Well, here it goes. The story of seeing this movie was a journey of its own, but I can say that this has the potential to kill at the box office for at least Friday's sake.

The outside perimeters of the theater was jam packed with older high school kids and college folk, with some others also sharing the disappointment of the show being sold out. The line that stretched down the block consisted of college students and what looked like the best crowd you could ever see a movie like this with, which frustrated me just a tad.

Determined to see the movie regardless, we rushed to Century City a town over. And adding to our fate, the night was also sold out there. Heading to Santa Monica to eat dinner, we happened to stroll by the Cineplex Odeon theater (where I hate going) where the 10:30 was still available.

We knew it could very well sell out between getting in line and getting to the ticket window - however, we got in, but got one of the last remaining seats (of 326) at 10:20. The screen size was adequate even if the sound was not very impressive, but I had a craving to see the film, so it wasn't a bad compromise.

The crowd was young and even appeared enthusiastic (rare for Santa Monica), which was obvious when some cheers went up as the lights dimmed. No claps or cheers went up during the opening credits, but a few light claps did spark here and there throughout the show, with a very light applause near the end and a pretty good one when the ending credits rolled.

First trailer up was Along Came Polly, which won over the crowd more than anything else. A lot of laughs flowed, and you could almost sense the urge to applaud near the end.

Master and Commander followed, which got a silent reception.

Scary Movie 3 was next, which withdrew quite a bit of laughs but nothing to the extent of Polly's ad. When the preview concluded, a woman behind me commented, "I think they've stretched that a little too far."

Next up was The Matrix Revolutions, which received a silent response ala Master and Commander.

Return of the King was the finale, which had silence for most of the duration, but a pretty good applause set off at the end, with even a few cheers.

In terms of box office expectations for opening night, I am in a few regions on this one. Selling out at the Village in Westwood is generally a very good indicator of blockbuster status. However, Eyes Wide Shut had sold out the 7 and 10 shows on opening night there, and averaged in the low $3000's ($7.8 million). Daredevil at its 10 pm show was roughly 3/4 filled, and that averaged in the mid $4000's ($15.3 million), with Anger Management ($15.4 million) being in about the same crowd conditions.

A recent example is Once Upon a Time in Mexico, as I had seen the 7:00 pm show on opening night at the Village, with it being well attended. The 10:00 show was not sold out by the time ours let out, but a line did gradually grow down the street.

I based whether or not to buy tickets early for Kill Bill on the Mexico occasion, but under-estimated the power of eager college students at UCLA wanting to see a big Tarantino action flick in a huge theater with powerhouse sound. Tarantino has a bit more to offer (appeal wise) than Robert Rodriguez, which could've been an error in judgment (being that Mexico has been a box office comparison for some predictors this weekend).

Like on Jackass' opening night at the Westwood National at 10:00 (1100 seats), that showing was full, but I had contemplated whether or not the locale had anything to do with its big crowd. With Jackass, the attendance converted over, box office wise, and with Kill Bill it is yet to be determined.

On the other end of the spectrum, the determination to see Kill Bill reminded me of trying to see Die Another Day when it was sold out across town, and that averaged roughly $5000 for a $16.8 million take. With that being said, I can see a Friday gross anywhere between $9 and 15 million, which is a wide range to say the least (with $12/13 being a rough guess).

Watching Kill Bill, it felt like a large film to me (box office wise), even if opening night could very well be frontloaded with the hardcore Tarantino fans rushing out. However, with the strong reviews the film had gotten from critics, along with a few comments that it is the dream film for fans, I can't say that it would be too surprising if the flick exploded.

I have to say that I walked into Kill Bill just expecting a pretty good and entertaining movie (with the urgency to see it more so to be with a pumped up crowd), but came out blown away at what Tarantino had accomplished. Even with not much of a story and two hours of time to fill, he more than pulls it off, to the point where I may very well be seeing it again (hopefully at the Village).