Romanian TV station schedules “Groundhog Day” movie marathon to celebrate US weather predicting groundhog

A Romanian TV station has scheduled the 90s movie the “Groundhog Day” to play on loop on February 2, the day when a famous groundhog in the US is expected to predict the weather. Pro Cinema, part of the ProTV media group, owned by American CME, will air the iconic movie starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell, as many as 8 times on Saturday, February 2, 2019. In the 1993 movie, Bill Murray plays a weatherman forced to cover the annual gathering at Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, to cover its annual Groundhog Day event. He is caught in a time loop and has to live the same day over and over again. The Romanian TV station’s decision to run a “Groundhog Day” marathon on this day may be a novelty in Romania, but not elsewhere in the world: Sky Cinema did the same last year in the UK, while AMC in the US aired it on a loop in 2017. Pro Cinema has also included two small breaks in between the eight movie airings, to show episodes of an older local production.

Punxsutawney Phil is the name of a groundhog in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. On February 2 (Groundhog Day) each year, locals celebrate the legendary groundhog with a festive atmosphere of music and food. During the ceremony, groundhog Phil comes out of hibernation, and if Phil sees his shadow and returns to his hole, he has predicted six more weeks of winter-like weather. If Phil does not see his shadow, he has predicted an "early spring." The predictions are usually largely inaccurate, although the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club's Inner Circle members say they are 100% accurate and that their interpretation could sometimes be faulty. Groundhog Day has been celebrated since 1887 in the United States and Canada. Phil has become an international celebrity thanks to the 1993 movie Groundhog Day. https://youtu.be/tSVeDx9fk60 editor@romania-insider.com