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Initially arriving at
the theater at 8:30 for the 10:00 show
(Wednesday night), there was an area
designated for the line but no one was
waiting. Coming back at almost 9:00, a small line
of about 10 people had formed, eventually
growing down the block and thickening in
size. At
roughly 9:40 the line was let in, which
mostly consisted of 16 - 25 year olds,
with the gender ratio split right down the
middle. A few teenagers were even dressed
as pirates, with swords in hand.
The lights dimmed
(with sold out attendance - 450 people) at
about 10:05 to plenty of excitement, with
cheers and claps going into the air. There
were only two trailers shown, and the
first was Freaky Friday. Mild boo's went
up at the load-up, followed by a
bombardment of boo's when the preview
concluded, giving off to plenty of
laughter in the process.
Last but not least
(yes, it was a truly exciting night in the
way of trailers), there was Haunted
Mansion. For starters, the idea of this
movie I think could be done right. But
once I heard Eddie Murphy was the star and
that they were going for a light family
rating along with a feel good message, my faith
dropped below sea level. Seeing this
trailer, my faith has risen a bit, but it
can still be quite cheesy if the direction
isn't right.
In terms of audience
reactions, people were very aware of what
this was from the start, as a few cheers
and claps gave way, followed by a lot when
one of the classic moments of the
Disneyland ride was showcased. When the
preview ended, the audience gave about the
same excited reception.
Without any
transition to the actual movie (Pirates),
the film started and with the title coming
to the screen in the first shot, the
theater gave way to a big round of claps
and cheers.
The biggest response
came from Johnny Depp's first appearance,
which resulted in an explosion of applause
and hardcore cheering, with the few actual
pirates in the room (front row, so
everyone could see them) throwing their
swords into the air.
Throughout the film,
there wasn't a consistent reaction rate in
the ways of significant enthusiasm, but as
the big homage moments to the Disneyland
ride were presented, the crowd gave in to
supportive clapping rounds. When Pirates
ended, the room was stormed by a massive
applause and several cheering spots (the
cheering went on and off through the
credits).
In the ways of a box
office prediction for opening day, I'm
going to estimate roughly $17 - 19
million. The situation as a whole sparked
memories from Fellowship of the Ring's
first day (Wednesday).
If that proves to be
true, Pirates' 5-day figure will rely on
its Thursday holdup (if it really wants to
impress, in comparison to LOTR). The first
Lord of the Rings dropped 46% from
Wednesday to Thursday, but that was also
in December, whereas summer is in gear
now. We'll just have to wait and see... |
