About Those SELL OUTS!!!!!
I hate to offer a look at the truth of what’s going on out there, but by way of the MovieTickets.com and Fandango ticket sales websites…
Here in Los Angeles, at The Grove, the most often sold out movie theater in the Los Angeles area, there are, indeed six The Dark Knight screenings starting between midnight and 1am that at sold out. There are no later screenings currently scheduled. And as I recall – since I was there – the last Star Wars film was on more screens after midnight, all sold out as well.
But with all the “SELL OUT” screaming, there is a grand total of ONE screening of the film on Friday that is currently sold out. 8pm.
Want to go at noon? No problem. 7p? No problem. 10? No problem.
Saturday and Sunday have NO sell-outs.
You can still get online tickets for the 12:45a show in Century City, where they have 8 screens going.
Friday, the only sell-out os 7:15p. Zero sell outs Saturday or Sunday.
The Mann Bruin in Westwood still has seats for midnight, as do all but a handful of theaters in the Los Angeles area.
On Friday, the are a TOTAL of 3 sell-outs in ALL Movietickets.com serviced theaters within 15 miles of Beverly Hills.
Fandango theaters don’t have A SINGLE sell out on Friday. Not one.
The opening is going to be tremendous. But part of this is hype that the media is participating in with the support of Movietickets.com and Fandango, whose only interest is to make YOU think there is a ticketing gridlock and that you need to pay to use their services RIGHT NOW.
And yes, 7p on Friday and Saturday night is going to sell out at most theaters from Santa Monica to Hollywood. But not today. Not even close.
MovieTickets.com has sell outs after midnight Thursday of 66 screenings in 15 theaters. Fandango has 16 post-midnight sell outs in 6 theaters. That’s 82 sell outs in LA. 3 More over the weekend. 85. Figure the same in Manhattan and you’re at 170.
One more bit of perspective. Even if, against all mathematical logic, there were 4000 sell outs
All true, and somewhat reassuring since I don’t have tic yet… though the Arclight is sold out like a motherfucker all night Friday. I assume the Vista will also fill up pretty quickly.
Not that there aren’t still a thousand options, but there go the two best chances for optimal geek-respectful audiences. Even the formerly industry audience-friendly Grove has changed demos drastically the last year or so… last couple times, I would’ve sworn I was at that bunker in Chatsworth or some Valley AMC.
The critical point is that it’s Fandango and MovieTickets.com who are driving this pre-sale hype. “Call now before supplies run out.” The problem is, the supply is nearly infinite. Sure, midnight shows might be hard to come by, but for the 90% of the people who will see this movie this weekend that won’t see it at midnight, that’s irrelevant. There will be plenty of sell outs, but most of them will be for regular walk-up sales. Which is how most movie tickets are still sold.
Right now Fandango shows my local multiplex with twelve–count ’em, 12!!!–midnight shows tonight. If that’s not a mistake, there are going to be quite a few auditoriums with a just handfuls of people. That makes no sense whatsoever. That’s 12 of 14 screens. WTF?!?!
This reminds me of when THE PHANTOM MENANCE opened in Austin. I got to the Metro at noon, walked past the line of overnighters and bought a ticket for the 2 pm show. I’ll do the same thing with TDK.
There are 2 words that describe this uncontrollable borderline pathological behavior that so many people seem to demonstrate as it pertains to having to see films the instant they come out:
1. sheep
2. manic
I’m a giant fan/geek of all this stuff too. More than 90% of people who think they are. But lets all get a grip. Most people are seeing this in the middle of the night just to say they did.
And i’m prety sure Mr. Chuck Roven is going to appreciate it.
“I am only writing about the box office like this because the rest of the media has gone bat shit crazy about it.” — DP
Pot meet kettle.
Or, welcome to the Hot Blog….
“There are 2 words that describe this uncontrollable borderline pathological behavior that so many people seem to demonstrate as it pertains to having to see films the instant they come out:
1. sheep
2. manic”
Oh, come on. They might also just be excited to see a movie. And there’s nothing wrong with that. (Yes, you can go case by case and show specific mental imbalances to support your thesis and I’m not saying there aren’t whackos in line right now.)
