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Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie

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This article is about the movie based on both the web series and the television series. For the original web series, see Nirvana the Band the Show. For the television series, see Nirvanna the Band the Show.

Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMatt Johnson
Written by
Based on
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyJared Raab[1]
Edited by
Music byJay McCarrol[1]
Production
companies
Distributed byElevation Pictures[2]
Release dates
  • March 9, 2025 (2025-03-09) (SXSW)
  • February 13, 2026 (2026-02-13) (Canada)
Running time
100 minutes[3]
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish
Budget$2 million[4]
Box office$4 million[5][6]

Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie is a 2025 Canadian time travel comedy mockumentary-adventure film directed by Matt Johnson from a screenplay by Johnson and Jay McCarrol, based on Johnson and McCarrol's 2007–2009 web series Nirvana the Band the Show, as well as its 2017–2018 television adaptation Nirvanna the Band the Show.

The film stars Johnson and McCarrol as fictionalised versions of themselves in a band called "Nirvanna the Band" as they attempt to book a gig at the Rivoli, a bar and restaurant in Toronto, despite the fact that they have never actually written or recorded a single song, nor taken any steps to contact the Rivoli's management about booking. A new plan to play the Rivoli gone wrong accidentally sends Matt and Jay back in time to the year 2008.

It premiered at the 2025 South by Southwest Film & TV Festival on March 9, 2025 before being theatrically released in Canada and the United States on February 13, 2026. The film received critical acclaim.

Plot

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In 2008, Toronto musicians Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol form "Nirvanna the Band" in the hopes of playing a show at the Rivoli. Seventeen years later, they have still not secured a show, with their schemes repeatedly failing. Matt proposes a publicity stunt dubbed the Seventh Inning Skydive, where the pair skydive off the CN Tower into the SkyDome during a Blue Jays game to promote the band. The attempt fails when the SkyDome roof closes during their dive, deepening Jay's frustrations and disillusionment with Matt's schemes. Jay secretly books an open mic slot in Ottawa, while Matt becomes convinced they can persuade the Rivoli by pretending to be time travelers. He modifies the RV with fake time travel equipment inspired by Back to the Future, but accidentally spills his last bottle of Orbitz on it. The next morning, Jay attempts to leave for Ottawa in the RV, learning too late Matt is still inside, and the two are unexpectedly transported to 2008.

Realizing that the Orbitz caused the time machine to work, they attempt to obtain another bottle from their younger selves’ apartment. Matt and Jay narrowly avoid being discovered, and an interaction between the younger Jay and the older Matt makes the older Jay reconsider leaving the band. He confesses to his initial plan to go solo, so a hurt Matt alters their 2008 selves' plans to instruct their younger selves not to play the Rivoli. They return to 2025, where Jay has become an extremely successful musician, while Matt is a drummer in a Jay McCarrol cover band. Matt confronts Jay at a concert, but Jay denies having any knowledge of the time machine. Afterwards, Jay sneaks out and smashes the last bottle of Orbitz.

Without Matt, Jay finds celebrity life hollow and lonely. In an attempt to make friends with his new band, he accidentally shoots and kills one of them. Now a fugitive, Jay returns to Matt, still claiming to be the alternate version of himself. He offers to help repair the timeline, secretly intending only to reverse the events of the scandal. Without Orbitz, Matt recalls that lightning struck the CN Tower the night their skydiving plan failed. They attempt to power the RV's time circuits using a cable stretched from the top of the CN Tower connected to a power box at an intersection. As the authorities pursue Jay, the cable disconnects from the top of the tower, forcing Matt to reconnect it. The cable is then too short to connect to the power box on the other end. As Matt tries to plug it back in, he sees the news that Jay has murdered someone. He ultimately completes the circuit using his body, sacrificing himself to power the time machine.

Jay, seeing Matt's sacrifice, travels back to 2008, and alters Matt's previous message to encourage their younger selves to play the Rivoli. In the present, Matt once again proposes the skydiving plan, unaware of the previous timeline's events. Jay suggests beginning the plan earlier to avoid complications.

