|
The surprise was not in terms of audience
reactions, but rather within the
attendance that showed up for such an
early show. I got to the theater around
12:45 figuring it would be somewhat
similar to when I saw Lost in Translation
in the afternoon on first day out, with a
rather small crowd. The
auditorium seats roughly 400 - 450 people,
and by the time the previews had started,
the room was roughly three-fourths filled,
with mostly older moviegoers in their 40's
- 60's.
Questioning whether or not the
attendance had anything to do with the
fact that it was the first show of the day
or anything to that extent, I was curious
to whether or not relevant attendance
would occur for later shows. But
observing the filled room, I got the vibe
that this could very well sell to the
extent of American Beauty (weekend average
in the $50,000's in 13 theaters). I figured a big average
was likely, but didn't quite expect this.
However, seeing Mystic River play out, it
really does give the impression of a big
film with its tone, story, and
performances.
Given the demographics that were in the
auditorium, it is no surprise that
reactions for trailers were pretty
minimal. First preview up was Calendar
Girls, which I hadn't seen yet, with the
experience forcing me to utter,
"Oh...my...God..." afterwards. The trailer
got giggles from the older women in the
audience, but I wouldn't see this on a
free ticket.
Next up was House of Sand & Fog, which
looks like it's either being marketed
poorly and coming off really pointless, or
it's holding a point that the trailer
doesn't reflect - the answer is beyond me.
The audience gave somewhat of a confused
response to this preview.
Next trailer up was Master & Commander,
which retrieved no response from the
audience.
That was followed by Love Actually,
which had a few giggles from the crowd but
nothing major.
The Last Samurai came next, which shook
the room with its bass, but was given a
silent reception, predictably enough.
The concluding preview was the latest
The Matrix Revolutions ad, which didn't
spark anything from the crowd either.
However, I don't know if it's just me, but
having seen this ad twice now, I am left
simply thinking, "Ho-hum..." For some
reason, I don't care too much about this
installment, even after liking (but not
loving) Reloaded. |
