In an XO takeover of Coachella during Weekend 2, The Weeknd and Jenna Ortega made an appearance at the Indio, Calif. festival to promote the release of their forthcoming film Hurry Up Tomorrow.
The fan event featured a ferris wheel takeover, announced by the four-time Grammy-winning Abel Tesfaye ahead of the weekend on Wednesday. Lasting from Day 1 to Day 3, the meet-and-greet style publicity appearance was in service of the twisty Lionsgate thriller, set to bow in theaters May 16, that accompanies his eponymous sixth studio album — the last under his alias and final in a trilogy that began with 2020’s After Hours and continued with 2022’s Dawn FM.
In a post shared by the film’s Instagram account, The Weeknd — nearly incognito in a Raiders cap, shades and black bandana — was pictured alongside Ortega. “when the sun goes down. #HURRYUPTOMORROW x @Coachella,” the caption read.
Also starring Barry Keoghan, the Trey Edward Shults-helmed project follows a musician plagued by insomnia, who “is pulled into an odyssey with a stranger who begins to unravel the very core of his existence,” per the pic’s logline. Shults directs from his own co-written script alongside Tesfaye and The Idol‘s Reza Fahim.
The stunt is the latest promotional tidbit in the runup to the theatrical release: Previously, CinemaCon attendees were treated to a surprise mini-concert of tracks “Cry for Me” and “Open Hearts,” off of the artist’s new album, as well as his record-breaking “Blinding Lights” (a fitting song for Las Vegas’ Caesars venue).
Speaking to the crowd earlier this month, the Death of a Unicorn actress said Hurry Up Tomorrow is “hard to describe … I haven’t seen a movie quiet like it. It’s very soulful. It feels more like an experience, and when you go into it with that mentality, it makes sense.”
