Hollywood has officially taken notice of the rise of eSports. In addition to a new big screen documentary, All Work All Play, from the filmmakers behind the critically acclaimed Wordplay, ESL has partnered with BY Experience to bring eSports events to the big screen worldwide this July. That’s right, eSports will be taking on Hollywood blockbusters like Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation and Pixels. But the movie premiere will have some extras that Hollywood may not be able to compete with when it comes to the Millennial eSports demographic.

Immediately following the world premiere there will be a live eSports show that includes top players, famous eSports personalities and exclusive content targeting pro gaming fans. The event — “All Work All Play: The Pursuit of eSports Glory Live” — will be premiered from the ESL Burbank studio in California on July 23 for North American and Latin American cinema audiences, and from the ESL Cologne studio on July 28 for European and Asian cinema audiences.

“BY Experience is working with theaters on a global basis to distribute this live event to the broadest range possible,” said Amy Kuessner, head of content acquisition at BY Experience. “While distribution is not 100 percent solidified in the U.S., we anticipate every major movie theater chain from Regal, AMC, Carmike, Cinemark, Marcus, National Amusements, Kerasotes, Landmark, etc. participating in this monumental event.”

All Work All Play, which brings the stories behind the Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) global tournament to life, will screen as a work-in-progress at the Tribeca Film Festival this month. Patrick Creadon, director of the film at O’Malley Creadon Productions, said he’s had amazing experiences at Tribeca in the past, and he’s looking forward to getting valuable feedback from a festival crowd. The film will be completed by mid-June, and will hit theaters a month later during the busy Hollywood tentpole season.

“It’s an interesting time in film distribution, and there are exciting new models on how to bring your stories to a large audience,” said Creadon.  “We’re thrilled to be working with BY Experience, the world leader in alternative theatrical content, to distribute not just our film but also a live eSports experience which will take place immediately following our world premiere. The plan is for All Work All Play to be distributed on over 2,000 screens worldwide in late July, which is an especially exciting proposition for those of us in the documentary community.”

Since eSports is a truly global event, and the IEM stops in different countries during its tour, there’s a great opportunity for fans to come out and show their support of this documentary. Michal Blicharz, managing director of pro gaming at ESL, said the ninth IEM season, which is the focus of this documentary, was a breakthrough season for ESL. It served as a transition season between the eSports world of the past and the eSports world of the future. That provided a great backdrop for all the human stories in the film.

“We’ve always been drawn to stories that are comprised of people with a unique passion, especially if their passions include some sort of creative problem solving — Wordplay and crosswords; I.O.U.S.A. and tackling the challenges of the national debt; and If You Build It and design-thinking to help transform a struggling rural community,” said Creadon. “In that sense, All Work All Play was a great fit for us.”

IEM is the longest-running global pro gaming tour in the world today. Season 9 had stops in Shenzhen, San Jose, Taipei, Toronto, Cologne, and Katowice. Creadon said Intel was looking to have someone capture the personalities and dynamics that exist behind the scenes of this community and they enlisted his team to film.

“Like all of our previous work, we’ve enjoyed coming into a new world and figuring out what makes these people tick,” said Creadon. “And as a non-gamer, I think our approach is framed up a little less around the specifics of gaming and eSports and a little more around broader questions that interest us on perhaps a more universal level:  What is it about games and competition that draws you to this community What are your concerns about building a career in this new industry What are the sacrifices you’ve made to pursue this passion ”

Julie Borchard-Young, co-president of BY Experience, said this documentary is the first in a series of cinema broadcasts that will afford eSports fans an opportunity to get together in their communities to enjoy several high-profile events throughout the year, as part of a global shared experience.  

“Cinemas provide the optimal setting for spectators to watch their favorite players and teams compete across an array of gaming titles, broadcast live on a 70 foot cinema screen in surround sound,” said Borchard-Young.

With over 89 million people watching eSports last year, according to Newzoo research, this big screen boost could not only attract Millennials to theaters, but also introduce new people to this huge phenomenon.

“After our film Wordplay was released in theaters in 2006, attendance at the annual crossword tournament featured in the film doubled,” said Creadon. “In addition, the film helped bring more crossword constructors and solvers into the puzzle world. I think there’s a good chance our film will expand the audience for eSports in a dramatic way and will further the understanding of eSports to gamers and non-gamers alike.”

Blicharz said if this film is a success, it could have a broad range of influence on eSports, from bringing new players in, or people that are interested in working in the industry, to convincing more company executives to invest in it.

“We are quickly reaching the point where eSports and its value does not need to be explained to the world’s major corporations,” said Blicharz. “It is imminent with or without the film, but hopefully All Work All Play opens more eyes to eSports and speeds up the process.”

That’s good news for Blizzard Entertainment, Riot Games, Activision, Valve and other developers at the forefront of eSports.