Something weird with regard to TII movie attendance

Hey guys, I have my ticket to see TII at 11 AM tomorrow in NYC -- there are only 3 theaters showing it in NYC.

Called today so that I would have some idea as to how early I should get to the theater so that I can get a good seat (first come, first served here in the US).

This is what the theater told me -- the midnight show sold out but all the other shows have plenty of seats available.

For example: my 11:00 show is the first after the sold out midnight show. The theater has 270 seats -- they have only 34 tickets sold!!!

They also told me that they have plenty of tickets available for all of the other shows in the next two weeks.

Does this strike anybody else as strange? Hasn't SONY been saying that shows have been sold out?

I don't know, but I am getting a real strange feeling about this whole TII thing.

I just checked to see how many seats have been booked at the Odeon (UK) for when I go (2nd Nov at 7pm).

From the seating chart it looks like only 37 seats are booked and that screen has about 200 seats.

Hmm is TII is not promoted very well...

That's weird. What are they hesitating selling them? Or is no on buying them? I mean I figure NY would be sold out first.

@rowdy- you too? I find this very strange.

I don't know where you are in the UK but 34 seats of 270 in NYC at the 2nd showing?? I feel something strange is going to happen IDK.

See wrote:Hmm is TII is not promoted very well...

Actually, I've been seeing movie trailers on TV all the time

Peace wrote:That's weird. What are they hesitating selling them? Or is no on buying them? I mean I figure NY would be sold out first.

That's what I mean -- NYC.

Even though it is a weekday and early in the day, one would think that the fans would be going. Usually kids stay home from school, people don't go to work -- you know, play hooky when there is something happening with reagrd to a superstar.

Seems very strange

I'm in north-west of England, about an hour or so from Manchester.

Our cinema has about 9 screens each with about 200 seats. They have staggered start times for the movie so will be screening it in more than one auditorium at the same time, but even so, it is strange that so few seats have been booked.

The marketing of TII over here has been virtually non-existant. The trailers have only just started to appear on TV in the last 4 days. Even since then I have only seen it advertise about 3 times.

I saw all of the trailers on the internet way before they were shown on TV. Something doesn't sit right with this at all.

Is TII going to be a dissepointment for AEG and Sony....?
Maybe normal ppl (non fans) have heard to much of Michael the last months...
We would not understand cuz we are busy here day and night and we are fans...

My friend managed to get a DISCOUNTED ticket in NYC for the premiere!!!! i mean like HOW AND WHY is it discounted?????

icy55 wrote:My friend managed to get a DISCOUNTED ticket in NYC for the premiere!!!! i mean like HOW AND WHY is it discounted?????

Even more weirdness!! I paid full price -- darn it.

I don't know if ours sold out at all...but you got to realize I am in Northeast ALabama-however I know several who are excited about it. I am thinking that everyone rushed for opening night and nothing else maybe? I know that it was my understanding when I bought my tickets that I could only get them for opening. Maybe after ppl have seen the premier they will start selling for the rest of the two weeks? As for it not being promoted...I have only seen maybe 2 or 3 trailers on TV....but its all over the internet and ET...SO...it is not like ppl don't know about it.

There's something very wrong with this picture.

Where i'm from I haven't seen TII advertised once on tv. Alot of people I know only heard about the movie this week and had no idea what it was about. There's something up, they are hyping this movie up to be the biggest of the year/decade/millenium yet there is no real promoting being done worldwide, maybe in the states there is but MJ had fans all over the world and not promoting this film means MJ's fans won't see the film becasue they didn't know it was on until it was too late to get a ticket for their local theatre. Sony paid big bucks for this film so I can't understand why they're not promoting it enough. I've seen rubbish slasher films being promoted more!
My local theathre is showing it for only 2 days but I don't know how the bookings have gone but I was told to be there early so I could get a seat. Also my ticket only cost €8.00 same as a regular ticket.

Maybe diehard fans really are boycotting it. Read the NY Daily Post, they posted the This Is Not It link. I'm getting worried. This is so sad. I mean yea, in the end we all know what happened, supposedly. The reason to see it is all the hard work Michael put into the rehearsals. It's not like they did anything bad to Michael. It was all him. Sometimes he seemed hard on himself, he was not a quitter. Were the TINI people there watching his every move?! I think not! It's just their personal opinion. That rehearsal footage should not go to waste. Besides the Jackson estate gets 90% of the profit. We need to support him!

I have a feeling that this movie is going to be a big bust -- I have a feeling that SONY is not going to make the $$ that they think they are. Furthermore, if there are so few tickets/seats sold I would think that the movie theaters are going to pull the film since it is impossible to make a profit if only 30-40 seats are sold out of 200+. Somehow, I have a feeling that this is only going to be shown for a couple of days.


