DOPE (2015) presented by Strange Brew
June 3 : 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
This film is presented by St. Louis’s long-running cult film series Strange Brew — winner of the 2025 A-List Award for Best Movie Night in St. Louis. Strange Brew programmer Jon Scorfina will provide an introduction.
In Dope (2015), Malcolm (Shameik Moore) is a nerdy kid trying to survive high school in “The Bottoms” a tough neighborhood in Inglewood, California. Malcolm is obsessed with ’90s hip hop and fashion and dreams of going to Harvard University after high school. When Malcolm and his two best friends, Jib (Tony Revolori) and Diggy (Kiersey Clemons), get an invite to an underground party by the local drug dealer Dom (A$AP Rocky) their lives get turned upside down when they mistakenly take home a backpack full of drugs.
This low budget coming-of-age film was released in summer 2015, and though it was critically-praised, it was mostly overlooked during an era of comic book blockbuster mania. Dope, directed by Rick Famuyiwa, is an under-seen gem that captures the essence of classic John Hughes teen dramas like The Breakfast Club mixed with the grit of John Singleton’s Boyz n the Hood but for a Gen Z audience. The film features the debut acting role of Shameik Moore, as well as a standout performance from Zoë Kravitz, narration from Forest Whitaker, original songs by Pharrell, and a cameo from Blake Anderson of Workaholics. Dope also features a time-capsule subplot involving the rise of Bitcoin just as it was beginning to enter mainstream usage.
A ’90s Hip Hop Preshow will start at 6:30 pm.
Theater Policies
- All seats are first-come, first-served.
- The theater opens 30 minutes prior to showtime, except for “Happy Hour” events and pre-shows when the theater opens at the listed start time.
- All ages are welcome at Arkadin except for Drinkolas Cage events, which are restricted to 21+. We follow the MPAA rating guidelines for all other films.
- Tickets can be purchased using the BUY TICKETS link above. Upon ordering, you will receive a confirmation email from Square. Tickets may also be purchased on the day of the show at the concession counter.
- If you’ve purchased advance tickets, when you arrive, please give your name at the concession counter to check in.
- Tickets are returnable by sending a request through the contact form located on our About Us page prior to showtime.
- When an event is sold out, we reserve the right to release open seats to customers on the waitlist. If you have a pre-purchased ticket and arrive late and there is no seat for you, your ticket will be refunded.
- All screenings are held in our indoor theater unless indicated otherwise in the event description above.
- Please respect your fellow movie-goers by remaining quiet and refraining from using your cell phone throughout the screening.