AOTC Tickets Going on Sale during Convention?!?!

According to many movie theaters, tickets may go on sale for AOTC on May 3rd in the US - which is during Celebration 2. This will make most of us unable to buy tickets at our local theater

Am I the only one concerned about this!

My local theater in San Jose, CA is quoting May 8th as ticket sale day but that "it might be earlier." (per call on 4/11/02)

Speak up and be heard ... no ticket sales until after Celebration 2. Don't punish us, the real fans!!!

 

I just emailed the only email I could find at cinemark.com a question about when tickets go on sale. I'll post the reply when/if I get one.

 

mgmc, I saw that headline on TF.N and I did a double take! WHY in the world would LFL begin selling tickets on the day they know that all the hardcore fans will be at the official SW Celebration? I mean, cheeeeeeeeeeeeez, let's use our heads here, eh, LFL?

Looks like there's going to be a lot of spouses/friends/sibling/parents buying tickets on Friday.

 

Yeah, I saw that today too. It concerned me a bit. Luckily (depending on how you look at it and how this all sorts out) I don't have Celebration tickets until Saturday, so worst case scenario for me is taking Friday off work, waiting in line, then heading to Indy that night. (I live in the Cincy area so it's only about a 2-hour drive.)

Of course, that leaves out a lot of people who are core fans of Star Wars, especially those travelling from distances greater than a day's drive. I sincerely hope that report is wrong or that the powers that be realize they've double-booked, per se.

 

If that's true, it really pisses me off.

 

Unless they give all Celebration attendants a voucher valid for seeing Episode II at any theater on opening day...yeah right...

 

In the immortal words of Han Solo:

"I think we're in trouble..."

The good news is I SHOULD have a group of friends in line to buy tickets while I'm in Indy, but I agree, this is NOT a good decision made by LFL if true.

 

I sure hope they get this straightened out! Anyone know who we could contact to voice our opinion on this?

I'm sure I can find someone to get me a ticket, but it would mean missing out on the whole camping out thing! I'm looking forward to that almost as much as going to CII!

Regards,
M.

 

This has to be a bad joke.

 

Unforunately it isn't a bad joke. Our City Rep for NashvilleForce has spoken to a publicity representive at Lucasfilm several times and we have been told that approx. two weeks prior to Ep2 is when tickets will go on sale. We initially figured that it would be earlier in the week, or at the worst May 2nd.

Intially we thought this was just a case of the right hand no knowing what the left hand is doing. However, we have recently spoken to a local radio station that was planning on working with us for our line-up event, which included games, a huge banner, and even a charity donation program for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Unforunately, The River (the local radio station I mentioned) is under contract with LFL who will not allow them to do anything like that. LFL chooses the theatre, no promotion in print or TV, and no encouragement of lining up or hard core fans at all.

107.5 the River is unable to attend our line party - THANK YOU LUCASFILM!

I want to believe that this all just a bad dream, but it looks to me like Lucasfilm is going of out its way to screw the fans. What is even more bizarre is that LFL would be losing money AND publicity by doing this. This is totally contradictary to intelligent business practices and logic.

Furthermore, they will be losing the publicity that comes with lines ups. By now I'm sure everyone on Earth knows about the two guys in Seattle who have been in line since January 1st and of course everyone knew about the 45 day line at Mann's Chinese Theatre for Episode I.

Can anyone explain to me how Lucasfilm could possibly profit from doing Episode II tickets on May 3rd?

Rick McAllum is going to get an earful at Celebration II.

 

If this is true it is really stupid. It would be like punishing the hardcore fans. How smart is that?
If it is true they ought to setup up something like if someone brings their badge or receipt to the theater they can buy their ticket a week earlier than everyone else. That would be cool.

 

Thanks for all the info JediToren.
If May 3rd is the nationwide date for ticket sales there are going to be a lot of upset fans. It doesn't seem very fair and it's not something I would have expected to happen. The thought had crossed my mind a while back, but I couldn't bring myself to believe that tix would actually go onsale during the Celebration.
I will find it very ironic if the event designed to bring fans together to 'celebrate' is the same event the prevents them from getting tickets for the thing they are celebrating......

 

Yes, this is why it seems so ridicilous. 20,000+ fans will likely be at SWC2, that's 20,000 fans who won't be promoting Episode II with a line party, that's 20,000 fans that won't be buying tickets for Episode II and therefore be missing the release date, etc.
Worst of all, that will be 20,000 angry fans at the convention that will ruin the atmosphere.