But I’m old and remember when there weren’t midnight shows and pre-sales. But I also remember planning out how you were going to see THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK on its first Saturday in Timonium, MD with an almost military precision. Which is not to say that isn’t a sign of mental imbalance. But at least it’s one that lead to a far mor interesting and creative life than banging away at a keyboard in a cubicle in some lifeless office park in Rockville.
I’m not completely negating your theory. I’m just saying that there’s a brand of movie mania that existed before it was codified into the marketing gospel and it lives even to this day.
(I call STAR WARS y its given title and not A NEW HOPE. So, rank me on your given geek-scale as you seen fit.)
I can’t wait to see TDK but there is something a little off about the mania for those that love this film. Several hours ago the thing was number 4 on IMDB’s top 250 films and it hadn’t even technically been released yet.
We often criticize people for ridiculing a film before they see it…howabout the people who gave this thing 4 stars before it was even finished being edited.
Check the boards…the fans were nuts about this thing before a like of film had been printed.
I stand by my prediction that Indy IV and Iron are the two top dogs of the summer. TDK may well be great but it does not have the cross over appeal of those films and is coming at a time during the summer when many people are actually getting all movied out. That’s why the big guns come out in May and June now.
Fandango’s self-hype is one thing. However, the level of sellouts nationally points to TDK challenging, if not beating, SITH’s midnight record. Over at World of KJ, where they’re right more often than not when it comes to box-office, members are reporting unprecedented sellouts all over the country. Guesstimates indicate a Friday gross (including midnight shows) of upwards of $60 million.
So yeah, screw Fandango’s self-promotion, but make no mistake…… TDK’s gonna be beyond huge this weekend.
Having actually seen IRON MAN, INDY 4, and TDK I can stand by (some of) the TDK hype, Nicol.
I enjoyed IRON MAN to the max. A lot of that was my newly-recharged love of Mr. Downey, Jr. due to too many rewatchings of ZODIAC. Even so, I think the movie is a blast.
I hated INDY 4. Hated it. Hated every impulse that went toward making it. (Though I enjoy a lot of the Darabont script.)
That said…TDK is the first one that’s made me want to come back to see it again.
But that may just be me. And the movie could be a HUGE disappointment. And Warners may be out asking for spare change on Highland next week. And the numbers may show that anyone who was ever excited to see or was excited by actually seeing this movie were a bunch of mongoloidal, haven’t-read-anything-since-Winnie-the-Pooh morons.
But that will still be my opinion of the movie. And I’ve been bitching about the shittiness of summer movies for too many summers to be listed.
But I’m old, American, and an Obama supporter- so take that for what it’s worth. (Not a lot- don’t bother checking the NYSC.)
Not really an option, L.B.
Very, very few people will HATE Dark Knight or eevn dislike it a whole lot… aside from some women and the parents of younger children who have talked them into letting them see the movie.
The film just isn’t quite as earth-shattering as it’s been made out to be, I would say mostly by people who really want it to shatter the earth… or at least the placid, often frustrating nature of the summer movie.
And I agree with you, David, and still maintain my opinion.
I know that destroys the rules of posting.
But I don’t think it’s a perfect movie. I think its ambitions lay beyond its reach. C. Nolan needs to learn a thing or two about directing action scenes. (Though not as much as various people think.)
Even so…I look forward to seeing it again.
Maybe just to find out that it’s not what I thought it was. Maybe just to find out that the reason the “pencil trick” still makes me giggle makes me unfit to judge movies, even if it’s just a personal opinion.
But I felt that feeling walking out of the theater and I haven’t felt that in at least a little while.
And that’s really just me. My initial reaction as a movie lover.
I don’t disagree with you. I just reacted a different way.
David, is it really that much better than “Batman Begins” though? I ask this because I found it completely underwhelming and wouldn’t even dream of placing it next to Indy 4 which I enjoyed A LOT (despite it’s flaws). If it’s just the same shtick with a new coat of paint then I’ll be really let down.
Soon enough I will find out for myself.
And cut the HATE crap. Seriously. For all this negative talk the movie got both a good tomatometer rating and a reasonable IMDb score. Bottom line is people continued to go see it because they liked it enough.
This, once again a reminder that a group of VERY VOCAL people do not speak for everyone (and why everytime I read that TDK will gross $450 domestically I have to roll my eyes).
