Culture 3 min read By Morgan Griffin
Nebula brings Patrick Willems' short «Power Trip» to theaters in three countries
Independent media company Nebula has set a theatrical release for «Power Trip», a short by Patrick Willems, across 260 locations in the U.S., U.K. and Canada, with a special New Year's Day preview planned.
Independent media company Nebula has set a theatrical release for «Power Trip», a short film by Patrick Willems, placing it in 260 cinemas across the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada. Deadline first reported the release as an exclusive.
The U.S. footprint includes 222 Regal Cinemas locations. In the U.K., the short will play at 11 venues operated by Picturehouse and Cineworld. A special New Year's Day preview screening is also planned, giving audiences an early opportunity to see the film on the big screen before the wider rollout.
The release is notable for its background tie to producer Dan Jinks, whose credits include «American Beauty». Theatrical distribution for a short is relatively uncommon, and the scale of the booking reflects Nebula's push to take independent work beyond streaming and online platforms. Nebula is an independent media company, and the release places «Power Trip» in a much larger commercial setting than most shorts reach.
The announcement comes as the independent film sector faces a difficult stretch. Coverage from the American Film Market in 2026 described the indie market as tougher, and the completed Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery merger has added to uncertainty across the industry. A Netflix leadership shake-up preceded recent layoffs, and streamers have been cutting back in ways that squeeze the financing available to independent filmmakers.
Against that backdrop, some recent theatrical breakouts have offered encouragement to independent producers and distributors. Nebula's decision to pursue a wide theatrical window for a short suggests that exhibition remains a route the company considers worth testing, even as financing grows scarcer.
Nebula's release is one of several recent developments in the independent sector. Galisteo Media Arts has acquired rights to historian Andrew Hartman's 2025 book «Karl Marx in America» and is developing a documentary titled «American Boogeyman: Karl Marx in America». Separately, the indie publisher Vendetta unveiled its 2027 release slate, which includes «Surfpunk» and «The Mailroom», and named a new advisory board of industry leaders.
Further afield, the actress Emily Browning is set to take part in a Reddit AMA on November 19. Her film «The Fox» opens November 26 in Australia and December 4 in the United States. For «Power Trip», the New Year's Day preview and the 260-location rollout will be the first measure of how audiences respond to a short film presented in cinemas on this scale.
Source: deadline.com
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