A cardboard cutout of Bill Murray was standing by just in case the real thing did not show up at New Bedford’s Zeiterion theater on Aug. 3. He showed up anyway, walking out from behind his own likeness to the wild applause of more than 300 people who had just watched “What About Bob?” as part of the venue’s Bill Murray movie marathon.
The actor’s detour through New Bedford only became a bigger story this week, after he recounted the whole episode on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” while promoting his new Paramount+ golf docuseries, “A Course Called Ireland,” according to The Boston Globe. Murray told Kimmel he was on his way to Martha’s Vineyard when he realized how close he was to the theater. Penny Pimentel, the Zeiterion’s senior director of marketing and communications, confirmed to Boston.com that Murray was traveling toward the Vineyard when he decided to make the stop, per the same Globe report.
“I’m only going to be 125 miles away, I can get there,” Murray said of his decision to swing by the theater, according to the Globe. He added that an acquaintance of a friend happens to serve on a local film committee, which is what nudged him to actually pull off the road and walk inside.
A Theater President Gets Cut Off Mid-Speech
Once he arrived, Murray wasted little time on formalities. Zeiterion president and CEO Rosemary Gill had reportedly prepared a seven-minute speech to introduce him, but the actor had other plans. “She was about to give like a seven minute speech, and I just didn’t have that kind of time,” Murray said, according to the Globe’s account of his Kimmel appearance.
Instead, he said he liked the idea of simply strolling out once the credits rolled. “It was just kind of fun to walk out at the end of the movie,” Murray told Kimmel, per the Globe. WBSM reported that the crowd of more than 300 attendees got roughly 12 minutes with Murray before he wrapped up his visit.
Praise For A City Mid-Comeback
Murray did not just crack jokes about dodging a long introduction. He also used the Kimmel spot to talk up New Bedford itself, telling the host the city is in the middle of a genuine turnaround. “Right now it’s having a great rebirth,” Murray said, according to the Globe.
He also framed the whole visit around a simple joy: seeing people back in theater seats together. “I’m so happy that people are going to movies again,” Murray said, according to WBSM’s report on the Kimmel appearance. The sentiment lined up neatly with the venue itself, which reopened earlier in 2026 following a $37 million restoration, the Globe reported. Modern upgrades from that renovation included 1,200 new seats, according to The New Bedford Light.
The Light also reported that the Zeiterion carries an estimated $10 million annual economic impact for New Bedford, a figure its vice president of strategic advancement expected could climb to $12 million or $13 million following the reopening. That projection, as reported, remains an expectation rather than a confirmed outcome.
Not His First South Coast Detour
This was hardly Murray’s first unannounced brush with the region. Back in 2019, the actor was spotted eating pierogies in Fall River alongside “Green Book” director Peter Farrelly, with the pair reportedly having traveled from Martha’s Vineyard, the Globe reported at the time. That outing ended with Murray jumping onstage at Roy Carpenter’s Beach in South Kingstown, Rhode Island, where he joined a local band and powered through Van Morrison’s “Gloria.”
Whether or not New Bedford becomes a regular stop on Murray’s unscripted travels remains to be seen. For now, the Zeiterion can count itself among the venues that got the real Bill Murray instead of just his cardboard stand-in.
