What to know
- A memorable scene in Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie prominently features a NOW Magazine newspaper box, highlighting the publication’s influence on Toronto’s cultural scene in the early 2000s.
- The film follows comedic musical duo Jay McCarrol and Matthew Johnson as they continue their long-running quest to perform at The Rivoli, building on the cult mockumentary series.
- Since premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival, the indie film has become an international critical and commercial success, earning roughly $5 million worldwide against a reported $2 million budget.
- Johnson said NOW Magazine was once “the Toronto magazine,” explaining its inclusion in the film as a tribute to its role in shaping the city’s arts, entertainment, and cultural identity.
Forty-five years after its initial creation, NOW Magazine’s popularity was showcased in a big way, in the highly rated Toronto-based film Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie.
In a nearly two-minute scene, the comedic musical duo Jay McCarrol and Matthew Johnson drive their RV into multiple newspaper boxes after almost hitting an incoming TTC streetcar.
The main box the vehicle hits is a NOW display, leading to the pair later examining one of the magazines sprawled onto the road.
“What the hell?” McCarrol said in the scene, after seeing former comedian and actor Bill Cosby on the cover page, in the pre-sexual assault allegation era of 2008.
Afterwards, Johnson points out that “someone” AKA English superstar Adele was already playing the Rivoli that night, a feat the duo had been attempting and documenting on camera for decades.
What is Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie?
Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie acts as a sequel to the similar chaotic mockumentary style show Nirvanna the Band the Show.
The show, which originally was released independently online from 2007 to 2010, was picked up in 2016, continuing its run on CBC Gem and YouTube Premium.
Since the movie’s premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in Sept. 2025, it gained major online popularity, quickly becoming an internationally acclaimed critical and commercial success.
According to Box Office Mojo, the Canadian film grossed around $5 million in the box office worldwide, a big accomplishment for the indie movie, which had a production budget of around $2 million.
Why is the movie Toronto-specific?
The movie continues the series storyline of the musical duo’s efforts to get into Toronto’s west-end Rivoli venue, depicting Johnson and McCarrol living together in an apartment near Queen Street West.
NOW Magazine was also a prominent part of the series’ storyline.
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Why NOW Magazine was featured
In an interview with Next Magazine, Johnson said NOW Magazine was a major part of Toronto in the early 2000s.
“NOW Magazine was, I call it one of the legs of the table of the great city of Toronto,” he told the pop culture organization. “It’s crazy. That magazine was the Toronto magazine. Everybody read it. If you were on the cover, you made it. That’s how we all knew what was cool.”
Johnson added he was happy NOW was able to be featured in the film.
Johnson’s representatives said he was unavailable to speak with NOW Toronto on Monday.
