The stars of IF, John Krasinski and Ryan Reynolds, revealed their March Madness brackets with an additional twist.
For those unfamiliar with sports, March Madness is a single-elimination basketball tournament held in March by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). While it used to only apply to the men's division, it is now also used for the women's division.
The pair's upcoming movie, IF (standing for Imaginary Friends), will follow Cailey Fleming's Bea, a young girl who begins to see everyone's left behind imaginary friends.
IF Gets a March Madness Bracket Competition
On X (formerly Twitter), IF stars John Krasinski and Ryan Reynolds shared a new competition between the two that could bring a special screening of their upcoming film to fans' hometown—and it involves the NCAA's March Madness.
In a post from Reynolds, the star revealed if his March Madness "bracket beats [John Krasinski], then "the winner will buy out a theater in the winning team's city to watch [IF]:"
"The best bracket comes bearing gifts… IF my bracket beats [John Krasinski], the winner will buy out a theater in the winning team’s city to watch ['IF'] on opening night."
Reynolds' first Final Four bracket for the men's teams has North Carolina going against Purdue in the final game, with North Carolina coming out on top.
For the women's bracket, the actor has Texas vs. Iowa in the final game, with Texas losing in the end.
In response, John Krasinski offered his own statement, accepting his co-star's challenge:
"IF only [Ryan Reynolds] knew what he was getting into. Challenge accepted!!!"
Krasinski's men's Final Four has North Carolina coming out on top just like Reynolds, but the team is instead going up against Houston in their final match:
For his women's bracket, the final match sees South Carolina win over UCLA:
The terms for the arrangement can be found here.
For reference, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, UConn is the favorite for winning the men's NCAA March Madness tournament, while the South Carolina Gamecocks are the top pick for the women's roster.
How John Krasinski vs. Ryan Reynolds Markets New IF Movie
Interestingly, the prize is a special screening for the opening night of IF and not any time earlier—seeing as how, in that case, other screenings will be happening everywhere regardless. Perhaps the notable difference will be that the winner will show up in person.
The terms of the competition do state that both John Krasinski and Ryan Reynolds are not required to attend the screening in question, so it may be best to temper those expectations as well.
IF certainly looks like fun, and this is an engaging way of making more people aware of the film's release. The best part is that, given the personalities of both Krasinski and Reynolds, fans should expect nonstop banter as the competition rages.
IF releases in theaters on May 17.
Read more about Ryan Reynolds' other big film this year, Deadpool 3:
Deadpool 3 Cast List: Every Actor & Character Set to Appear (Confirmed & Reported)
Deadpool & Wolverine Movie: Marvel FINALLY Confirms Main Villain's Casting
'Deadpool & Wolverine' Will Be Missing 3 Main Characters from the First Two Movies
