The Big Lebowski: Aftermath
I knew something was up at 6:17 p.m.
I rolled up to the Carousel Luxury Cinemas yesterday and asked the guy in the box-office how many ticket we sold for The Big Lebowski, thinking our pre-sold numbers would be somewhere around 10-20. Well, the guy in the box says we sold about half the tickets for the first show.
Half?!?
That's when I knew the chances of this movie selling out were very likely. Then sure enough, at around 7 p.m., we were turning people away. We not only sold out of tickets for the first show, but the 9:30 one as well. Speaking of selling out, at 10:15 p.m., we had sold out of the beer. I had always thought that people enjoyed watching great movies with cheap admission and discount beer, but this was insane.
Best part is that the people who did get in were having a great time. They dug the zine that Mike and I worked on last weekend, of course they enjoyed the movie, and the free pizzas given by Hungry Howies and Spring Garden Bar & PIzzeria were the icing on the cake. One person asked me if he had died and gone to heaven, two people showed up wearing bathrobes. We gave away our DVD, and while the police were there to make sure everything was cool, we didn't have one single fight or scuffle despite the fact that a lot of people had a lot of drinks in them.
The only downside to all of this is that I could not enjoy myself during the movie because I kept thinking about all of the people we had to turn away. I am going to be meeting with Rob McHone at the Carousel to discuss ways to alleviate the seating problem. We might add a show, and we're definitely going to double up our seating configuration. Even then, last night we turned away about 300 ticket buyers, many of whom were wanting to purchase tickets for more than one person. Another thing I want to do is offer tickets online for our October 1st Reservoir Dogs screening way in advance, so stay tuned for further information.
I want to thank everyone who came out. You guys gave the Dude a much better reception than he got the first time his movie played in North Carolina. You also showed that contrary to what a certain local non-profit theatre might believe, Triad residents do in fact want to go see The Big Lebowski.
P.S. Who thinks we should do an encore screening of The Big Lebowski?
I rolled up to the Carousel Luxury Cinemas yesterday and asked the guy in the box-office how many ticket we sold for The Big Lebowski, thinking our pre-sold numbers would be somewhere around 10-20. Well, the guy in the box says we sold about half the tickets for the first show.
Half?!?
That's when I knew the chances of this movie selling out were very likely. Then sure enough, at around 7 p.m., we were turning people away. We not only sold out of tickets for the first show, but the 9:30 one as well. Speaking of selling out, at 10:15 p.m., we had sold out of the beer. I had always thought that people enjoyed watching great movies with cheap admission and discount beer, but this was insane.
Best part is that the people who did get in were having a great time. They dug the zine that Mike and I worked on last weekend, of course they enjoyed the movie, and the free pizzas given by Hungry Howies and Spring Garden Bar & PIzzeria were the icing on the cake. One person asked me if he had died and gone to heaven, two people showed up wearing bathrobes. We gave away our DVD, and while the police were there to make sure everything was cool, we didn't have one single fight or scuffle despite the fact that a lot of people had a lot of drinks in them.
The only downside to all of this is that I could not enjoy myself during the movie because I kept thinking about all of the people we had to turn away. I am going to be meeting with Rob McHone at the Carousel to discuss ways to alleviate the seating problem. We might add a show, and we're definitely going to double up our seating configuration. Even then, last night we turned away about 300 ticket buyers, many of whom were wanting to purchase tickets for more than one person. Another thing I want to do is offer tickets online for our October 1st Reservoir Dogs screening way in advance, so stay tuned for further information.
I want to thank everyone who came out. You guys gave the Dude a much better reception than he got the first time his movie played in North Carolina. You also showed that contrary to what a certain local non-profit theatre might believe, Triad residents do in fact want to go see The Big Lebowski.
P.S. Who thinks we should do an encore screening of The Big Lebowski?
posted by Joe Scott at 6:12 AM
7 Comments:
Wanted to let you guys know that the Big Lebowski showing last night was top notch. I had a blast, as did everyone else at the 7:30 show. Thanks for all your hard work.
