and he was later ordered to pay $31 million to the show's production company for sexual harassing crew members.
In the years since these allegations surfaced, the actor has lost many roles, but recently found some success in landing small indie films, like “Peter Five Eight.”
Had Spacey been found guilty, Ashley would not have picked up the film, but he said the decision goes beyond one actor; it's about ensuring the cast and crew get a chance to release their film, too. In the past, Invincible Entertainment picked up “Yoga Hosers,” with “Clerks” star Kevin Smith, Johnny Depp and Depp's daughter, Lily Rose-Depp. The film was released months after Depp's former wife Amber Heard filed for divorce and requested a restraining order from Depp in 2016.
“This is not necessarily a reputation that we were looking for,” said Ashley. “We all knew that [Depp] would never do anything like that. But it didn't matter, because in a court of public opinion, he was guilty.” The allegations, he said, “crushed” the film, leading him and his investors to lose millions.
For “Peter Five Eight,” Ashley is hoping that audiences will be open to seeing Spacey on screen again following the acquittal, but he's finding that many people want nothing to do with the film or Spacey. Following PFS's cancellation, Ashley said he's identified a new Philadelphia venue for the premiere and reception on March 21, which will be announced in the coming days — and, yes, Spacey will be there.