Hello 21st century, meet your "Rocky Horror Picture Show."

That would be the Los Angeles cult film "The Room," dubbed the "Citizen Kane" of bad movies, which will have a midnight screening tonight at the Kahala 8 as Consolidated Theatres tests the waters for expanded arthouse offerings.

The 2003 film by Tommy Wiseau is marketed as a "quirky, black comedy," but it defies description. In the decade since its release, "The Room" has built up a reputation of being "so bad it’s the funniest movie you’ll ever see" and has been kept alive by social media and endorsements from celebrities such as actor-comedians David Cross, Paul Rudd and Will Arnett.

And just like "Rocky Horror," fans of Wiseau’s film show up to late-night screenings dressed as characters from the movie and bring props to mimic the action on screen.

Wiseau served as writer, director, executive producer and star of "The Room," which apparently was intended as a straight-laced drama about a guy whose fiancee sleeps with his best friend. That’s about as comprehensible as the story gets; the rest of the script drops story threads and characters as quickly as they’re introduced.

A mother who discovers she has breast cancer usually makes for compelling drama, but here it’s a footnote that’s dismissed like she’s come down with the flu. In another scene, the entire male cast is dressed in tuxedos and tosses around a football at close range, all without any reason for doing so.

The dialogue includes such gems as, "Leave your stupid comments in your pocket." Film lovers also have fun pointing out the dozens of goofs and flubs throughout the film’s brisk 99 minutes.

Lindsey Chun-Hori, Consolidated Theatres Hawaii’s promotions and events manager, said Wiseau’s film company approached the local exhibitor about showing "The Room" here. Consolidated’s parent company also manages the Angelika Film Center, a chain of indie and arthouse theaters in New York and Texas.

"The film is a huge cult sensation that continues to sell out shows in the mainland, but the film has never played in Hawaii," Chun-Hori said in an email. "When Wiseau Films approached our film department, we were really excited to bring this movie to our theaters and present it as a midnight movie experience.

"It’s so frequent in New York and L.A. to have unique programming like this and we’re just happy we’re able to be bringing the same experiences to Hawaii."

"The Room" will have additional midnight screenings at Kahala on the last Fridays in February and March.

In a phone interview, Wiseau said he has no idea what kind of reception the film will get here. He had a message for first-time viewers: "You can laugh, you can cry, you can express yourself, but please, don’t hurt each other. You can have a groovy time."

Wiseau is about to embark on a worldwide "Love is Blind" tour, appearing at screenings in London and Paris. He said he enjoys the attention and celebrated the Blu-ray release of the film in December.

The filmmaker remains cagey about whether "The Room" has brought him financial success.

"Let me answer my way," he said with a nervous laugh. "It’s fun to have fun, you know what I’m saying?"