Thank you, Glen. You're right, everyone was having a blast, and I am glad they were able to do so without causing a ruckus. Good times in a good way.
Look forward to seeing you at future Mixed-Tape events.
The Big Lebowski on the big screen was a whole new experience! Afterwords, I wanted to see it again, just so I can appreciate those 3-D like shots that just aren't the same on any size TV. I NEED to see it in the theatre again...I feel like one time doesn't do it justice! The movie is very multifacied, probably why critics didn't take to it the first time. The more you watch a movie like this, the more you tend to appreciate the work put into it: indepth character development, unique yet indentifiable characters, flowing story line, smart lines (I loved quoting with the rest of the crowd), great comedy (certain scenes just hit more on the big screen). I'm happy to get to say I saw one of my favorite movies on the big screen (finally!) Thanks and I look forward to the rest of the movie series; congrats on getting something like this off the ground and giving people like us a place to hang out, watch movies we already love and talk. Great Mag by the way!
Leakin,
One thing I noticed as I watched TBL on the big screen for the first time is was this tiny moment between Walter and Donny after the botched money drop. The Dude gets mad at Walter because he won't stop saying "Shomer Shabbos," and when the Dude walks away, Walter looks at Donny and mouths the words, 'What a baby!' This is perhaps the only moment in the entire film where Walter shows any preference towards Donny over the Dude.
But you are right, it was great to see the film on the big screen, and after all the e-mails I've gotten from people who got turned away, we'll be doing an encore presentation for sure.
Stay tuned!
Hey Joe...THEY'RE GONNA KILL THAT POOR WOMAN! I know the part u speak of and I think there is another part where the Dude gets left behind...remember at the bar where he tells walter "F*ck you, and f*ck the tournment" Walter gets up and tells Donny to go with him. There is also the part in the Diner where Walter is getting told to keep it down; the Dude leaves him, its just that Donny is not there, so he talks to himself/everyone around him about how he's gonna stay and finish his coffee...Donny is just a convience factor for Walter. Donny is the consistant good bowler and a default friend. He's still a friend but not by choice!
I'm glad to hear that it will be shown again...I look forward to the rest of the film series!
I remember you from UNCG...we had Fiction Writing together...with Mike
-Felicia
To ensure that online people get their tickets this go round, we are selling a very limited number of "Reservoir Dogs" tickets online. These tickets will put you ahead of the curve, out of the rat race, and more importantly, in a theater seat when Tarantino's debut unspools in beautiful 35mm.
I seriously couldn't enjoy myself during "The Big Lebowski," because of all the online and radio supporters who got shut out. That's why I hounded the theater to set up online tickets in advance. This is my gift to all of you. Hope you take advantage of the opportunity.
Here's the link:
http://carouselcinemas.com/showtimes.php?when=81001
NOTE: Because there is no way they could possibly verify a student I.D. via computer, the Carousel can only charge the general admission price plus a $1 online surchage. Yeah, it's not a $1 ticket, but for peace of mind, $4 ain't bad either.
To ensure that online people get their tickets this go round, we are selling a very limited number of "Reservoir Dogs" tickets online. These tickets will put you ahead of the curve, out of the rat race, and more importantly, in a theater seat when Tarantino's debut unspools in beautiful 35mm.
I seriously couldn't enjoy myself during "The Big Lebowski," because of all the online and radio supporters who got shut out. That's why I hounded the theater to set up online tickets in advance. This is my gift to all of you. Hope you take advantage of the opportunity.
Here's the link:
http://carouselcinemas.com/showtimes.php?when=81001
NOTE: Because there is no way they could possibly verify a student I.D. via computer, the Carousel can only charge the general admission price plus a $1 online surchage. Yeah, it's not a $1 ticket, but for peace of mind, $4 ain't bad either.
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