I have a feeling that this really will be "this is it" for SONY. lol

I have heard that it is already gonna outsell "Titanic"-maybe the seating not being sold out is isolated to some areas.

rowdyangel wrote:I'm in north-west of England, about an hour or so from Manchester.

Our cinema has about 9 screens each with about 200 seats. They have staggered start times for the movie so will be screening it in more than one auditorium at the same time, but even so, it is strange that so few seats have been booked.

The marketing of TII over here has been virtually non-existant. The trailers have only just started to appear on TV in the last 4 days. Even since then I have only seen it advertise about 3 times.

I saw all of the trailers on the internet way before they were shown on TV. Something doesn't sit right with this at all.

Im also in north west england,i checked with the cinema im going to now im confused! when tickets first went online sale i tried to book mine for 28th, it said none available please try alternative date...so i booked 29th no probs..ive just been back and its letting me purchase tickets for 28th now, im baffled and abit annoyed if im honest cos they wont let me change dates

that is really weird! i was thinking they would sell out fast in places like LA and new york. i just called my theater and they told me that not even half for tonight have been sold. i'm not sure how many seats there are, but it's a pretty new cinemark theater (less than a year old). i'm wondering if it being a weekday showing factors in, but i dunno. no showtimes have been sold out here. i remember reading an article saying that they were selling out worldwide, especially in places like LA and houston. i live in texas, but there is no sign of tickets being sold out....weird...

neverlandprincess wrote:I have heard that it is already gonna outsell "Titanic"-maybe the seating not being sold out is isolated to some areas.

I understand what you are saying but I am in NYC proper -- Manhattan. Don't you think that in a city of 8 million people that more tickets would be sold?

@PEACE-I agree with you 100 percent. I don't "support" Sony/AEG or anyone who hurt Michael,however,he was working hard for "us" and "his kids". The estate kids and Katherine) are getting the bulk of the proffit-how can I not support THAT??? People need to analyze what they are doing.

LOL!

city.gal1 wrote:I have a feeling that this really be "this is it" for SONY. lol

YEah...I thought it would be crazy!! BUT no!! At my theatre...they ar enot sold out for any shows!!IF not many people show up here/...Im going to be so mad!! WhAT'S WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!IT MICHAEL JACKSON FOR GODS SAKES!!! iM SURE THEYD GO SEE HANNAH MONTANTA!!!!

neverlandprincess wrote:I have heard that it is already gonna outsell "Titanic"-maybe the seating not being sold out is isolated to some areas.

I heard it would outsell Lord of The Rings!

I don't know about the sales here (Canada). But I saw the trailer many times on TV.

It's weird indeed

Peace wrote:

neverlandprincess wrote:I have heard that it is already gonna outsell "Titanic"-maybe the seating not being sold out is isolated to some areas.

I heard it would outsell Lord of The Rings!

HAHAHAHA! LOTR is an epic epic epic movie no one is going to out-do them! It's my all time favourite movie =D

I am just thinking that SONY is trying to generate hype for poor tickets sales!

@City.gal yes I wold think that-absolutely,I was surprised actualy. Now I do have a friend in Chicago who says that ppl stood in line for three days to get tickets. Was it that way in NYC?

neverlandprincess wrote:@City.gal yes I wold think that-absolutely,I was surprised actualy. Now I do have a friend in Chicago who says that ppl stood in line for three days to get tickets. Was it that way in NYC?

I bought mine online when they went on sale at midnight -- actually that was the only way to buy them at the time because the theater names showing the movie weren't released until that time. So even if anyone wanted to go to the theater to buy tix we couldn't because it was a "secret" as to where it was going to be shown.

All the stuff said in the press and/or by Sony about so many sold out shows etc is all spin and PR by Sony. It's to get people to go to the movie (I'm not talking about fans...obviously, many fans will go). They're saying shows are sold out, and it's got a limited run, to make people think they have to get their tickets or there won't be any left. It's all PR, designed to help generate ticket sales. They're likely counting on all the amazing and positive feedback that will come out of the first nights of shows (because the movie, I have NO DOUBT, will be amazing!), to generate more sales. Once the feedback comes, anyone one the fence will likely grab their tickets. It's all just PR. Sony wants to make money on their $60 million investment on the rights to distribute the movie.

I am sure the movie will do well. I don't think it's going to beat Titanic's $1.84 Billion, but I think it will do very well. Every little teaser I've seen so far is just awesome. But then, I'm a fan. The PR is designed for the general public more than fans, I would think.

