BEL CANTO Premieres May 1 on Crackle

Crackle Plus, a Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Inc. (Nasdaq: CSSE) company and one of the largest operators of streaming advertising-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) networks, announced TODAY that mystery thriller Bel Canto will be exclusively available for free on Crackle beginning Saturday, May 1.

Co-written and directed by Paul Weitz (Grandma, Admission, About a Boy), the film follows a famous soprano (Moore) who travels to South America to give a private concert at a party for a wealthy Japanese industrialist (Watanabe). Just as the gathering of diplomats and politicians convenes, the mansion is taken over by a guerrilla rebel group demanding the release of their imprisoned comrades.

While they are confined to the house, the hostages and their captors, who speak different languages, are forced to find ways to communicate. Music, especially the beautiful arias performed by Moore's character, sparks a shared sense of camaraderie and even love, uniting the disparate housemates as they form unexpected bonds, overcome their differences, and discover their shared humanity. Opera star Renée Fleming contributes vocals to the film.

"Bel Canto is a surprisingly romantic hostage thriller with a superb cast our audience will love," said Jeff Meier, head of programming for Crackle Plus. "The film shows how music has the power to inspire people to overcome their differences, and we are excited to bring this emotional drama to our fans."

As one of the only AVODs continually adding original and exclusive programming that uplifts, entertains, and inspires audiences, Crackle adds Bel Canto alongside original and AVOD exclusive titles including Playing With Power: The Nintendo Story, Cagefighter, After the Murder of Albert Lima, Lennox Lewis: The Untold Story, Robert the Bruce, The Clearing, Anything is Possible: The Serge Ibaka Story, Bucket List, and Going From Broke, which recently commenced production for its second season.

Bel Canto is distributed in the U.S. by Screen Media, a Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Inc. company and the supplier of exclusive and original content to Crackle Plus.

Crackle linear and VOD networks are available in the U.S. and can be accessed on 29 devices and services including Amazon FireTV, RokuTV, Apple TV, Smart TVs (Samsung, LG, Vizio), gaming consoles (PS4 and XBoxOne), Plex, iOS and Android mobile devices and on desktops at Crackle.com. Crackle is also available in approximately 500,000 hotel rooms in the Marriott Bonvoy chain.

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