The notoriously mouthy bad boy of “Saturday Night Live” treated his hometown to a private screening of his new movie, “The Suicide Squad,” over the weekend.
Pete Davidson, 27, rented out Staten Island’s entire Atrium Stadium Cinemas on Saturday, so his fans could watch him co-star as Richard “Dick” Hertz — a k a Blackguard — in the critically acclaimed reboot of the DC Comics property.
The SI native — who is infamous for trash-talking his native borough but still lives there — booked two showings at 7:20 p.m. and 8 p.m., and all fans had to do to get in was to declare themselves “friends” of the BDE legend to get in.
Atrium owner Gregg Scarola hailed Davidson as “a really cool guy” in an interview with the actor-comedian’s beloved hometown news outlet the Staten Island Advance, also known as SILive.com
“It was all Pete’s idea, he reached out to us saying he wanted to give back to the community,” Scarola told the local outlet. “He grew up in this community, and it means a lot for him to reach out to us — a local theater — not just a chain. Not enough has been said about what he does for the community, he’s a really cool guy.”
Davidson fans found out about the secret screening via the venue’s official Instagram account: “Staten Island comedian, @nbcsnl star and latest @thesuicidesquad villain #PeteDavidson wants to take you to the movies!” the post hyped.
“Come see The Suicide Squad at Pete’s hometown movie theater #AtriumStadiumCinemas Saturday, August. 7,” the venue’s unabashedly giddy post continued. “Those who want to see the film FOR FREE must be present at the theater on Saturday, August 7 and say they’re ‘Friends of Pete’ at the box office. Tickets cannot be reserved beforehand, or online. Start lining up for 5 p.m. (and don’t forget to take a theater selfie & send it to us!).”
The film’s controversial director James Gunn, 55, also got in on the act, touting the special “gift for Staten Island residents from Pete Davidson.”
Davidson’s relationship with his native borough has been tense in the past, with local activists slamming the “King of Staten Island” star for labeling his fellow Staten Islanders as “babies” for balking at COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, among a host of other character critiques over the years.
Still, he appears to remain dedicated to the so-called “forgotten borough.” Davidson officially moved out of his mother’s basement and purchased his own luxury condo on Staten Island for $1.2 million — just before the new year, The Post reported in April.
The move came four years after he snagged a $1.3 million SI abode in 2016 for his mom, Amy Waters. Davidson had been living in the basement of the home until December, when he moved into a high-rise.