Cast

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Production

[edit]

Development

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L–R: Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol, who played fictionalised versions of themselves in Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, at a Q&A for the film in Los Angeles

From 2007 to 2009, Matt Johnson and Jay McCarrol co-wrote and independently produced the web series Nirvana the Band the Show, in which fictionalised versions of themselves go to extreme lengths to book their band a gig at the Rivoli in Toronto.[7][8] Johnson pitched a feature film version of the series to Telefilm as early as 2012.[9] A television adaptation, Nirvanna the Band the Show, aired on Viceland for two seasons from 2017 to 2018.[10][9] A third season was at least partially produced but not released due to Viceland's discontinuation.[9][11]

Johnson directed the 2023 film BlackBerry with the aim of securing the third season's release. When this did not eventuate, he pivoted to developing a Nirvanna the Band the Show feature film.[12] BlackBerry's success helped the film secure funding from Telefilm,[9][11] and in May 2023, it was reported that it would be his next project.[13][10] Johnson wanted the film to be accessible to audiences who weren't familiar with the prior series,[11][14][12] and intends to release the third season of the television show after the film's release "if there's enough interest".[9][12]

In October 2023, Johnson stated on the Empire Magazine Podcast that he had initially planned to film in the UK but that production had instead got underway in the United States.[15] The original version of the film, inspired by A Confederacy of Dunces, featured Matt and Jay in the RV on a road trip across the US[12][16] meeting "people from different cultures — a bit like The Trip."[14] Upon reviewing the footage, Johnson and McCarrol realised that the storyline lacked the scope necessary for a feature film.[14][12] McCarrol's pitch that the film should "parody the biggest movies of all time", and the existence of unused footage from the original web series featuring a younger Johnson and McCarrol, led to the development of a time travel storyline inspired by Back to the Future (1985).[12][16]

Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie uses audiovisual material from Back to the Future without permission from copyright holders; it is legally considered a parody and thus protected under the concept of fair use in United States copyright law.[17]

Filming

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Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie was shot over the course of over 200 days, with a crew of between four and eight people.[18] As with the television series, exterior scenes were often shot in public without permits and involved unsuspecting members of the public, in the style of a hidden camera show. The film's storyline was developed during filming based on these encounters. Johnson and McCarrol's dialogue was often improvised.[a]

The scenes involving the CN Tower were filmed without permits.[18][14][b] Johnson and McCarrol expected the CN Tower security staff to refuse them access, and had already shot an alternate scene where, rather than skydiving, Jay trespasses into the SkyDome dressed as the Blue Jays mascot.[11][22][c] Part of the scene on the CN Tower's ledge was shot by a GoPro on the helmet of an oblivious tour guide. Johnson stated: "We're getting this guy to look and move exactly where we need him to in order to create the beats of that sequence without him even realizing he's doing it, with the real crazy trick being that we leave with the footage."[14] According to Johnson, "what you’re seeing is literally what’s happening, apart from us at the very last second jumping off the tower".[23]

The scenes set at Toronto's CN Tower were filmed without permits.

In May 2024, amid the then-escalating Drake–Kendrick Lamar feud, a shooting took place at the Bridle Path mansion of musician Drake.[24][25] Upon hearing the news of the shooting, the film crew went to the scene and captured footage of McCarrol running away from the residence amid the police's investigation. News coverage of the event was also used in the film; a police officer's statement about the shooting was recontextualised as a statement about Jay's shooting.[d]

Jay's live performance of "Never Come Down" was filmed at a concert by Canadian band Arkells. Through a favour to cinematographer Jared Raab—who shot some of Arkells's music videos—the band allowed McCarrol to perform on stage for a few minutes.[27][28][29]

The scene where Matt parachutes onto the streetcar was filmed on the same day as a Taylor Swift Eras Tour concert in November 2024.[28][30][14] Johnson stated: "Planning it the same day as a Taylor Swift concert in Toronto means that there's so much chaos in the city that whatever we're doing is not going to compare."[14]

