You wouldn’t think Kevin Smith has much in common with Francis Coppola. Certainly not their directorial sensibilities. But now Smith has taken a page out of Coppola’s distribution handbook.

Smith announced at a public screening of his new film “Red State” at the Sundance Film Festival that he was distributing the film himself, beginning with a one-night showing at the massive (5,940 seat) Radio City Music Hall on March 5. Smith’s website for the film says tickets go on sale Friday, but there isn’t any mention of the booking on the calendar at the Music Hall’s site.

Back on January 15, 1982, Coppola booked his film “One From the Heart” into the Music Hall –which had stopped showing movies on a regular basis several years later — for what was billed as a “preview” after a dispute with his original distributor, Paramount Pictures. Then as now, it was a very expensive stunt. The musical produced by Coppola’s Zoetrope studio was eventually distributed by Columbia Pictures, and was a box-office failure. The Music Hall sporadically hosts movie premieres and booked a couple of retrospective series more than a decade ago, but hasn’t had an extended booking for a movie since a two-week run of “The Lion King” prior to its wide release back in 1994.

Update: A spokesperson for RHM confirmed the booking of “Red State” and said tickets would cost $54.50 and $124.50, which would likely set a record for a showing of a horror movie. I believe the most intense movie ever to play RCMH was “Wait Until Dark,” which included a stage show with the Rockettes as part of the admission. No word on whether the Rockettes will join Smith for a Q & A following his movie.