Room At The Inn

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You'd think with all the fanboys out there and all the Avatar hype that the free tickets to Friday evening's "Avatar Day" preview would be totally gone coast-to-coast after this afternoon's online giveaway. Actually not so far (i.e., as of 10 pm eastern). I thought this would be like the sale of Bruce Springsteen concert tickets, but nope. Avatar looks seriously hot in the big cities but elsewhere....well, not quite a stampede.

All the big-city theatres are online-requested out and some of the IMAX theatres have filled up in various territories, but there are scores of regular and IMAX theatres in the hinterlands that still have tickets left. Florida is wide open except for Orlando and Tampa. Kansas City and Las Vegas still have seats. Philadelphia-area New Jersey theatres have room. Columbus, Ohio, is sold out but theatres in Charlotte and Concord, North Carolina still have seats. All the New York theatres outside of Manhattan are still open for business. Four Houston IMAX theatres still have seats but two San Antonio IMAX theatres are all filled up. Twelve theatres in Washington state (Seattle and outlying areas) have seats open.

Does this mean that (a) people in outlying realms are always slow to pick up on viral happenings?, or (b) that some people are figuring what's the hubba-hubba about a 16-minute reel?, or (c) that Avatar has a ways to go with the middle-American geek-Eloi? Maybe a bit of all three. But if I was a Fox marketing guy I'd be wondering why tickets to a free peek at the year's biggest event pic weren't Gone in Sixty Minutes.

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on August 17, 2009 at 6:52 PM

comment #1

corey3rd says ...

I was disappointed that Raleigh's Imax isn't part of this deal.

Posted by corey3rd at August 17, 2009 7:57 PM

comment #2

CitizenKanedforChewingGum says ...

People in outlying realms simply aren't going to drive an hour or two out of their way for a 16-minute showcase.

The real question to ask is why aren't metropolitan film buff folks within a short driving distance to an IMAX theater interested?

Shit, a lot of them are probably already going to be there for Inglourious Basterds, I would think...yes?

Site crash may have turned a few early birds off...thought "f it, i'm already seeing the 2 minute trailer before Tarantino's flick."

Posted by CitizenKanedforChewingGum at August 17, 2009 8:00 PM

comment #3

Cde. says ...

Outside the savvy geek filled big cities, not enough people have heard of the film. There's no trailer and no mainstream marketing.
I wouldn't worry too much if I were working at Fox, though. I think the point of this event is to get people talking and start the ball rolling. All that matters is that the cinemas are eventually filled with people who can later tell everyone about the film, and with the attention that this online chaos grabs, the curiosity factor that should follow and more mainstream coverage to help the cause, I'm sure there'll be no problem achieving that goal by Friday.

Posted by Cde. at August 17, 2009 8:01 PM

comment #4

CitizenKanedforChewingGum says ...

Another thought: Is this kind of event for fence-sitters or for people who are big James Cameron fans?

If the former, I would argue that those people haven't really heard of this movie (yet), and if it's the latter, I would argue that a strong percentage of people (like myself) are already sold on the movie, have the date circled on their calendar, have already bought their IMAX ticket in theory, etc.

I have little interest in watching snippets of scenes isolated from the main thrust of the story. I get that it's marketing, and it's not a half bad idea...but I'm interested in cinema, not creating -- or even absorbing -- buzz.

Isn't watching an effects reel of a Cameron film a little like reading 16 random pages of a Mamet screenplay? It's great, sure, but whoever thought it wouldn't be?

Posted by CitizenKanedforChewingGum at August 17, 2009 8:19 PM

comment #5

Cde. says ...

Good point Kane. A lot of people looking forward to the film, like myself, have chosen to avoid the footage.

Posted by Cde. at August 17, 2009 8:34 PM

comment #6

DeeZee says ...

Redford beats Spielberg to a Lincoln movie.
http://www.riskybusinessblog.com/2009/08/robert-redford-conspirator-lincoln-marry-surratt.html
The Cove not screened at Tokyo Film Fest?
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118007350.html?categoryid=13&cs=1
Why is a low-budget flick like Kick-Ass cost $45 million?
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118007351.html?categoryid=13&cs=1
http://www.themoviebox.net/movies/2009/IJKLM/Kick-Ass/trailer.php

Posted by DeeZee at August 17, 2009 8:43 PM

comment #7

Wrecktem says ...