Yes the movie had flaws (Koepp!) but it was nowhere near as bad as most “adventure” movies. It was all good and good time at the theater.
Also:
Fandango aside, I have to give major props to WB for doing a heckuva job promoting their film and completely avoiding the mobidity factor (and that’s not even taking into account what happened during the production – exactly). Quite a feat considering their major selling character. Now some went as far as calling it exploitation but I actually think it was so effective it almost makes you think it was tasteful.
People always talk about LA not being a great barometer for movies and they’re right to. I happen to be in Metro Detroit for the week and went Midnight. They had 11 showings at Midnight, all sold out. There are other screenings all over the city. And though I haven’t bought tix for Saturday, I will be now. I’m always confused why DP feels like he needs to throw water on some things and prop up others that don’t need it (Eddie Murphy comes to mind).
Wow. It’s a hating parking lot in here with some hating parking still available. Stuff it. Please point out to me some Oscar-bait bollocks that will even touch this movie. Outside of Benjamin Button… THERE’S NOTHING. THIS IS IT! If the Academy really want to show that they are WITH IT this year, and not a bunch of preening indie bitches. They will give Downey his due, Ledger his due, and the Bat his due.
Why? Here’s why: “The film just isn’t quite as earth-shattering as it’s been made out to be, I would say mostly by people who really want it to shatter the earth… or at least the placid, often frustrating nature of the summer movie.”
Let me type this out real big for you David because your marks around here might disagree, but it’s become quite obvious to me it’s the case. YOU ARE OLD. YOU ARE NOT WITH IT. YOU HAVE BECOME THAT CHARACTER IN SIDEWAYS YOU LOVED.
This does not make you a bad person. It does not make you a great person. It simply makes you a person who has whacky ass opinions, who heaps love on movies almost out of a necessity to be an OUTSIDER, and leaves you on the outside looking in.
Hey, it’s your life, but stop shovelling me the same greek salad. There is nothing as tremendous as this film. NOTHING. If you do not get that simple fact. You are as outdated as the Iphone you need to replace. It at least makes you fun to read.
“Several hours ago the thing was number 4 on IMDB’s top 250 films and it hadn’t even technically been released yet.”
Well, it’s been out for days elsewhere. Released here on Wednesday (so, your Tuesday).
Did I come across too harsh? Maybe. This does not change that I saw a movie tonight that it’s so tremendous, that it could inspire people. It is so tremendous, that people around me were literally on the edge of their seats. Flicks like this do not come around often. How dare anyone try to be Debbie Downer about this?
It seems so… West Coast Elitist snobby because in my hood we had a 12:01, 12:02, 12:03, 12:04, 12:05, 12:06, 12:07, 12:08, 12:09, 12:10, 12:15, and 12:20 sold the fuck out. You know right now in over 300 cities people are watching this film again? You know they will be watching it at 6? Seriously… this sort of HAPPENING has not happened in almost 10 years. Being a hater towards it… epic fail.
Oh yeah: right now at my local theatre the 7:25 and 7:30 are almost sold out. While the 10:20 are SOLD THE FUCK OUT. Seriously David, you really love pissing on fires. Again, it keeps you interesting.
Robert Downey Jr. did an awesome job in Iron Man, and made the movie better than it would have been without him…but there’s no reason to nominate that role for an Oscar.
I might have seen the point for Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, though.
9pm at a cinema down here was sold out. We went across town to another cinema for a 9.30 session and it was about 3/4 full.
Gotta say… I really liked the film, but it wasn’t really the mindblowing out of this world stop the presses movie that people other than Dave had lead me to believe. Still very good, but I’d rather rewatch Batman Returns. I might see it again, but I probably won’t. Ledger was fantastic though. B+
IO, I’m the first person to say that anyone over 30 is not the audience for Hollywood’s summer product line, with exceptions like Mamma Mia! and the occasional Seabiscuit.
But that doesn’t make me blind or dumb or unable to look at what is put in front of me.
And you being reactive to every exciting wind that blows doesn’t make you a moron… only young. Nothing wrong with that. We all go through it. And most of us get over it.
Great storytelling is not new. It is OLD. And the ability to really understand it requires growth… no matter what I thought 20 years ago when I knew every fucking thing and thought I should run the world.