The scene where Matt and Jay watch The Hangover (2009) was filmed at the Paradise Theatre, with Nirvanna the Band the Show fans as extras.[26]

The sequences featuring the 2008 versions of Matt and Jay incorporate unused footage from the web series, and were written by editors Curt Lobb and Robert Upchurch after reviewing hundreds of hours of raw footage.[26][18] The 2008 apartment was recreated on a soundstage.[31]

Post-production

[edit]

In February 2026, Johnson stated the film was recut twice—following its world premiere and following its premiere at TIFF—based on audience reaction, and that "there is an outside chance that the Blu-ray and digital release will be different from the theatrical version. It’s kind of a major change, too—we’ll see if I get away with it."[12] At a Q&A in Los Angeles, Johnson stated that he recently added a post-credits scene to the film, which is an existing scene from a "slightly different angle".[22]

Release

[edit]

On March 9, 2025, the film premiered at the 2025 South by Southwest Film & TV Festival.[e] Later that month, Neon acquired United States distribution rights to the film.[35]

The film had its Canadian premiere in the Midnight Madness program at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival,[36] where it was the winner of the People's Choice Award, Midnight Madness.[37]

The film had a limited release on February 13, 2026. It opened on 365 screens and was projected to make $1.4 million for the 4-day frame.[38]

Marketing

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United States distributor Neon released a poster for the film which parodies a poster for the IMAX release of Marty Supreme (2025). A24, Marty Supreme's distributor, accidentally cc'd an email containing the poster to members of the Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie production team. The parody poster was intended to release at the exact same time as Marty Supreme's poster, but it was released three hours later due to a mix-up with time zones.[23]

Reception

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 98% of 86 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "Combining slyly skillful filmmaking with gut-busting laughs, Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie will be pure heaven for fans of the series while making happy converts of the uninitiated."[39] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 78 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[40]

Rachel Ho of Exclaim! wrote that "Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie is quintessential Canadiana — made by Canadians, for Canadians. In a time when our country feels more divided than ever, Johnson offers us a reminder: although flawed in a multitude of ways, just like Matt and Jay, our potential as a nation remains. The answer to Canada's problems isn't going back to the good ol' days; it's standing on guard for thee today — or at least standing on guard at a street corner when a stranger asks you to watch over an electrical box that they're clearly misusing."[41]

For That Shelf, Courtney Small wrote that "for all its seemingly scattered ideas, Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie is rather meticulous in its construction. It works quite well as a time-travel film, on par with recent time spanning comedies such as Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes, getting plenty of milage out of conventional tropes including attempting to avoid their younger selves, and as a pop culture driven comedy."[42]

The film was named to the Toronto International Film Festival's annual year-end Canada's Top Ten list for 2025.[43]

Awards

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Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient Result Ref.
Toronto International Film Festival 2025 People's Choice Award: Midnight Madness Matt Johnson Won [44]
Toronto Film Critics Association 2025 Rogers Best Canadian Film Award Nominated [45]
Vancouver Film Critics Circle 2025 Best Canadian Film Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie Won [46]
Best Director of a Canadian Film Matt Johnson Won
Best Actor in a Canadian Film Won
Best Supporting Actor in a Canadian Film Jay McCarrol Nominated [47]
Best Screenplay for a Canadian Film Matt Johnson, Jay McCarrol Nominated

References

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Notes

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  1. ^ Attributed to multiple sources[19][20][11][14][21]
  2. ^ As early as February 2017, Johnson and McCarrol discussed a potential episode of the television series where Matt and Jay "fake a terrorist attack on top of the CN tower and try to make headlines".[19]
  3. ^ McCarrol was arrested whilst filming the mascot sequence.[22]
  4. ^ Attributed to multiple sources[23][18][24][26]
  5. ^ Attributed to multiple sources[32][33][34][1]