Congrats, Wells. You've hit upon one of the the age old tenets of film distribution: there's hardly any money to be made in Z-level markets. L.A. and Manhattan are sold out because that's where movie audiences live.

Columbus and Charlotte? Not so much. The only reason there's an IMAX screen in podunk Kansas City is because that's where AMC is based.

Posted by Wrecktem at August 17, 2009 8:47 PM

comment #8

MilkMan says ...

I can't think of a reason to be interested in this movie. Does anybody have a legit reason to be excited for this movie? Was the Comic-Con footage that great? I don't understand. I mean, big fan of Terminator and Aliens and everything but the last 20 minutes of the Abyss, but since then I feel like it has been diminishing returns with Cameron; the technology that goes into making his films gets more and more sophisticated and cutting edge and the stories get more and more simple, the acting gets more and more wooden. I mean, this movie is going to have to literally look like nothing that has ever been seen in the history of humankind to justify the hype and money and mystery that is surrounding this movie. Does anyone know whether or not this movie is really the cinematic equivalent of the Singularity, or are we just taking Cameron's word for it?

Posted by MilkMan at August 17, 2009 8:56 PM

comment #9

Cde. says ...

MilkMan: Wells said the footage returned him to adolescence.

Posted by Cde. at August 17, 2009 9:01 PM

comment #10

SnarfTheFierce says ...

I'll tell ya, I'll happily bust Jeff at most every turn, but his Lincoln/Spielberg quest is every single bit worthwhile. Leeson could nail the part, perhaps even moreso (yes, terrible, but...) given recent events and their parallels to Lincoln's life. This could be a picture that lifts every major persona involved to new levels...but Spielberg clearly feels he can't carry the water. I'm with Jeff: give it to someone who can. Neeson's Lincoln is cinema lore in the making.

Posted by SnarfTheFierce at August 17, 2009 9:18 PM

comment #11

SnarfTheFierce says ...

Clearly snapped the wrong link. Whoops?

Posted by SnarfTheFierce at August 17, 2009 9:20 PM

comment #12

fausti says ...

Well, I'm sure some of it was the fact that the servers were crashing continuously for nearly 4 friggin' hours! That couldn't have helped those actually interested in getting some tickets. It took me until a little bit after 6pm to get through and fill out the stupid RSVP. It's a good thing I was working from home today so I could have my personal laptop on refresh while I actually got work done.

Posted by fausti at August 17, 2009 9:39 PM

comment #13

MeekayD says ...

Forget the big cities vs. not, or the coasts vs. not, or the savvy vs. not. There is simply no reason to have heard of this film yet unless you read movie-oriented websites.

I work at a news radio station in a top-5 market, and I bet if I walked into the newsroom and asked people what "Avatar" was I'd get mostly blank stares, and it would only improve a little if I said "the new movie from James Cameron". Titanic was 12 years ago now...

Posted by MeekayD at August 17, 2009 10:36 PM

comment #14

bluefugue says ...

>Does anybody have a legit reason to be excited for this movie?

Pretty simple. Cameron hasn't made a bad movie since Piranha II: The Spawning. (True Lies is his worst effort, but even that is pretty entertaining.) The guy is a master craftsman & I'm excited purely, and only, because this is his next movie.

Posted by bluefugue at August 17, 2009 10:59 PM

comment #15

DarthCorleone says ...

I echo what was said above. Not enough regular moviegoers know about the movie - much less the preview - to sell this thing out.

As for me, I'm a big Cameron fan, but I'm not that interested in watching it piecemeal. I'll be there opening night for the film in its entirety, though.

Also, there's no way I'm using vacation time to watch 15 minutes of a movie. It's scheduled too early on Friday for us working stiffs to make it to the theater and claim a good seat, so why bother?

Posted by DarthCorleone at August 18, 2009 12:03 AM

comment #16

Rich S. says ...

Another factor might be the fact that, at least in my area, the Avatar preview is only screening at two of the smaller faux-IMAX theaters. Once I saw that, I decided just to wait for December and watch it in the real thing.

Posted by Rich S. at August 18, 2009 4:16 AM

comment #17

Dance Commander says ...

Would someone please inform Mr. Cameron or his associates that Cincinnati is not in Kentucky. Jeez.

Posted by Dance Commander at August 18, 2009 5:17 AM

comment #18

Josh Massey says ...