There is nothing wrong with orgasms. I enjoy them as much as anyone. But the only truly great response to an orgasm is the next orgasm, like the next hit of coke or listening to that great new song that hits you that amazing way and you have to hear over and over and over again.
But as you grow up, you will realize that orgasms just aren’t that hard to come by and that the thrill of those seconds tends to get us to forgive a lot in getting that thrill. Now, when you can be thrilled by how you get there AND the orgasm itself, you will be a man, my son.
As of 11 AM three of the 27 possible showings at the two theatres near me are sold out. The theatres are in Skokie, IL and Evanston, IL. Both are very popular theatres reaching an upscale demographic.
DP is right, lot of the midnight shows were sold out. Arclight is selling out. Imax’s are selling out. But there are still many that are not in LA.
Why?
Oh geez, I dunno, 4400 fucking screens is a lot!!!
SATC was also selling out abunch, but it was on half as many screens as Dark Knight.
Oh David, you want to play? Well… you do a lunch with me. I guarantee you that you will never ever do another one again. Before that… let’s Drew your ass.
“IO, I’m the first person to say that anyone over 30 is not the audience for Hollywood’s summer product line, with exceptions like Mamma Mia! and the occasional Seabiscuit.”
Production line? Oh… you think what you watch in Toronto is real art? You think those flicks are what everyone waits for each year? Please. If I wanted fake situations that never ever happen every Fall. Well, I would just go to the theatre, and watch the bullshit forced on people each year at OSCAR TIME!
“But that doesn’t make me blind or dumb or unable to look at what is put in front of me.”
Please. You have turned into your very own Don Quixote this Summer. You have decided to go off and try to take down windmills, when this just makes you read as foolish as you believe Nikki Finke to be. Seriously, you have got to be kidding me with some of this bullshit, biased, and bogus reviews you have been posting this year. If I am the only one who gets your agenda. This may mean I am paying attention, but stop acting as if your rationale this Summer has made any sense to anyone but raving lunatics such as yourself.
“And you being reactive to every exciting wind that blows doesn’t make you a moron… only young. Nothing wrong with that. We all go through it. And most of us get over it.”
Did you really post this shit? The man who fixates on one Oscar film every year, pushes it like crazy, then post a deflated post after it fails to get a nomination is a MAN WHO CAN GET OVER IT?
Please. What you choose to get excited about starts in Toronto. This is when you post several ridiculously long and empty TORONTO BLOG POSTS, talk about the countless ARTY MOVIES you love in a rather obtuse way, then expect everyone to decipher your cryptic fucking ramblings.
So stop it with your superiourity complex. It makes no sense that Mr. OSCAR SEASON would give me crap over the best movie released this year. When Toronto comes… get ready… as I point out to you your obviousness.
“Great storytelling is not new. It is OLD. And the ability to really understand it requires growth… no matter what I thought 20 years ago when I knew every fucking thing and thought I should run the world.”
Growth? You are trying to insult me? Indirectly? You can beat the shit out of a Mark Steven Johnson film, but you are trying subtlety with me? Really? Aw gosh David… you miss the point.
The point remains that you are a bitter and vindictive man, that has been forced into a corner. While lesser talents than yourself get the PUSH. This leads to you posting review after review that reads more like you trying to take down a WINDMILL then reviewing a fucking film.
Trust me: I get great storytelling. I have always gotten great storytelling. What people like you never get about movies like The Dark Knight is… they are the ones that open eyes. They are the ones that get people to experience the entire world of cinema. Snobby little wretches like you like to think it’s an art/indie film that moves the world. When it never has been. If only you and the Academy could grasp this as formally as you grasp at the thread that is your own sanity and the reality revolving around that sanity.
“There is nothing wrong with orgasms. I enjoy them as much as anyone. But the only truly great response to an orgasm is the next orgasm, like the next hit of coke or listening to that great new song that hits you that amazing way and you have to hear over and over and over again.”
You think Harry Knowles is wacky? Ready this shit again, realize that you lack the ability to get the point about not only me but my feelings about the Dark Knight, then have your wife slap you for posting something so utterly moronic. People give me shit, but look at what you wrote. Disgusting.
