If the holidays have ever made you want to drop-kick a gift box or smash an ornament into festive oblivion, this is your moment. Pluto TV, Paramount’s free streaming service, is bringing its nationwide “Holidays Are Brutal” tour to the city and with it comes a free, one-day-only pop-up rage room built for anyone nursing seasonal stress. (You can thank them later, once you’re done pulverizing a wreath.)
This Thursday, December 11, from 1pm to 10pm, the Angry Cactus Lounge at 2525 North Elston Avenue will transform into a holiday battlefield where you’re encouraged to unleash inner action-hero energy. The setup is inspired by Pluto TV’s new “Holidays Are Brutal” movie collection, a lineup of 70-plus action hits streamed for free, including Charlie’s Angels, Bad Boys, Rush Hour, The Expendables, Gladiator and more. Think of it as the anti-Hallmark holiday season, with fewer carols and more cinematic chaos.
Inside the pop-up, participants can step into themed smash bays that look like cheerful holiday scenes. You can “deck” the halls in the most literal sense by pounding on decorations, shattering ornaments, drop-kicking wrapping-paper disasters and generally behaving like you’re inside your own blockbuster fight sequence. The whole thing is Pluto TV’s tongue-in-cheek answer to the stresses of year-end travel, high prices and family dynamics.
The experience is part of a multicity rollout hitting New York, L.A., D.C., Dallas–Fort Worth, Houston, Atlanta, Raleigh–Durham, Philadelphia and Phoenix on the same day. But Chicago gets one of the prime setups and slots are expected to go fast.
The best part is that it’s entirely free, no smashing surcharge required. Anyone looking to claim a spot can sign up now. And, hey, if your seasonal frustrations don’t fully resolve after you obliterate a plastic reindeer, you can always head home and stream a few car chases for good measure.