Citations

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie". SXSW 2025 Schedule. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
  2. ^ Zilko, Christian (March 11, 2025). "'Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie' Review: Cult Comedy Series Gets Big Screen Treatment in Glorious Copyright Nightmare". IndieWire. Retrieved March 29, 2025.
  3. ^ "NIRVANNA THE BAND THE SHOW THE MOVIE [PG]". British Columbia Film Classification Office (Consumer Protection BC). January 16, 2026. Retrieved January 16, 2026.
  4. ^ Rife, Katie. "Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie's Matt Johnson Shares His Secret to a Good Life". Filmmaker.
  5. ^ "Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 6, 2026.
  6. ^ "Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie- Box Office and Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved March 6, 2026.
  7. ^ Robertson, Kate (June 6, 2016). "Nirvanna the Band the Show is back but this time it's bigger and on proper TV - NOW Magazine". NOW Toronto. Retrieved March 2, 2026.
  8. ^ Scope, Cinema (June 24, 2013). "One-Man Band: A Conversation with Matt Johnson About The Dirties". Cinema Scope. Retrieved March 2, 2026.
  9. ^ a b c d e Gheciu, Alex Nino (March 14, 2024). ""Matt Johnson says he made 'BlackBerry' to get funding for a Nirvanna the Band movie"". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on March 19, 2024. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Slingerland, Calum (May 12, 2023). "Matt Johnson's Next Film Will Be Based on 'Nirvanna the Band the Show'". Exclaim!. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
  11. ^ a b c d e Truskett, Angus (October 16, 2025). "From cult web series to cinema: Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie". ABC News. Retrieved March 2, 2026.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g Raup, Jordan (February 13, 2026). ""We Cut 95% of It Out": Matt Johnson on Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, Constant Re-Editing, and Season 3". The Film Stage. Retrieved March 2, 2026.
  13. ^ Hertz, Barry (May 10, 2023). "Behind the scenes of BlackBerry: Hidden cameras, bold ambitions, and avalanche of CanCon". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on May 11, 2023. Retrieved March 2, 2026.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h Hoepfner, Fran (February 13, 2026). "Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie Defies Gravity". Vulture. Archived from the original on February 22, 2026. Retrieved February 16, 2026.
  15. ^ Hewitt, Chris (October 27, 2023). "Empire Podcast #588: Eddie Izzard, Matt Johnson, Greta Gerwig". Empireonline.com. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
  16. ^ a b DeAngelo, Mike (February 6, 2026). "'Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie': Matt Johnson & Jay McCarrol On Time Travel, Friendship, The Show's 3rd Season, & Filming Without Permits [The Discourse Podcast]". The Playlist. Retrieved March 2, 2026.
  17. ^ Earl, William (February 13, 2026). "'Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie': Matt Johnson on Writing the Script With His Lawyer, Surviving the 200 Day Shoot and Pulling Off His Elaborate 'Back to the Future' Parody". Variety. Retrieved March 7, 2026.
  18. ^ a b c d Rife, Katie (February 13, 2026). "Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie's Matt Johnson Shares His Secret to a Good Life". Filmmaker. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
  19. ^ a b Niazi, Amil (February 23, 2017). "'Nirvanna the Band the Show' Stars on the Ethics of Filming Real People". VICE. Retrieved March 7, 2026.
  20. ^ Douglas, Nick (February 8, 2017). "How to Make a TV Show Backwards with 'Nirvanna the Band'". Vulture. Retrieved March 7, 2026.
  21. ^ Debruge, Peter (March 13, 2025). "'Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie' Review: Matt Johnson's Outrageous Time-Travel Stunt Pays Off". Variety.
  22. ^ a b c Delfin (February 15, 2026). Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie The Q&A. Retrieved March 6, 2026 – via YouTube.
