By DAVID M. HALBFINGER

Published: May 18, 2005


OS ANGELES, May 17 - With "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith" opening nationwide just after 12 a.m. Thursday, and around the world in the course of a few days, the data streaming in to 20th Century Fox executives were nearly off the charts.

The AMC Empire 25 movie theater on 42nd Street in Manhattan was already sold out of tickets for the 12:01, 12:30, 12:50, 1:10 and 1:45 a.m. shows.

Across New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, Washington, Seattle and San Francisco, multiplexes were adding middle-of-the-night screenings as fast as they were running out of seats.


Bruce Snyder, the studio's president of distribution, sounded giddy as he rattled off a list of national theater chains and their percentages of seats sold out nationwide for the movie's midnight start times:

"As of Sunday, AMC theaters was at 75 percent," he said. "Century - 85 percent. Regal - 83 percent. Loews - 77 percent."

He went on, before adding: "I'm doing this a long time. I can never remember anything like this, four days out for a midnight show on a Wednesday night. It's not exactly summertime."

But summer, it seemed, was starting a few weeks early, and not a moment too soon.

The film industry has limped along through a blockbuster-free spring, with only "Hitch," a romantic comedy that opened a few days before Valentine's Day, breaking $40 million in its opening weekend.

Over all, box office receipts are down 8 percent for the year to date from the same period in 2004, and weekend grosses have been lower than last year's for 12 straight weeks. Even setting aside last year, when "The Passion of the Christ" opened in late February, nationwide attendance at movies this year is 7 percent lower than in 2003, according to Exhibitor Relations, which tracks box office results.

While LucasFilm stands to reap the vast majority of the rewards if "Revenge of the Sith" proves to be a blockbuster, and Fox will receive a relatively low fee for distributing it to theaters, competitors were cheering from the sidelines this week.

"The movie business is contagious," said Tom Sherak, a partner at Revolution Studios. "Meaning, if you go see a movie you like, chances are you'll continue to go to the movies. It turns on the industry. When we fall into a slump, it's because the movies that are out don't have good word of mouth. And there haven't been that many movies that have great word of mouth in the last month or so."

In a business that loves touting its records, "Episode III, " the sixth in a 28-year cycle of "Star Wars" pictures, appears to have a serious shot at displacing Sony Pictures' "Spider-Man" as the best-opening film in history. "Spider-Man" took in $114.8 million in three days when it opened in May 2002, setting a widely discussed weekend record and eventually grossing $403.7 million at the domestic box office, short of the $601 million take of the top-grossing "Titanic" in 1997. The weekend record does not account for ticket-price inflation or the vagaries of data from eras that produced blockbusters like "Gone With the Wind" or "The Sound of Music."

Mr. Snyder, at Fox, was feeling the weight of history and expectations on Tuesday. "Everybody is kind of laying the ills of the industry on this movie," he lamented.

"I do think it's a big burden to put on the shoulders of one movie," he said. "But if there is such a movie that can handle it, this is it."

Indeed, the two major online ticket companies, Fandango and Movietickets.com, both said they were on pace to break their records for advance sales, set by "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," in 2003. That film took $72.6 million on its opening weekend and went on to top $377 million in ticket sales at the domestic box office.

"We're selling two tickets per second, and we expect that rate to quadruple by week's end," said Harry Medved, a spokesman for Fandango, which says it covers 70 percent of the nation's theaters with online sales. "We anticipate we'll sell three million tickets for 'Sith' " - compared with two million for the third "Rings" film, he said.

At Movietickets.com, meanwhile, a spokesman said the new "Star Wars" film accounted for 98 percent of all tickets sold on Monday.

"Revenge of the Sith" was on pace to sell more than five million tickets online, a box office head start of roughly $50 million.

The "Star Wars" finale has the field to itself this weekend, with no new releases until DreamWorks Animation's "Madagascar" and Paramount's "Longest Yard" open on May 27. And rival studios were estimating that it could score a four-day weekend box office total of $120 million to $150 million or more, although some doubters said that opening a day early might bite into weekend sales, possibly leaving the "Spider-Man" record intact.

"Everyone here thinks that if they didn't open Thursday, they probably could've beaten 'Spider-Man,' " said a Sony executive, who insisted on anonymity because of a company rule against commenting on competitors' films. "That may have let the air out of their tires a little bit."

About the only other things cutting against the "Star Wars" finale were its long running time, 142 minutes, and a bit of a backlash. That was mainly on conservative Web sites, which were reacting to the film's political jabs at President Bush and the war in Iraq, as when Anakin Skywalker, turning to the dark side, warns that "if you're not with me, you're my enemy."

But executives at LucasFilm and Fox said they were unconcerned.

