Since I figured if there was one theater in LA to see T3 at, the Grauman's Chinese theater in Hollywood on opening night (Wednesday) would probably be it. So, I went.

In terms of a box office prediction based on the night, it looked like anything between $15 - 20 million. While a decent range, it's harder to get more precise. The line started about 30 minutes earlier than Full Throttle's did, which is probably a good sign in the ways of pent-up demand since there is traditionally people waiting in line for longer periods of time for the bigger scaled flicks. So with that in mind, I'm going to say around $18 million.

The line grew and grew over time, eventually overhearing that it reached another block around the corner, which was a good distance away. Unlike Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle on opening night here, the crowd was dominantly male, but there were a decent share of females.

The line was let in at 9:30, with the theater slowly filling itself up to sold out status at 10:00. I also overheard that by around 8:50 or so, the 10:00 had sold out, and that the earlier 7:00 show had sold roughly 900 tickets. Having seen Men in Black II here on opening night at whatever 7 show there was, that was basically the situation there as well.

Since T3 was going to be shown in digital projection (meaning, no commercials or ads), after the lights dimmed the curtain went up, introducing the first trailer. First preview up was American Wedding, which moviegoers around me were already familiar with before the opening taglines even finished. A lot of, "Oh, American Pie..."

Laughs ensued, but the reaction wasn't as fun as when the Full Throttle crowd went nuts over the main gross-out gag. The trailer concluded to a lot of amusement, and it was very evident that most people in the room were game for the flick (a few claps even went up).

Next on the list was Matchstick Men, which mostly received a quiet response but there was obvious interest in the room, with a few short laughs by many throughout.

Following in that path was a trailer that I surely wasn't expecting (given my love for the original film), and that being The Whole Ten Yards. When the preview started, I was eager to see the comedic results of this sequel attempt, but with what I saw I'm very iffy on the turnout of this. This could either be ridiculous sequelitis or an amusing movie. The reaction from the crowd, while somewhat enthused in the beginning, sort of faded over time, with the reaction mostly being confused at the end of the trailer. I think most of everyone was in the same state of mind as I was.

The concluding ad was a new trailer for Bad Boys II. This ad, lacking dialogue and a plot, was simply a collection of short action bits leading to a black screen at the climax of each one, with a thunderous bass and neat sound effects supporting each. And given the response from the crowd when this trailer loaded, this movie apparently needs no explanation. As soon as the Miami sign appeared at the start-up, most people seemed to mutter, "Bad Boys..."

Following that, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence's first shot retrieved a lot of cheers and claps. When the title hit the screen, an applause set off with a round of cheers, but it wasn't a gigantic response. Along with Pirates this month, Bruckheimer is going to be a very happy man. I can sense the monster inside each of these in terms of the box office.

As all the Digital Projection tidbits were being displayed, the crowd was going nuts in anticipation, giving in to a few applause moments and cheers. At one point, nearing the Warner Bros. logo appearance, one guy in the crowd loudly exclaimed toward the enthusiasm in the room, "Please, shut the **** up!" The comment got about half the crowd to clap in his favor, with the room being covered in laughs. Everyone seemed to quiet down from there, but when Arnold's credit was shown, a light applause went up, with another one at the title.

From there on out, there were a few light applause moments throughout the film, but the response was never really earth-shattering or heavy. Some laughs here and there, and when the film ended there was a decent applause round. As people walked out, discussions appeared to form, but the reception did not come off as overwhelmingly positive. It looked as if people for the most part enjoyed the ride, but there wasn't an urgent sensation in the room to discuss the flick.