  23. ^ a b c Loving, Casey (February 20, 2026). "How One of the Year's Craziest Movies Got Made Despite Being 'A Copyright Nightmare'". TheWrap. Archived from the original on February 20, 2026. Retrieved March 3, 2026.
  24. ^ a b Smith, Justine (February 13, 2026). "The madmen behind Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie on Montreal lore and Toronto's special sauce". Cult MTL. Retrieved March 2, 2026.
  25. ^ Cabral, Sam (May 7, 2024). "Security guard shot at Drake's Toronto home amid beef with Kendrick Lamar". Retrieved March 3, 2026.
  26. ^ a b c TIFF (September 7, 2025). NIRVANNA THE BAND THE SHOW THE MOVIE Q&A with Matt Johnson & Jay McCarrol | TIFF 2025. Retrieved March 2, 2026 – via YouTube.
  27. ^ Caddell, Nathan (February 9, 2026). "'We can't exactly talk super freely': The insanity of Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie". The Georgia Straight. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  28. ^ a b MUCH (February 25, 2026). Nirvanna The Band (FINALLY) Makes It To The Rivoli... Kind Of. Retrieved March 5, 2026 – via YouTube.
  29. ^ @arkellsmusic; (February 15, 2026). "Got the shot. Everyone go see @ntbtstm !" – via Instagram.
  30. ^ Thayaparan, Arrthy (January 5, 2026). "Toronto got a $282M economic 'Swift lift' after hosting Eras Tour in 2024". CBC News. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  31. ^ Tomasso, Patrick (February 22, 2026). i didn't know you could make a movie like this (Video). Retrieved March 6, 2026 – via YouTube.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  32. ^ Grobar, Matt (January 22, 2025). "Seth Rogen Comedy Series 'The Studio' To Open SXSW 2025; 'The Accountant 2,' 'Death Of A Unicorn', 'Drop,' 'Happy Face' & More Also To Screen". Deadline. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
  33. ^ Vary, Selome Hailu, Adam B. (January 22, 2025). "SXSW 2025 Lineup: Seth Rogen's 'The Studio,' Jenna Ortega Comedy 'Death of a Unicorn,' Nicole Kidman Thriller 'Holland' Among World Premieres". Variety. Retrieved January 23, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  34. ^ "'Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie' to premiere at SXSW in March". Torontotoday. January 23, 2025.
  35. ^ Stephan, Katcy (March 28, 2025). "Neon Acquires 'Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie'". Variety. Retrieved March 28, 2025.
  36. ^ Rebecca Rubin, "TIFF Unveils Midnight Madness Slate, Including Bob Odenkirk’s ‘Normal’ and ‘F— My Son!’". Variety, July 24, 2025.
  37. ^ Pete Hammond, "‘Hamnet’ Wins Oscar-Predictive Toronto Film Festival People’s Choice Award". Deadline Hollywood, September 14, 2025.
  38. ^ "'Nirvanna' The Movie, 'Pillion' Among Indie Standouts As Moviegoers Spread The Love Specialty Box Office". Deadline.
  39. ^ "Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  40. ^ "Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved February 21, 2026.
  41. ^ Ho, Rachel (September 5, 2025). "'Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie' Is by Canadians, for Canadians". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on February 3, 2026. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  42. ^ Small, Courtney (February 13, 2026). "Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie Review". That Shelf. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  43. ^ Casemore, Jamie (January 6, 2026). "TIFF unveils 2025 selections for Canada's Top Ten features, shorts". Playback. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  44. ^ Hammond, Pete (September 14, 2025). "'Hamnet' Wins Oscar-Predictive Toronto Film Festival People's Choice Award". Deadline. Retrieved February 16, 2026.
  45. ^ Alex Nino Gheciu, "‘One Battle After Another’ dominates Toronto Film Critics Association Awards with 4 wins". CFJC-TV, December 8, 2025.
  46. ^ Andrew Tracy, "‘Nirvanna the Band’ tops Canadian winners at VFCC Awards". Playback, February 24, 2026.
  47. ^ Andrew Tracy, "Mile End Kicks, ‘Nirvanna’ lead noms for Vancouver critics’ awards". Playback, January 21, 2026.
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