'Che' to be released in two parts in Jan.

NEW YORK, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- IFC Films says the four-hour-plus epic "Che" is to open for a week in Los Angeles and New York next month, then be divided in two parts elsewhere in January.

The Steven Soderbergh saga stars Benicio del Toro as South American revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara.

The full-length version of "Che" is to be released as a special one-week event Dec. 12 in New York at the Ziegfeld Theater and in Los Angeles at The Landmark.

There will be no trailers or commercials played prior to the screenings.

The run time for Part 1 is 129 minutes and Part 2 is 128 minutes. There will be a 30-minute intermission.

"Che" is scheduled to reopen Jan. 9 in New York and Los Angeles as two separate admissions titled "Che Part 1: The Argentine" and "Che Part 2: Guerilla."

A national rollout is to follow to the top 25 markets Jan. 16 and Jan. 22 with further expansions planned. The two parts will be released simultaneously.

On Jan. 21, IFC will also make the separate parts available on IFC In Theaters, its video-on-demand platform.

"'Che' is truly an event to be experienced. Steven Soderbergh has delivered one of our generation's true epic films featuring an absolutely brilliant performance by Benicio Del Toro as one of the most fascinating figures in our history," Jonathan Sehring, president of IFC Films, said in a statement. "We wanted people to see this as Steven Soderbergh intended in its entirety but also to have many options to do so."