“But as you grow up, you will realize that orgasms just aren’t that hard to come by and that the thrill of those seconds tends to get us to forgive a lot in getting that thrill. Now, when you can be thrilled by how you get there AND the orgasm itself, you will be a man, my son.”
I apparently have more maturity than you because while I have cursed at people online. I will never ever write such ridiculous and pointless analogies. Seriously, get a fucking handle on your fucking life, because you are slipping.
The point remains: you are the old man screaming at the cloud. I hope you like your place in the world. You did it to yourself.
Wait… when do the orgasms get old?
What movies do sell out this far in advance? Even w/it being WB’s largest presale and the bonkers business the services are doing, movie ticket buying is still brick and mortar. People go to buy tickets with a vague notion about the timing of it all. They get there early enough to get good seats but they’re not camping from 2 in the afternoon to sit in the back middle portion of the theater. You know, not so early that they think they’re gonna have to stand in line for a half hour before they let people in.
Warners only needs psychologically for certain shows to sell out early. Once the demand is up, it’s just as advantageous to have the same people giving the strong word of mouth about the films quality to say of the crowds, “It wasn’t that bad. I mean the place was pretty full but we didn’t have a problem getting decent seats,” because then people who have an inkling about seeing it will not be scared away to even try.
I don’t know what kind of regression analysis they could’ve worked up to know the proper ratios for this but there’s gotta be a point where X number of theaters at 70% capacity is better than Y number of theaters at 98% capacity. Not just in straight sales but in terms longevity. Theoretically, you can measure the number of people who got turned away. You can’t measure the numbers who opted to stay at home.
There’s two arguments here. One is the quality of the movie and whether the hype is “justified”. We’ll all judge the quality for ourselves — some will love it unreservedly, most will probably like it (to varying degrees), and I have no doubt some will be disappointed.
But the other argument (IMHO, more interesting, at the moment, because I haven’t seen TDK yet) is the box-office discussion. This is a film that’s challenging several records, and I think that’s exciting, and worth talking about. Early reports are saying it’s gotten $17 million from the midnight screenings (with more to be counted), which means it would break SITH’s midnight record.
Think about that. SITH had enormous buzz and the power of Star Wars and was the concluding movie to the saga. I wouldn’t think that the movie versions of Batman have anything close to the fanbase of Star Wars. Yet here is TDK breaking SITH’s record.
If it does, btw, it also has a really good chance at breaking SPIDEY 3’s opening Friday record. I think that’s less significant, but if it does, then we’re looking at an opening 3-day weekend of $130+, easily.
Wow, IO… you’ve been reduced to obsessing on Oscar and calling me old. Not your strongest work.
Funny… just occured to me, IO… you think you are The Joker.
IO is an agent of chaos.
Thank god someone around here has the guts to call David on his behavior.
Triple – The costs of more screens is only an issue if the movie bombs. There may be some “let’s wait” resistance to sell out stories in the media today, but I suspect that people will check their listings as the weekend progresses and be happy to see available screenings. The advantage of so many showtimes outweighs, I think, the resistance of fear.
It is the ugly secret in the exhibition business that even the biggest hits rarely sale half the seats available, even on opening weekend. People who want to go on opening weekend want to go at prime time and those are the shows that do sell out.
Dear lord, IOI, David liked the movie enough to say “I quite liked The Dark Knight.” and he’s giving it something around a B or 3/4 stars more or less. Calm down.
DP, Finke posted that though WB execs aren’t saying publicly, they are hoping for a $160-170M 3-day opening.
Why say this? Either WB or Finke? For record openings, a perfect storm is needed. There were successfull movies for years (both total and openings) and many with hype, but it took a perfect storm to finally break a $100M 3-day (Spidey). We’ve recently had numerous hyped moves such as the new Star Wars movies, new Matrix’s, Indy, Spidey sequels, pirates sequels and though some did break the record at that time and though some were not compacted into 3-day openings, none approached that kind of number.
TDK could do $150 opening and 3 times that for DM for a $450M total, and while those are very optimistic numbers, they aren’t the ones Finke is discussing. Either WB execs are crazy or Finke pulled this out of the air. And yes, evenually, with inflation and a perfect storm, some movie will open to $160-170M for a 3-day opening. But it isn’t TDK. And eventually Finke gets around to the more realistic numbers – that anything over $100M is great and a high ceiling of $130M is what WB should and is expecting.