"Nobody cares," Mr. Snyder said. "Is it pro-Republican? Is it pro-Democrat? Nobody cares. It's entertainment."

i bought two tickets for a saturday afternoon show in indianapolis - i'm sure i pushed EPIII right over the edge with that. YOU'RE WELCOME, GEORGE!!!

Anxiety said:

Midnight can not come soon enough. I'm taking pictures of the freaks in line and I'm giddy.

The article is about the business and maybe someone could explain why a movie opening on Thursday would not do better than a movie opening on Friday. There's an extra day to total up ca$h.

So when is the Star Wars sticky going to appear?
So when is the Star Wars sticky going to appear?
So when is the Star Wars sticky going to appear?
So when is the Star Wars sticky going to appear?
So when is the Star Wars sticky going to appear?
So when is the Star Wars sticky going to appear?
So when is the Star Wars sticky going to appear?
So when is the Star Wars sticky going to appear?
So when is the Star Wars sticky going to appear?
So when is the Star Wars sticky going to appear?
So when is the Star Wars sticky going to appear?
So when is the Star Wars sticky going to appear?
So when is the Star Wars sticky going to appear?
So when is the Star Wars sticky going to appear?
So when is the Star Wars sticky going to appear?
So when is the Star Wars sticky going to appear?

I just found out what the Star Trek fans thought about this.

I just bought 2 tickets for the midnight show. The ticket guy said I was just in time. Out of 1200 seats for tonights show (4 main screens at the Parisian Muvico) there were only a hand full of seats left.

I planned on skipping out of work early tomorrow to catch it before the kids get out of school, but hey ... who needs sleep.

Adisa said:

If enough people want one, I'll make one

Light sabres in the urinals, smoking Jedi — must be a Star Wars marathon. Caitlin Moran succumbs to The Force

Force Six







5am. I’m getting out of bed to watch 16 hours of Star Wars films at the UCI in Leicester Square.



5.02am. I’m doing what?

5.03am. I am going to see Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones back-to-back, ending with the world premiere of Revenge of the Sith at 9pm. There will be a 20-minute break between each film — just enough time for a quick Sith and some nachos. Why, I don’t know — I don’t even like sci-fi. I once lost a pub quiz by confusing iconic sci-fi theme tunes, and pretending to have a light-sabre battle while humming the music for Superman. I will probably sleep through most of this.


5.10am. Might as well keep my jimmy-jams on, then.


6am. Leicester Square. There is a life-size X-Fighter jet, parked by the bins where there are usually a couple of tramps hitting each other with their shoes. A battalion of Stormtroopers suddenly emerges. Marching in formation, their bone-white heads glow under the grey sky. Given their manifold evil, it is comforting to observe the more human traits in the battalion, such as the Stormtrooper with VPL.

A fairly large crowd has turned out for “Star Wars Celebration Day”. Some of them have travelled a long way — I see a Wookie, ten Jedi knights, a dozen or so Sith Lords, Yoda, Princess Leia, and someone in a dinner-suit loading AA batteries into a light sabre. There is even someone French. The mood is upbeat.


7am. Doors open at the cinema. “Can I see your tickets, please?” the doorman asks.

“You don’t need to see my tickets. These are not the droids you are looking for,” says a fan, making the hand gesture of the Jedi Mind Trick.

“Hahaha. Can I see your tickets, please?” the doorman asks. The fan gives him his ticket.


7.09am. Someone else is saying: “These are not the droids you are looking for.” The doorman looks a little strained.


7.25am. Everyone is seated. The DJ Richard Bacon appears on stage — apparently “we” are broadcasting live on Johnny Vaughan’s Capital Radio show. “Get ready to wave your light sabres in the air!” Bacon cries. “But not during the film!” an audience member shouts, sternly. I judge from this that the mood will be “reverent”.


7.30am. Film starts. The title Star Wars is greeted with screams and cheers. None the less, light sabres are responsibly sheathed.


7.35am. A space battle. Individual special-effects are being cheered. Worried how this day will pan out.


7.40am. Darth Vader makes his first appearance. Screams.


8.05am. Han Solo’s first appearance. My God, I’d forgotten what a fine, fine specimen of a man Han Solo is. Even in beige leggings and a jerkin, he looks hot. As an alpha male, he makes 24’s Jack Bauer look like Kenneth Williams doing the voice-over to Willo the Wisp.


8.40am. Han Solo is running down a corridor and shooting things. 8/10.


8.45am. Han Solo gives the order to go into hyperspace: “OK, hit it!” 9/10.


8.50am. Han Solo is sulky and left sexually frustrated after some sparky banter with Princess Leia. 10/10.


9am. Death Star explodes. Screams.


