Movie PictureDawn of the Dead: On Monday, March 15, in a first-ever motion picture and television event, USA will debut-in its complete, uncut entirety-the intense opening 10-minute sequence from Universal Pictures' upcoming zombie horror film "Dawn of the Dead." The heart-pounding footage, which immerses viewers nearly immediately into a surreal, terrifying world under siege by zombies, will be shown between 10:00 p.m. and 10:30 p.m., near the end of USA's telecast of "Final Destination," which begins at 8:00 p.m. Eastern/Pacific (check local listings) on Monday, March 15.

This first-time-ever telecast will allow viewers to watch a full, uncut sequence from the film five days before it hits theaters. USA Networks and Universal Pictures strongly caution that the footage contains graphic violence and language consistent with the film's "R" rating and recommend that viewers exercise discretion before tuning in.

"'Dawn of the Dead' is so good it's combustible," commented Adam Fogelson, president of marketing for Universal Pictures. "It gets your adrenaline going and keeps it there. You'll scream, laugh, hide your eyes and cheer. We wanted to find a way to give people a real taste of that before the film comes out. Showing the first 10 minutes of 'Dawn of the Dead' unedited, exactly as it exists in the movie, speaks for itself. This material is intended for mature audiences, so the responsible place to air it is after 10 p.m. on USA, a cable network, with plenty of warning about its content."

"This unprecedented telecast is exactly the kind of creative collaboration we love to offer our partners," said Michele Ganeless, executive vice president and general manager of USA Network. "It's a promotional win/win for everybody -- USA gets unique content while Universal gains tremendous exposure for its film."
"Dawn of the Dead" opens nationwide in theaters on Friday, March 19, 2004. "Dawn of the Dead" has received an MPAA rating of "R" (Restricted -- Under 17 Requires Accompanying Parent Or Adult Guardian) for pervasive strong horror violence and gore, language and sexuality.

Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, Jake Weber and Mekhi Phifer head an ensemble cast in a re-envisioning of George Romero's apocalyptic horror classic, "Dawn of the Dead." An unexplained plague has decimated the world's population and yet ... the dead aren't dying. They've become zombies, stalking endlessly in a constant quest to feed on the flesh and blood of the few remaining living.

A ragtag group of desperate survivors in a Wisconsin town seek refuge in a large indoor mall, where they must learn not only to protect themselves from the ever-increasing zombie horde, but also to co-exist with each other as a last bastion of humanity. Sealed off from the rest of what used to be the world, the group uses every available resource (both within and without) in their against-all-odds fight to remain alive and human.