Shane

“Heated Rivalry” will soon steam up a movie theater near you. Special Season 1 marathon screenings will celebrate the one-year anniversary of the smash sports romance series that set HBO Max ablaze last November.

Three sets of paired episodes will screen Nov. 6-30 in more than 650 theaters around the world (in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Australia and New Zealand): over 275 Regal theaters and 375 others, including AMC and Cinemark locations, distributor Sphere Abacus announced Thursday.

Tickets will cost $9.99 per screening, and Regal showings will include filmed greetings from the cast and show creator-writer-director Jacob Tierney. (The show is based on the novel of the same name by Rachel Reid.) Advanced tickets are available now at Regal (showtimes: Episodes 1 and 2, 3 and 4, and 5 and 6).

”Heated Rivalry” is a global phenomenon creating a rush of social media and press activity wherever it lands. We’re very excited to give audiences the opportunity to watch the drama unfold on big screens,” Hana Palmer, Sphere Abacus’ executive director of global distribution and partnerships, said in a statement.

For a limited time, participating locations will offer themed cocktails, including “Summer in Montreal” and “Russians Don’t Blush.” Shane (Hudson Williams) plays for the fictional Montreal Metros hockey team; although Shane’s cottage, where Ilya (Connor Storrie) agrees to spend the summer, is technically in Lanaudière, Québec, two hours outside of Ottawa.

Ilya, a gruff Russian from Moscow, is a fellow professional hockey player for the fictional Boston Raiders. The latter cocktail references a scene in the Raiders’ locker room: One of Ilya’s teammates sees him secretly texting Shane. “You’re straight up blushing,” he tells him. “Never in life have I blushed,” Ilya snaps back. “Russians do not do this.”

“Heated Rivalry” stars Hudson Williams as Shane Hollander and Connor Storrie as Ilya Rozanov.

(Sabrina Lantos / HBO)

“When a series connects with audiences the way ‘Heated Rivalry’ has, we look for ways to bring it to the big screen and give fans a reason to experience it together,” Regal’s SVP of U.S. content Brooks LeBoeuf said. “Nearly a year after its premiere, we’re proud to work with our partners to turn a season fans have watched again and again into a true theatrical event. It’s a chance to celebrate the story, its creators, and its performances before Season 2 arrives in 2027.”

Filming and production are still underway on Season 2, which is slated for release in spring 2027 on Crave and HBO Max.

One is Catholic, the other Jewish. One was a star linebacker for a private high school, Loyola, the other a star receiver for a public high school, Newbury Park. Both wear the same jersey number at UCLA, No. 20.

Scott Taylor and Shane Rosenthal became roommates last year and based on their many smiles, witty comeback lines and football success, it’s clear they’ve become best friends and best teammates.

“It’s cool,” Rosenthal said.

“We just get along really well,” Taylor said.

They share an apartment with two other UCLA players, punter Lennox Miller and defensive back Kuron Jabari.

Whatever initial concerns or perceived stereotypes they may have had quickly vanished after learning about their similar upbringings, goals and expectations to be good students and good people.

“I hosted him on his official visit,” Taylor said. “Hosted him for dinner, took him to Westwood. We have a lot of the same priorities, doing the right things, eating the right food, going to bed at the right time. Little things.”

Said Rosenthal: “We’re on the same timing for everything. He plays defense. I play offense. We’re able to watch film together, talk about football, talk about what he sees from the defense, talk about what I see from the offense and how we go at each other in practice.”

Taylor, a 6-foot-4, 241-pound sophomore who’s never seen a steak he didn’t want to eat, “is a damn good cook,” said his grandfather, Bill Thomason, a former Loyola principal and basketball coach. Thomason once bought his grandson Omaha Steaks as a birthday gift.

“They were so good,” Taylor said.

He sometimes drives home on Sundays to cook steaks for family members. And he eats them, too.

In the competition for who cleans the room the best, Rosenthal wins in a landslide.

“He might be the cleanest guy in the country,” Taylor said. “He might be an All-American cleaner.”

Said Rosenthal: “I definitely feel like I’m the cleanest guy in the apartment.”

As for washing clothes, both said there are no irons in sight. They learned how to do laundry at home but it appears parents are always welcome to help.

Taylor is dating a girl who’s Jewish but Rosenthal gets no credit as a matchmaker since they’ve been seeing each other well before Rosenthal arrived. “There’s usually two Jews in the apartment,” Rosenthal said.

Taylor has become a key pass rusher for the 4-0 Bruins going into Saturday’s game against Oregon. Rosenthal, also a sophomore, has received playing time as a gunner on punts while being a backup receiver. He’s the state-record holder in high school football with 24 career interceptions, so tackling on special teams is something he does well while waiting for the opportunity to show his receiving skills.

Taylor has used weight training to build up his body and give himself an NFL-like stature. It started back during the pandemic when he was 13. He decided to walk down the street to the local fitness center that was allowing kids to use the equipment for free — as long as they were 15. Somehow, he convinced them he was 15. When the business started charging him, he got his mom’s credit card, became a paid member and the rest is history. He has the talent to be on par with former UCLA linebacker Carson Schwesinger.

He also possesses the ability to comfortably talk in public. He was the only UCLA player chosen to answer questions from the media after Bob Chesney was introduced as head coach last December. On Tuesday, Taylor welcomed a group of middle school students touring Spaulding Field with high-fives and fist-pumps.

Taylor remembers his first impression of Chesney addressing the team.

“He’s a great communicator to you guys,” Taylor said of Chesney. “He’s also a great communicator to us. Everything’s crystal clear about what we’re supposed to do, what our role is since Day 1. He showed up and said, ‘If you guys choose to stay here’ and … this is before the portal even opened. ‘If you guys choose to stay here, we’re gonna do something special, so if you choose to stay, be ready to work, be ready to compete.’”

Taylor said the foundation of strong relationships within the team is important.

“It’s really special the connection we have,” he said. “And I think that speaks to who we are as a team because it’s really easy to play hard for each other when we’re so close off the field.”

If Chesney ever decides to host a team barbecue, Taylor is ready to lend his steak-cooking skills, with Rosenthal at his side.