MINI USA AND PARAMOUNT PICTURES HOST VIRTUAL SCREENING OF THE ITALIAN JOB FOR MINI COMMUNITY

Hundreds of MINI owners turn out “virtually” to enjoy the iconic 2003 film that helped put the MINI Cooper on the map in the U.S.

Woodcliff, N.J. – May 15^th, 2020 - MINI USA hosted a virtual movie night in collaboration with Paramount Pictures, presenting The Italian Job (2003) to hundreds of MINI enthusiasts across the country. The virtual screening held online Monday, May 11, at 8:00 pm ET, was attended by more than 350 MINI owners who generated over 1,470 chat messages in the virtual screening platform.

The evening event was hosted by Mike Peyton, Vice President, MINI of the Americas, who welcomed the group, shared trivia questions during the intermission, chatted with members of the community in real time during the movie, and closed out the night with a live Q&A session with owners.

“We know that our owners love to gather and enjoy each other’s company, something that is not possible right now due to social distancing,” said Mike Peyton, Vice President, MINI of the Americas. “It is important for MINI to bring our community together. It is what MINI is all about.”

Last month, in light of the current COVID-19 pandemic, MINI USA officially postponed MINI TAKES THE STATES. The legendary road rally for MINI owners, which was set to take place from July 18 – 26, 2020. It will be rescheduled for summer 2021.

“This was an opportunity to virtually bring our owners together and share in their enthusiasm for the brand at a time when rallying together with them is not yet possible. We will continue to look at unique opportunities over the next several months to engage with our community at a time when we all need it most,” Peyton added.

Released in 2003, The Italian Job is an American action thriller starring Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, and a trio of red, white, and blue MINI Coopers.  The film follows a group of thieves who plan to steal gold from a former associate who double-crossed them and features a legendary getaway scene involving three MINI Hardtops as they race through the streets of downtown Los Angeles and in the underground tunnels of the LA Metro Rail System.

32 MINIs were used in the making of the film, with the actors trained to do as many of the driving scenes as possible.  In addition, three of the MINIs were specially converted to full battery electric drive to be used in filming the escape scenes in the underground tunnels of Los Angeles.

Images and video from the virtual event can be downloaded at MINIUSANEWS.com.

About MINI in the US

MINI is an independent brand of the BMW Group. In the United States, MINI USA operates as a business unit of BMW of North America, LLC, located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey and includes the marketing and sales organizations for the MINI brand. The MINI USA sales organization is represented in the U.S. through a network of 121 MINI passenger car dealers nationwide. MINI USA began selling vehicles in the U.S. in 2002 with the introduction of the MINI Cooper and MINI Cooper S Hardtops. Since then, the MINI Brand in the U.S. has grown to encompass a model range of five unique vehicles.

Journalist notes: Media information about MINI and its products is available to journalists on-line at www.miniusanews.com.

#  #  #