Cinemark movie theaters in Monroeville, Robinson and the Pittsburgh Mills mall in Frazer were packed with patrons hoping to meet an impractical star.
Sal Vulcano, one quarter of TruTV’s “Impractical Jokers,” visited the Steel City on Friday to help promote his group’s new film.
“Impractical Jokers: The Movie” launched in select theaters the night before with the hope of worldwide distribution in the near future.
The show and movie feature Vulcano and his friends/castmates James Murray, Joe Gatto and Brian Quinn — also known as the New York comedy quartet The Tenderloins.
They challenge each other to interact with strangers through bold dares and pranks with the idea of who can embarrass each other the most.
The TV show is in its eighth season and has surpassed 200 episodes.
Vulcano, a longtime Steelers fan, was quick to jump on the opportunity to meet Pittsburghers as part of the promotional tour.
“Since I was born in the 1970s, I’ve been a Steelers fan,” he said. “I have an affinity for this city. I come here all the time on tour with the guys, so I’ve been here a bunch. When they gave us the list of cities to go to promote the movie, I immediately snagged Pittsburgh. I just love coming here.”
Clad in a black, unzipped hoodie over top a black Steelers shirt with gold lettering, the New York comedian took photos, signed autographs and watched some of the movie with fans.
“We’re humbled that everyone is coming out,” Vulcano said. “We made this movie for them. We wanted to have a communal experience seeing it. We’ve been getting video from some of the theaters, and everyone seeing it together is great because they all share the love of the show. Their reaction has been fantastic.”
Alex Krieger of Bellevue was one of the fans at the Pittsburgh Mills viewing who got to meet the star.
“I am a fan of Sal,” Krieger said. “It’s really cool. I didn’t even know this was ‘a thing’ until 24 hours ago, but I’m a big ‘Impractical Jokers’ fan. I just really wanted to get a chance to see him. I even got to fist-bump him.”
Fan loved movie (spoiler alert)
Jordan Falkner, 21, of Harrison saw the movie Friday afternoon prior to Vulcano’s visit and was among many fans waiting outside the Frazer theater for autographs and photos.
“I thought Joe and Sal in particular were very funny,” Falkner said. “The scene with the Atlanta Hawks is good. The surprise for a birthday was pretty comical, too. … They perform these challenges picking on people and getting with the guys. Probably the peak of the movie for me was Sal with the tiger in the hotel room. That was outstanding.
“They’re willing to go to a different level in order to make people laugh and get a smile on people’s faces. That’s what makes it fun for me.”
Vulcano visited the West End Overlook and a few other Pittsburgh sites during his visit.
“In the in-betweens (of theater stops) I’m just trying to soak it in,” he said. “The fans are insane. They are showing up and if the movie is sold out they are camping out — and it’s a cold day. I’ve been appreciating it thoroughly (and) trying to get pictures with every last person that I can. It’s been completely surreal.”
He encouraged fans to post their movie experiences on social media and help get the word out to others about the film.
The #ImpracticalJokers Movie hits theaters THIS WEEKEND. Tickets for all 240 screens ON SALE NOW. If the movie does well we will open in more theaters the following weekend.
Help us #BreakTheBoxOffice & get the movie to other areas for fellow fans. Please spread word & RETWEET! pic.twitter.com/bQmBFVhJ6j
— Sal Vulcano (@SalVulcano) February 17, 2020
Cinemark released a statement about Vulcano’s visit to its theaters.
“At Cinemark, we strive to offer our guests the most extraordinary experience possible. Having Sal here tonight is just one way we achieve our goal,” the statement read.
Gatto was in Ohio and Murray was in Texas as part of the movie tour.
All four pranksters are expected to be in Pittsburgh on Aug. 15 at PPG Paints Arena for their “The Scoopski Potatoes Tour.”
Michael DiVittorio is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Michael at 412-871-2367, [email protected] or via Twitter .
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