A while back we (Nashville Fan Force) heard from Carmike Cinemas Corperate office that LFL was saying no midnight showings. However, after speaking to LFL's publicity rep we learned that this was still up in the air.
Now I wouldn't be surprised if the official theatre that LFL select is the only one with a midnight showing.

Some of you may know that a few months back Fan Force was asked for a list of what theatres would be the location of the official line ups for Episode II. I believe it was LFL or FOX that asked this. I wonder why they did this?

I've been someone who usually stands up for LFL and WotC charging extra for this and that because I can see one or more logical reasons for doing so. Unforunately I can't see any here.

Here are some reasons that I have thought of that they might do this:
-They will give tickets away at SWC2
-They will show Episode II at SWC2

I still have no idea why they appear to be so anti-line up and anti-hardcore fan.

 

"-They will show Episode II at SWC2 "

This would be cool, but completely impossible.
Especially if your number about 20,000 fans is true. No theater in Indianapolis is going to hold 20,000 seats.

I would think that tickets would go on sale the tuesday or wednesday that week or even the week before. When the special editions came out I had my tix at least 3 weeks in advance.

 

my 2 cents:

1. have a contingency plan for tickets
2. line up anyways.

I'm sure I can speak for most everyone here when I say that "official line" or not, I will line up. I could really care less if any business tells me where I can and cannot camp.

I doubt anything is set in stone yet, but one thing is for certain: THERE WILL BE CAMPOUT LINES.

I seriously doubt they would jeopardize celebration III with a move like this, especially with estimates of over 20,000 fans going this year.

 

Unforunately we have no garuntees that we will be able to line-up. It's going to be hard to line-up when we are at SWC2, and without getting tickets, there really isn't much point in lining up for the movie.
Furthermore, it is the theatre's legal right to say we can't line up at their theatre. If LFL tells them to get rid of the lines or they won't have Episode II or III, guess what happens to the line. Line? What line?

I've sent several reports into TFN of stuff we have heard from those working directly with LFL (The River radio station) or LFL rep's themselves regarding these issues and they haven't posted 'em. I suspect they know somethign that we don't and LFL wants to release this information and other info in a way that will work well for them. I suspect we don't know the whole story yet.

 

Or, here's an idea. Let's just say "to hell" with the line-ups for getting the tickets and buy the bastards online.

LFL might nail us on the ticket buying line-up, but the line-up for the premiere will not falter.

 

Yeah, I'll probably have to have my roommate buy the tickets online or via phone since I'll be in Indianapolis with no access to the Internet and I don't have a cel phone, etc.

Whatever. This just really sucks. We should have had the frelling Celebration already anyway. Putting it so close to the movie was a stupid idea.

As soon as I get back from Celebration, I've got to get ready to go back to my home town and go to my friend's wedding which just happens to take place 4 days before Episode 2 comes out. And I specifically told him not to hold anything important around anything Star Wars related. And he puts it smack dab in between two of the biggest!

Grrrrrr...

 

Good point, Jay. I guess we can always do that.

 

Well, I just hope someone at LFL who leaked this info doesn't know what the h*ll they are talking about and just came up with answers to shut people up.

If not, oh well, on to Plan B.

 

I posted the same thing in the AOTC spoilers section under Padme bras tixs thread. Honestly, this is such BS if this happens. We the obvious diehards go to this Cele and might get screwed out of opening night. Tixs for the TPM went on sale 1 week before on the 12th of may. bad call if they do it while we are all there.

 

It certainly wouldn't be the first time. Back when people found at about Star Wars Galaxies, someone at LucasArts entertainment started giving out information that was disheartening to gamers and fans. It turned it to be nothing but lies.

 

I want to line up for tixs, but maybe I cant this time, but I BETTER BE ABLE TO GET THE TIXS ON-LINE THEN FOR OPENING NIGHT. Were we able to do that last time. I know I wasnt for the United Artists Continential theater here in Denver.

 

Ok, I got worked up enought from reading this that I disconected and called up the Continetials manager and asked if they will be on-line. I expalined the situation and he said it was almost impossible to do 3 years ago for TPM, but think they will be doing on-line purchasing for opening night/day. lets keep our fingures crossed.

 

Do you think some person how is not a Fan of Star Wars did this with out knowing about the Convention?