9.06am. Star Wars ends. Toilet break. About 1,300 people buy hot dogs for breakfast. A man dressed as Darth Maul is trying to put ketchup on his hot dog so that it, too, looks like Darth Maul. This is an extreme confusion of the food chain. Two Jedi Knights use their saveloys as light sabres. Everyone is happy and excited. I am happy and excited. Two more films left where Han Solo is running down corridors and shooting things.


10am. The Empire Strikes Back appears on the screen. Screams.


10.10am. Han Solo appears standing manfully on the top of his ship, in a tight black jacket. One, solo, Solo scream from seat KK17.


10.14am. Darth Vader tells his admiral to set space-sail for the ice-planet of Hoth, as he “feels” the Rebels are there. The Admiral gives him a look. Suddenly I realise how odd it must be for the fascistic Imperial Army to have this gigantic asthmatic guy wandering around, having “funny feelings” about things. Vader’s a bit gay, really.


10.20. Yoda’s first appearance. Screams.


10.24. Han says “There aren’t enough scoundrels in your life” and kisses Leia. Everyone screams. Suddenly feel sad, and alone. That’s Han off the market, then.


10.44. The Rebels make a daring escape, and a peeved Darth Vader psychically strangles his third admiral of the film so far. It’s easy to see how the Rebels eventually triumph: Vader’s man-management is rubbish. There won’t be any Imperial executive left alive by Return of the Jedi.


10.49. Luke is being trained in the ways of The Force by Yoda. He is balancing on one hand, upside-down, in the middle of a rainforest, like some sci-fi Sting. The thought of a sci-fi Sting makes The Force seem a lot less impressive.


11.20. “Luke — I am your father.” Screams.


11.22. Han is frozen into a slab of gold, and falls to the floor with a clang. He looks like those supine memorials of dead knights you find in cathedrals. Suddenly feel like doing a bit of brass-rubbing.


11.35. More hot dogs and toilet breaks. Mood still joyous. Feel like defending nerds. The myth of nerds is that they are plain, lonely and sexually frustrated. However, most of the audience are good-looking men in their twenties, with impressive hair and well-chosen accessories.

To be honest, the most lonely and sexually frustrated person here is me. And there’s none of the expected nerd-snobbery. Everyone just wants to have fun. After all, it’s hard to be snobbish when you’re dressed up like Yoda and eating three Snickers as an early lunch.


12.20. Return of the Jedi. Princess Leia in a bikini. Screams.


12.22. The Hutt people, as in Jabba the Hutt, reveal their true nationality: “I wi takka to jabba naa.” It’s Dutch! They are from the Netherlands!

1pm. First Ewok. A single, sarcastic clap.


1.05pm. Small furry Ewok clings to Han Solo’s leg. I feel identification with a screen character.


1.24pm. Luke and Darth Vader. “Then my father is truly dead.” We have a Darth Vader reaction shot. They always make me laugh. You might just as well get a reaction shot from someone with a bucket on their head.


1.35pm. The Emperor: “Give in Luke, it is your destiny.” Another Darth Vader reaction shot. A gigantic battle between good and evil is happening inside him. The vibe is — bucket.


1.40pm. Drink free can of Red Bull, just as Han Solo shoots something in a sexy way. Feel odd.


1.41pm. Ewok dies. Feel very upset.


1.42. Wookie being brave — now fancy Wookie, too. Am on an emotional rollercoaster ride.


1.57. Darth Vader dies, the repentant father in the arms of his forgiving son. Cry uncontrollably. Might call my dad. Might not drink Red Bull again.


1.59pm. Death Star explodes — again. Slightly hysterical and confused as to what day it is.


2pm. LUNCH. Go out into Leicester Square to watch London Philharmonic Orchestra play the Star Wars theme tune. Ten Jedi knights are having a ciggie. I see Yoda having a wee down a side street. In the toilets, the hand-driers are made by a company with the slogan “Feel the power”. Someone has changed every single one so that it reads “Feel The Force”.

2.45pm. Back to seat KK17. Oh, I know this seat so well. Title: The Phantom Menace. Audience boos. Don’t know why. I have never watched any of the new prequels, but I’m sure that they will be just as good as the films we have just watched.

3pm. An aquatic camel wearing Farah slacks and speaking in patois appears on the screen. He is greeted with boos, foot-stamping and cries of “F*** off Jar-Jar Binks”. Wonder why.

3.01pm. Understand why.

