THE FORCE IS STRONG WITH 'SITH':Star Wars Film Breaks 'Passion' Advance Ticket Record (by 5x!)

PR Newswire ^ | Week of May 6-13 2005

[gopwinsin04]

Fandango, the nation's largest online and phone movie ticketing service, is already reporting that Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith is slated to be the top selling title in the company's five year history.

The film is positioned to dethrone the former ticketed champ, Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

SITH has seen a 75% week over week continious increase in ticket sales.

An astounding 80% of US film fans responding to a Fandango poll said they planned to see SITH the opening weekend.

SITH has accounted for 79% of Fandango's weekly ticket sails. Moviegoer anticiapation is so high that the company is selling tickets for a theatre that hasn't opened yet.

'The force is strong with this one,' said Fandango presdient and CEO Art Levitt.

'The final installment of the Star Wars saga is clearly attracting not only long time fans, but mainstream ticketbuyers throught the country.'

'Based on our advanced sales, SITH will likely enjoy one of the largest box office opening weekends in history.'

[gopwinsin04]

You won't have any problems after the first 3-4 weeks.

Lucas' rules say that the film must stay at least 8-9 weeks in the same huge high quality audio stadiums

[nosofar]

Though the plot was written years ago, "The anti-Bush diatribe is clearly there," Engle said.

The really sad part is that more and more we see Hollywood slipping in political propoganda (sp?) that this is credible.

[GulfWar1Vet]

I got my advance ticket on 4/25/05 SW geek here!

[gopwinsin04]

There are some places showing the whole previous 5 films!

[GulfWar1Vet]

That would be cool to see...From 1 to 6 all in one sequence. I am sure a lot of puzzling pieces will fall into place.

[montag813]

The film is positioned to dethrone the former ticketed champ, Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

It should. RotK sucked big time. I actually nodded off during the cheesy, unneccessary last hour. Awful.

[Maigrey]

I've got mine for 12:03am (through a local movie chain.)

This works out great, since I get off work at 11pm.

[weegee]

How many more screens, how much more promotion, and how much more expensive was the film?

People had to rent out theaters to get some of them to even book Passion of the Christ. I don't think anyone had to bend a theater owner's arm to get him to book Star Wars 6.

[StrictTime]

Lucas can tell whatever story he likes, the way he likes- but the Prequel films will never be incorporated into 'my' Star Wars.

I agree. I am not anticipating seeing this movie, but I must, since I have a 10-year-old who is in full SW Geek Mode right now. I'll have to go preview it before he can see it. IMO, Lucas jumped the shark with the Ewoks and finished it off with Jar-Jar Binks. Stick a fork in it. It's dead.

[weegee]

We did not go to war until after 3,000 people were murdered and billions of dollars of damage were done.

Saddam had broken the peace soon after 1991's agreement when he continued to arm with missiles that were prohibited under the peace agreement. Should we let felons continue to buy guns too?

Kerry and Clinton were arguing the case for war against Saddam back in 1997 and 1998. They said that we did not quickly run up on the war, that it was a continuation of Saddam's rogue acts.

With the terrorists strike on US soil, the nature of response escalated. Saddam Hussein was funding international terrorism even if he was not funding Al Qaeda (jury is still out on whether he trained such missions). He did fund Harms and the families of homicide bombers in Israel.

Since he was quite clearly working on programs to acquire WMD (whether he was successful or not) and such weaponry would be difficult for free-agent terrorists to safely develop, transport, and store, it is not unlikely that the two could have formed a partnership in the future. Saddam was already in violation. Taking Saddam down served as warning to other nations including Libya.

Then again, what do French college students know about world politics and war?

[marajade]

Actually its the other way around. GL wants theaters to upgrade their equipment to digital quality. If GL had his way only digital theaters would be showing his movie.

[marajade]

GL was quoted recently and GL actually prefers you see the films in the order they were released. IV, V, VI and then I, II and III.

[Godebert]

"Lucas is laughing a wookie laugh while the bucks roll in."

I'm sure Hillary is laughing too. I wonder what percentage of the take will end up financing her 2008 campaign?

[snarks_when_bored]

Good question.

[fight_truth_decay]

that this is credible

Remember the source..a "French-American aspiring filmmaker" and sadly enough this review will be repeated by the liberal press here in the US..wait and see.

[marajade]

It seems only by the radical right wing. Its been getting decent reviews in the big liberal rags.

[fight_truth_decay]

Don't have to sell it to me. ;)

I have been following the Cannes Film Festival since it began watching for this type of rhetoric. Has been calm so far. Of course the real interviews have not started yet! Remember the Jessica Lange anti-Bush interview/video a few years ago? Lange is back there again in Broken Flowers with Bill Murray and Sharon Stone scheduled to open here in August.

I have just been keeping an eye on the Cannes.

[fight_truth_decay]

It definitely will do well at the box office; and rightly so.

[Rob_DSM]

I know where you are coming from. I fell in love with the OT when I was a kid and nothing can ever top them, but regardless how relatively poor the prequels have been, I have learned to enjoy them. To me it has become all about the endless story. I've started reading the books, including the adaptation from the ROTS screenplay, and with all of the characters, their stories, and the way they all fit together--the movies have just become a formality for me. I know and love the story, and I'm not going to let stiff acting, corny lines, or Jar Jar interfere with that. But as I say, I completley understand your point of view.

[Rob_DSM]

Awesome! It's so much fun to see it with all the hard-core fans at the first showing.