I'm still trying to figure out how Philadelphia, New York and Las Vegas are "outlying realms."

Posted by Josh Massey at August 18, 2009 6:08 AM

comment #19

TL says ...

Sorry, I've got a job, kids, etc. My time is pretty valuable. I'm sure I'm not the only one who can't drop everything to go see 16 minutes--16 minutes!--of a movie.

Posted by TL at August 18, 2009 6:24 AM

comment #20

kamichojin says ...

I'd hardly call Philadelphia the hinterlands, but I am happy tix are still available here. Just got mine at 10am EST. Surprising. I know the average moviegoer around here has no idea this film exists, but given the number of proud movie geeks in the area (there's a thriving repertory film culture in Philly, especially for genre fare) I figured those in the know would cause quick sellouts. Guess they're all going to the Monstermania Con instead...

Posted by kamichojin at August 18, 2009 6:57 AM

comment #21

Wrecktem says ...

This is a film that MUST be seen in digital, so you should see it in digital IMAX, not shun it.

Posted by Wrecktem at August 18, 2009 7:47 AM

comment #22

Steven Kar says ...

"This is a film that MUST be seen in digital, so you should see it in digital IMAX, not shun it."

I'm not the most technical person here but if it's digital and it's blown up to the size of an Imax screen, wouldn't that make the image grainy?

Posted by Steven Kar at August 18, 2009 7:51 AM

comment #23

BoshBarnetWonkyDonkey says ...

Are the giant IMAX screens digital? Or just the small fake-IMAX ones?

Posted by BoshBarnetWonkyDonkey at August 18, 2009 7:55 AM

comment #24

Cde. says ...

The giant IMAX screens are film based.
IMAX have a process for bringing 35mm and digital films up to IMAX resolution that they call 'DMR'. They do a lot of digital grain reduction. The quality varies from film to film. I'm sure Avatar will have a very high quality blow-up, maybe the best they've done yet, since IMAX are putting a lot of effort into this release.
The DMR is usually fairly high quality these days. Picture is softer than in a regular theatre, but has a lot of visual impact.

I think Wells is seeing the Avatar Day footage on a giant, or 'real' IMAX, so hopefully he'll post about how it looks.

Posted by Cde. at August 18, 2009 8:07 AM

comment #25

crazynine says ...

Yeah, I don't think this indicative of jack piss.

The people who want to hear of this have heard of it. The subset of that group willing to show up to a 15-minute highlight reel will do so. That's a small group anywhere.

Means nothing, other than most people have to go to work instead of showing up to watch a commercial.

P.S. I know it would surprise Wells, but again, most of America is wired for internet, and plenty of folks have broadband as well. Some of the savviest internet/film culture people I know live in cities Wells would never visit, eat foods Wells would never eat, and vote for candidates Wells would rather send to a death camp than speak to.

Posted by crazynine at August 18, 2009 8:17 AM

comment #26

Brendan says ...

I got my passes for the Philly Burbs showing at 6pm. Should be an experience. Does anyone know if there is a rating for this? Is it PG-13? Anyone from Comic Con that can provide some details? I am trying to decide if the footage is too much for one of the youngsters (12).

Posted by Brendan at August 18, 2009 8:24 AM

comment #27

Cde. says ...

Brendan: In Britain, which is very strict, the footage apparently has been classified '12A', eg suitable for over 12s.

I hear there's some mildly tense stuff (e.g. a character being chased by a big scary creature) but generally it has a lightness to its tone. Fox consider the film to have appeal to those 'aged 8 to 80', so I'm sure you'll be fine.

Posted by Cde. at August 18, 2009 8:27 AM

comment #28

Steven Kar says ...

Brendan,

I'm willing to bet everything I have that the movie will be PG-13. It's much too expensive to be released as an R.

Also, how sensitive is your 12-year-old? I'm sure he can handle 15 minutes of CGI eye-candy which is what this whole preview will be all about.

Posted by Steven Kar at August 18, 2009 8:32 AM

comment #29

Brendan says ...

My thoughts as well Steven. She is sensitive but thankfully keen to the differences between fantasy and reality. I want to take her more for the experience of it all, the wonder and uniqueness, much like I was taken to Empire Strikes Back at her age.

Posted by Brendan at August 18, 2009 8:36 AM

comment #30