“Life as We Know It,” released into theaters Friday, will be pre-screening for free at the Student Center Ballroom tonight at 9:30 p.m.

Kent Student Center Programming is hosting the event as one of the many activities for Homecoming week. Jennifer Gunnoe, marketing coordinator for KSCP, has been working on the event for more than a year.

In “Life as We Know It,” Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel play two single adults raising their best friends’ daughter after her parents are killed in an accident, according to The Internet Movie Database.

Sydney Jordan, student co-manager of KSCP, is one of the representatives working at the pre-screening.

“I’m excited,” Jordan said. “I have actually talked to students at other events and they are really excited about it.”

The ballroom will hold 800 people at the event. Doors will open up about 9 p.m. and seating is on a first-come, first-serve basis.

“The studio expects that we will have to turn people away,” Gunnoe said. “So the earlier the better to get a seat for the feature.”

There won’t be food and drinks sold at the movie, but the audience may bring their own.

After the movie, KSCP will survey the attendees so the studio can receive feedback about the movie.

“Last year I was trying to nail down a movie we could show the students before it was released in theaters,” Gunnoe said, “but we didn’t have a sponsor that was able to help out with bringing a big-time feature to Kent.”

This year, Warner Brothers was able to secure Ford to sponsor the movie. The sponsor pays for the distribution costs, any other costs from Warner Brothers to cover its materials and its own security team.

“In return for Ford sponsoring the movie,” Gunnoe said, “we will be showing a 60 sec commercial of ‘The New Ford Fiesta’ right before the movie is aired.”

Warner Brothers will send a representative with the movie to arrive two hours before the showing. That person will stay with the movie at all times.

During the movie, the representative will be outfitted with night-vision goggles to ensure that members of the audience aren’t recording the film with any type of electronic devices. Right after the movie, the representative will pack up the movie and be on his or her way back to the studio.

KSCP rented a 35mm projector and hired a projectionist to run the machine, as well as a crew to set up audio equipment and a security team of its own.

“It’s a great opportunity for students,” Jordan said, “because how often do you get to see a pre-release movie?”

Contact Katie Moore at [email protected].