Big Movie releases and Holidays at a theater

I'm trying at this point to figure out how to get to a certain point in my writing, some days it comes easier than others, today is a not an easy day.  So this is my break taking talk about what I do.

So I said I'd talk about Harry Potter but I thought I'll just make it about big movie releases in general so people can get an idea of my life.  and then I thought why not throw in Holidays too.  Most of you have probably heard my big holiday rant but I can go more into detail on a blog than I can on Facebook, are you excited yet? here it is :)

I have worked every single Thanksgiving, Christmas eve, Christmas Day, New years eve and New years day since I was 17 and started at the theater.  I'm pretty used to it and it doesn't bother me all that much, although it has been harder since I got married this year but that's a different story. But every single year just about every other person coming to watch movies on these days says to the employees "I'm really sorry you have to work today, that really sucks."  I've always just politely nodded and said "yeah, its okay"  even though I've heard it one million times already that day and the response I'm yelling at people in my head is "YOU ARE NOT SORRY!! IF YOU WERE YOU WOULDN'T BE HERE!!" So if you go to movies on Holidays just don't say that, we already know it sucks, trust me! Just try to be nice to us instead:)

And then inevitably you get the angry mother who had gathered her whole family to come to a movie on Christmas morning, who didn't bother to buy their 25 tickets before Christmas day and stands there yelling at the cashier that they've ruined Christmas because the movie is sold out.  Christmas is busy, buy tickets early.  Although I don't think I could consider it Christmas until someone has told me about how I've ruined it for them anymore, you'd be surprised how many times I've heard that working at the theater.  And that concludes Holidays at a movie theater.

Now for big movie releases.  First of all can I say the Twilight Fans are a totally different group.  They are certifiably 100% CRAZY!  If even the smallest thing goes wrong the fangs come out and they turn into the evil Vampires that they cheer against as they pine over eternally 18 year old Edward.  The sad thing is most of them are women who 25 or older.  Don't get me wrong I like twilight okay, but these people are NUTS!  There is a reason that we call them Twitards at the theater. 

Back when I first started working movie theaters for AMC, well Lowes when I started, people would line up for big movie releases.  Some would even camp outside the building for 3 days.  and we'd end up with a line that curved all the way around the building and folded back up the street.  I wish I had pictures from back then because it was insane! I've got to say the lines were actually kind of fun.  We'd roam them with trash cans making friends with everyone and spoiling the movie for those that made us angry, since usually we'd already seen it.  Granted again this is before Twilight, you'd be beat to death for even mentioning you'd already seen Twilight, and I'm not sure you would make friends in a Twilight line, unless you sparkled in the sun.  

Now that I work for Megaplex and we have the awesome assigned seating, we no longer do lines.  but people still want to show up early so we usually do pre parties.  Which in my opinion are more work than they're worth.  Its difficult because everyone already has to work for big releases so its hard to assign people to work the party.  But we still tend to find ways to have fun.  

Also you may be interested to know that for big releases we typically sell out all of our theaters for midnight shows.  To be able to do this it takes a ton of set up time to build prints and what not.  and usually we don't get enough prints to cover all of our 35mm projectors so we do something called interlocking.  which means we play one print in multiple theaters at the same exact time, well usually with a few minute delay between theaters.  I can do 3 at a time at my theater, since we're getting lower on 35's and higher on digitals. but I have seen some pretty awesome interlocks in my day.  This is the part that I love and have a true passion for, its why I do it. 

I think the worst part of midnight shows for big releases are big buy outs and setting up microphones but there's a million things in the AV side of my life, which could maybe be another story someday:)

Well that's my part on that... I need to end with I really do like my job in case this came out too whiny, because I do.  It's a super fun job and its not like all the craziness everyday, but its a huge ego boost when you get though it all as you walk out the door with sun coming up at 6am after midnights, and take a deep breath and say a silent thank you that the next one isn't for probably another 6 months.