A local historic bar-turned-movie-set will soon see the fruits of its grand transformation in Jeff Nichols' The Bikeriders, premiering June 21.
In summer 2021, Brian Mack purchased the 100-year-old Lakeside Inn in Middletown, which hadn’t been open for business in nearly a decade. A litany of necessary repairs loomed until six months into the restoration when Hollywood came knocking.
"There were like fourteen cars in the parking lot,” Mack told CityBeat in a 2022 interview. “I walk in to all these people – the producer, director, set designer, script writer. I mean, everybody was here. It was kind of shocking.”
The rest is movie history. Mack and his family worked alongside Hollywood producers, set designers and stars to transform the historic bar and music venue into a gritty cinematic time machine for the period drama starring Austin Butler, Tom Hardy and Michael Shannon. The production team's restoration of the bar allowed Mack and his family to open for business this year, starting on April 8, eclipse day. Lakeside Inn now hosts live music, bike nights and even serves food for a late-night crowd. They even sell merch that includes the Lakeside Inn sign, which The Bikeriders kept in the film for its historic touch.
Mack and his family reconnected with Nichols at the The Bikeriders' premiere at Cincinnati's Mariemont Theater on June 19. Now, Mack and the gang are inviting moviegoers to make the Lakeside Inn their first stop before seeing the The Bikeriders on Friday. A motorcycle is not required for the convoy, but is definitely on-theme.
"Everyone's meeting at the bar [Friday] at 3:30 and then we're all going to go see the movie at Austin Landing," Mack tells CityBeat. "Then I have a show [at Lakeside Inn] at 8 o'clock."
Click here to read CityBeat's 2023 story about why filmmakers chose Middletown's Lakeside Inn for The Bikeriders, and how the bar found new life in letting Hollywood literally set it on fire.
The rest is movie history. Mack and his family worked alongside Hollywood producers, set designers and stars to transform the historic bar and music venue into a gritty cinematic time machine for the period drama starring Austin Butler, Tom Hardy and Michael Shannon. The production team's restoration of the bar allowed Mack and his family to open for business this year, starting on April 8, eclipse day. Lakeside Inn now hosts live music, bike nights and even serves food for a late-night crowd. They even sell merch that includes the Lakeside Inn sign, which The Bikeriders kept in the film for its historic touch.
Mack and his family reconnected with Nichols at the The Bikeriders' premiere at Cincinnati's Mariemont Theater on June 19. Now, Mack and the gang are inviting moviegoers to make the Lakeside Inn their first stop before seeing the The Bikeriders on Friday. A motorcycle is not required for the convoy, but is definitely on-theme.
"Everyone's meeting at the bar [Friday] at 3:30 and then we're all going to go see the movie at Austin Landing," Mack tells CityBeat. "Then I have a show [at Lakeside Inn] at 8 o'clock."
Click here to read CityBeat's 2023 story about why filmmakers chose Middletown's Lakeside Inn for The Bikeriders, and how the bar found new life in letting Hollywood literally set it on fire.