Oh, and I was going to say...my local theater is not even advertising TII. At all. I didn't even think it would be playing here initially.

I saw the movie in a US theater (Virginia). It was a gigantic Imax theater which I estimate could hold a couple of hundred seats. Although my showing was at 2:15pm on a Wednesday, there were only about 10 people present. I had an entire section, not just row, to myself. I was fine with that since I didn't want any crowding or distractions as I watched the film. However, it was an eerie feeling to see MJ on film yet there was hardly anyone present to support him. The concession booth guy told me that the midnight show had a larger crowd of 90 people. I will go again on Saturday (Halloween). I will be curious to see if and by how much the weekend attendance grows.

Just out of curiousity--

We know 90% of the profit from the theater tickets is going to Michael's estate, but where are the DVD profits going? I'm not business savvy so I'm not sure if they count as one and the same or not.

The idea is a little disturbing...because if Sony/AEG intentionally bombed the theater promotions (seriously, it's ridiculous how many people I've talked to that had no idea there was a movie), it might be because they want people to buy the DVD instead. And if the DVD profits go mostly to Sony/AEG, then...=/

For the record, I live in SC and the midnight show here had a grand total of eight people, including myself.

well, i reserved 3 tickets for saturday and i was expecting SOLD OUT to appear but i was wrong!

Great question. I suppose it depends on how they negotiated the contract. Dvd sales have proven to become real money-makers even with box office hits. People have just grown accustomed to waiting until a movie hits dvd (if they are on the fence about it) or buy it on dvd (especially after it proves to be something they like). If the focus is on dvd and the 90% remains intact, then the estate will rake in millions more. Plus, there is a buzz in the air about extra content in the dvd. I saw the movie yesterday and I fully intend to buy the dvd.

Chuyuri wrote:Just out of curiousity--

We know 90% of the profit from the theater tickets is going to Michael's estate, but where are the DVD profits going? I'm not business savvy so I'm not sure if they count as one and the same or not.

The idea is a little disturbing...because if Sony/AEG intentionally bombed the theater promotions (seriously, it's ridiculous how many people I've talked to that had no idea there was a movie), it might be because they want people to buy the DVD instead. And if the DVD profits go mostly to Sony/AEG, then...=/

For the record, I live in SC and the midnight show here had a grand total of eight people, including myself.

Chuyuri wrote:Just out of curiousity--

We know 90% of the profit from the theater tickets is going to Michael's estate, but where are the DVD profits going? I'm not business savvy so I'm not sure if they count as one and the same or not.

The idea is a little disturbing...because if Sony/AEG intentionally bombed the theater promotions (seriously, it's ridiculous how many people I've talked to that had no idea there was a movie), it might be because they want people to buy the DVD instead. And if the DVD profits go mostly to Sony/AEG, then...=/

For the record, I live in SC and the midnight show here had a grand total of eight people, including myself.

Ack!! Good point. I heard Sony will make almost all of the profits off the DVD, not the estate. Apparently that's why it's only a 2 week showing, so they can release the DVD before Christmas and make way more money than they're making off the movie. Sony sucks!!

We went to the 10pm showing on opening night and it was only about half full. I was really surprised because I went early to get seats and there was no need. The 7pm sold out though.

I just went to see TII in cinemas and there was only 31 other people and my husband and myself. it was odd. maybe it will go off on the weekends?

even in india there was no good reponce to it only few theaters were showing it but ther wee no one in hall even we were not geting the tkts but no one was in theater

I bought my tickets in advance, and then yesterday ran to get one for my nephew afraid that there might not be any left but there was. By the time we got to the theater for the 8pm show around 6:30 there was a small line of people getting tickets = howver when we went into the theater at 7:30 it was almost all the way filled up and by the time show time came there was only a few seats left.

We are going to go back on Sat to see it in the IMAX theater.

including me and my husband, there were no more than 20 people in the theater. i was hoping there would be more, but i still enjoyed myself.

There was an error in the computer schedules so when I arrived, they apologized and allowed us (all 10 of us...lol) to watch it on the Imax screen. My next showing will be on a regular screen this Saturday. I will be a bit let down after first seeing it on Imax...lol. Maybe the computer scheduling can go wrong again.