3.01pm-7.30pm. The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones witness a hinterland in the day, punctuated only by — (4.52pm), Death Star explodes again. The prequels aren’t that good, but not as awful as some people warned me that they would be. Besides, their relative uninterestingness allows me time to reflect. I start to wonder whether having watched so much sci-fi will damage me in some way. Maybe I will become dissatisfied with Earth-bound, bourgeois reality, and want to, erm, attend a 16-hour Star Wars marathon. Reflect on Star Wars’ running themes: limbs being cut off, big space ships exploding, women with complex hair, a general vibe of “Parents, eh?” Wonder what it all means. Decide probably nothing. Feel that that is quite profound.

8.50pm. Waiting for Revenge of the Sith to start — the very last Star Wars film that will be made. Audience mood: tense. Excited. Indeed, one couple, in the gloom of the auditorium, appear to be so excited that they appear to be committing some manner of sex-act in row DD.

8.51pm. It’s not a sex act. It is a man dressed as a Wookie who has taken his head off, and is combing its hair in his lap.

9.01pm. A battalion of Stormtroopers unexpectedly enters the cinema and storms the stage. Pandemonium. Wookie loses his head in a crowd surge.

9.02pm. The Star Wars director, George Lucas, appears on the stage, like God. There is a riot. A tremendous roar goes up, as though someone has just scored a vital sci-fi Golden Goal in a Galactic World Cup. Grown men are screaming like women. “No one has ever watched all these films in one go!” George shouts, cheerfully. “You’re all probably going to be brain damaged! F***ing awesome!” The audience chants: “We love you, George!”

9.10pm. It takes George ten minutes to leave the auditorium, as people claw at him.

9.12pm. Revenge of the Sith begins, to hoarse screams. I am screaming too. Screaming like the woman I quite literally am. I realise that, despite Jar-Jar Binks, spending a whole day in deep space, wearing pyjamas and eating nachos, I have had a brilliant time. I realise that I have had a privileged experience that I will tell my children about — even if they unexpectedly turn to the dark side, cut my hand off and then blow up my large spaceship. I realise that I will probably buy a Deep Space Nine box-set from Tower Records before I go home. I realise that we are all only one 16-hour Star Wars marathon away from being proud, happy, very tired sci-fi nerds

TMPletz said:

I like Star Wars and Star Trek

Nikster said:

Don't feel bad, there are plenty of folks who are fans of both. I think they're both swell. I think all the silly sci-fi rivalries are kinda pathetic.

Well, folks, I'm off to watch this movie until my eyes bleed! See ya next week!

Adisa said:

http://www.prince.org/msg/100/146035

Way back in 1977, my mom took me to see Star Wars. We ended up seeing it like 8 times that summer


This time around, I am gonna take her to see ROTS

Nikster said:

i'm doing the same thing.

i remember when my parents first took me to see star wars, it was for my dad's birthday, and i didn't want to go because i thought it looked like "a dumb movie about people in white clothes". two hours later, i was beggin' my mom for a darth vader doll like the owned little bitch i was.

Anxiety said:

Awwww


Sucky part is, cuz of our work schedules, we can't go see it till next week

Nikster said:

Me too. I stumbled across the picture by accident and thought it HAD to be posted somewhere.

Nikster said:

i have the perfect work schedule to see it late tonight, since i work till midnight...but i promised my ma i wouldn't watch it until we saw it together.

i'm sure it will be worth it though, and i'll just have to avoid the spoilers for a couple more days.

Word out is that its as good as "attack of the clones". But I know it will be better (mind u "attack of the clones" was pretty good I thought?)

I have my tix for tonite and for tomorrow!!!



I may have to see it one more time over the weekend though

thesexofit said:

"Empire" is still the one to live up to.

TMPletz said:

I agree. "empire" rules. But Iam one of those fans that likes all the movies. Even "phantom menace". Which at least had darth maul. Didn't speak much did he?

TMPletz said:

Episode 2 was pretty good, MUCH better than Episode 1 IMO. I'm really hoping that Episode 3 continues the trend.


ROTS is the movie that basicaly sets up the original trillogy (from what I have gathered, anyhoo)...it NEEDS to be good!

i didn't really like episode II very much when it was out, though i will confess that i've only seen it twice - both times in the theater - and at the time, i wasn't exactly in star wars geek mode. i wasn't really crazy about it because i thought it was the worst acting, the worst dialog, and the least plot-driven movie in the whole series. i didn't like ep I that much either, but at least the plot seemed to move and it had darth maul for a little bit of added bad-ass.

i hear ep III can completely change the way we look at the other two prequels, not to mention the way we look at the original trilogy. i'm interested to see if it does that for me. i already have ep II on my netflix queue, just in case.

For anyone interested, the Workprint has found its way on P2P sites...
The aspect ratio is a little fucked and it has counters on the left and right top of the picture, but otherwise enjoyable enough...

http://img263.echo.cx/img.../sw3am.png

Neversin.
[Edited 5/18/05 18:39pm]