Hehe…Yeah, they’re just looking for a little free PR. Still, Nikki has TDK making $18.4M from Thursday night showings, which is pretty damn impressive. With great reviews and this crazy hype, I’m not surprised if other records start to fall. Maybe I’m buying up the hype. But we’ll see tomorrow. Also, I’m not sure how the movie’s gonna live up to this hype.
The only problem, qwiggles, is that I am not referring to The Dark Knight and many of the “load-blowers” are older than I am.
Yes, that would be a puerile (and idiotic) shot. But I didn’t take it.
My remarks were specifically directed to IO and his comments.
And If you don’t think most people’s tastes tend to get either more sophisticated or more narrow as we age, you are probably pretty young. And I include myself in that group of the aging. It is very possible to age out, as IO suggests. But it is equally likely that one can become better honed and aware over time. Or perhaps you’ll like the first year resident to be operating on your heart instead of the 20 year person.
You know, just because they are “only” movies and just because everyone has an opinion about them does not mean that there is no learning curve or growth in critical analysis. One can become burdened with one’s history. But one can also work not to be so.
And still, in the end, we can disagree. And there are very few blacks and whites. People like what they like and hate what they hate. But criticism is not, to me, quite that simple. You can make any argument if you can follow it up with a real argument. “You’re old and you don’t like Iron Man enough,” is not one.
And the reason I chose to speak so directly to IO in this instance is that he stuck his nose out from behind his bullshit for a minute… and I was taking my shot. I am sorry it was seen as vain and arrogant, but some days, I am surely that too.
Jason – Someone from another studio is telling Finke that the studio thinks they can do that number. No sane person at a studio ups the ante like that in public… and no one trusts Nikki to keep anything off the record… unless it’s in her interests.
I remember being on the 1982 junket for “48 HRS.” Quite a few critics/journalists — by no means the majority, but quite a few — were appalled by the language and violence. One very Old School columnist practically turned purple in the face when I told her I thought it was a great movie, one of the best I’d seen in a long time. But, hey, I was 30 at the time, so I delighted in shocking the oldsters.
I remember this whenever I tell my students that, back in the 1920s, many reputable critics flamed Buster Keaton for daring to mix violence and comedy — for daring to inject jokes into a movie about the Civil War — in The General. Fact is, yesterday’s outrage can be tomorrow’s classic.
And what people say or critics write about a movie during its initial theatrical release can sound or read like so much benighted foolishness years later. Go back and read, for example, some contemporary reviews of the original Alfie.
And David: Anyone who expects to be paid and read for expressing an opinion about movies (or books or plays or TV or what have you) is by nature vain and arrogant, because he/she expects to get paid and read for expressing an opinion. That’s just the way it is.
“You know, just because they are “only” movies and just because everyone has an opinion about them does not mean that there is no learning curve or growth in critical analysis. One can become burdened with one’s history. But one can also work not to be so.”
This is not what’s at issue for me. I haven’t argued at any point that films are “only” movies, to start — nor have I argued that there is no learning curve, no growth. What I have said, and what I’ll reiterate now, is that there is no blinking neon equals sign between learning curve and progression through the years, between growth and age. As someone who writes about movies every day, I would think that you especially would see the need to nuance that point, lest it seem like you are saying that all it takes to develop a fine palate in film is a little perspective in life.
To say that the ability to “really understand” a film requires growth is debateable in itself, but I’ll grant you it; where I lose you is when growth gets measured in terms of age — 20 years ago, I was blind; now I see. By your own terms here, a 75 year old critic can say “Children of Men is an unprecedented masterpiece, and anyone who does not realize it is simply immature” and never have to legitimate his opinion: he’s grown in those extra years and you have not; you’ll see what he sees when you get there.
It’s a question about what gives authority to one’s opinion, then, and the path you’ve laid out here suggests authority does not lie in reasonable argument or even in good writing: it lies in the sophistication that no doubt comes with age. An opinion is valid because he who holds it is wise, whether he can explain himself or not. Well, maybe there’s some correlation, or maybe not, but follow this line of reasoning far enough and you’ll find all sorts of “My opinion is valid because my perspective is _____ and yours is ____” subbing for valid film criticism. And isn’t that partly what you’re calling IO on?