The next movie to be offered free of charge at Edmond Town Hall is a prequel featuring an Academy Award-winning actress who plays one of cinema’s most notorious, and notoriously fashionable, villains.

Cruella will be at 45 Main Street from Sunday, August 15, through Thursday, August 19. The first three days of screenings will be free, thanks to the ongoing series sponsored by Ingersoll Auto of Danbury.

Screenings are planned at 1, 4, and 7 pm Sunday through Tuesday. Free tickets can be reserved through edmondtownhall.org, or picked up at the box office when it opens just before each show.

On Wednesday and Thursday, August 18-19, screenings are planning for 7 pm only. Tickets for those shows are $3.50 each, also online and in person.

The town hall’s concession stand is open. Orders can be placed in advance online and in person.

Released in May and rated PG-13 for some violence and thematic elements, Cruella stars Oscar-winner Emma Stone in the title role.

The crime comedy is based on the character Cruella de Vil from Dodie Smith’s 1956 novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians.

Set in London during the punk rock movement of the 1970s, the film revolves around Estella Miller (Stone), an aspiring fashion designer, as she explores the path that leads her to become the notorious Cruella de Vil.

Cruella also features Emma Thompson, Joel Fry, Paul Walter Hauser, Emily Beecham, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, and Mark Strong.

The film’s May 2021 premiere in Los Angeles was the first major red carpet event since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The film was released simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+ for those with the streaming network’s Premier Access.

As of August 4, the film had grossed over $221 million worldwide, making it the seventh highest-grossing film of the year. Disney announced in June that a sequel is already in early development.

Ahead of the arrival of Cruella in Newtown, audiences this weekend can take in screenings of Mortal Kombat. Released in April and rated R for strong bloody violence and language throughout, and some crude references, the action-adventure/sci-fi thriller stars Lewis Tan and Jessica McNamee.

Screenings are planned for Sunday through Tuesday, August 8-10. Tickets for all shows are $3.50 each, and the schedule is available by checking our online calendar.

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Associate Editor Shannon Hicks can be reached at shannon@thebee.com.