Christiana wrote:All the stuff said in the press and/or by Sony about so many sold out shows etc is all spin and PR by Sony. It's to get people to go to the movie (I'm not talking about fans...obviously, many fans will go). They're saying shows are sold out, and it's got a limited run, to make people think they have to get their tickets or there won't be any left. It's all PR, designed to help generate ticket sales. They're likely counting on all the amazing and positive feedback that will come out of the first nights of shows (because the movie, I have NO DOUBT, will be amazing!), to generate more sales. Once the feedback comes, anyone one the fence will likely grab their tickets. It's all just PR. Sony wants to make money on their $60 million investment on the rights to distribute the movie.

I am sure the movie will do well. I don't think it's going to beat Titanic's $1.84 Billion, but I think it will do very well. Every little teaser I've seen so far is just awesome. But then, I'm a fan. The PR is designed for the general public more than fans, I would think.

That is my thought too about it just being a PR ploy but somehow I still can't wrap my head around the low attendance that I saw for myself when I saw the movie and what everyone else is saying on the board.

city.gal1 wrote:

Christiana wrote:All the stuff said in the press and/or by Sony about so many sold out shows etc is all spin and PR by Sony. It's to get people to go to the movie (I'm not talking about fans...obviously, many fans will go). They're saying shows are sold out, and it's got a limited run, to make people think they have to get their tickets or there won't be any left. It's all PR, designed to help generate ticket sales. They're likely counting on all the amazing and positive feedback that will come out of the first nights of shows (because the movie, I have NO DOUBT, will be amazing!), to generate more sales. Once the feedback comes, anyone one the fence will likely grab their tickets. It's all just PR. Sony wants to make money on their $60 million investment on the rights to distribute the movie.

I am sure the movie will do well. I don't think it's going to beat Titanic's $1.84 Billion, but I think it will do very well. Every little teaser I've seen so far is just awesome. But then, I'm a fan. The PR is designed for the general public more than fans, I would think.

That is my thought too about it just being a PR ploy but somehow I still can't wrap my head around the low attendance that I saw for myself when I saw the movie and what everyone else is saying on the board.

i'm thinking maybe it's all about where you live/what theater you go to. i live in a fairly small town, but it's right next to a big army base. my brother was telling me he saw packed theaters on the news, so he was surprised when i told him not many people were there when we went to see it. so maybe in big cities like dallas, houston, new york, miami and LA of course, the theaters are packed. i dunno.

I am wondering if it the opposite ploy. Suppose I didn't buy a ticket when they first went on sale. I may still want to go today but all around me I keep hearing and reading in the media that it sold out. It is unlikely that I would dig and research to eventually learn that tickets are still available. I might assume that the reports are accurate and that the shows are full. It seems very fishy that the movie was scarcely promoted and is getting false reports of sellouts.

LOL...I could have invited many of you guys to my local theater and we could have had a private fan party. That's how large the theater is and how small the turnout was.

It smells like the big promotional push will be for video sales when the shift will go from Jackson estate making money to SONY making money. It's sneaky and soooo wrong for them to pull this stunt.

Chuyuri wrote:Just out of curiousity--

We know 90% of the profit from the theater tickets is going to Michael's estate, but where are the DVD profits going? I'm not business savvy so I'm not sure if they count as one and the same or not.

The idea is a little disturbing...because if Sony/AEG intentionally bombed the theater promotions (seriously, it's ridiculous how many people I've talked to that had no idea there was a movie), it might be because they want people to buy the DVD instead. And if the DVD profits go mostly to Sony/AEG, then...=/

For the record, I live in SC and the midnight show here had a grand total of eight people, including myself.

I don't know but somehow I have a feeling that SONY/AEG are going to making the $$ on the dvd. I don't know fore sure because I haven't heard anything concrete but my gut tells me that will be the case. I have to look around the 'net and see if I find anything.

GirlSaturday wrote:I am wondering if it the opposite ploy. Suppose I didn't buy a ticket when they first went on sale. I may still want to go today but all around me I keep hearing and reading in the media that it sold out. It is unlikely that I would dig and research to eventually learn that tickets are still available. I might assume that the reports are accurate and that the shows are full. It seems very fishy that the movie was scarcely promoted and is getting false reports of sellouts.

LOL...I could have invited many of you guys to my local theater and we could have had a private fan party. That's how large the theater is and how small the turnout was.

It smells like the big promotional push will be for video sales when the shift will go from Jackson estate making money to SONY making money. It's sneaky and soooo wrong for them to pull this stunt.

This is a very interesting thought -- in other words reverse psychology. Very astute Girl Saturday.

I went last night and there were no more than 15 people in the theatre including myself. I must say I live in a small town but still, it is the only theatre within a 2 hour drive range.

That's it! SONY is playing hardball.

The film has a short 2 week run. The profits will be 90% to the Jackson estate. Who gains if the movie fails? SONY!. They own video rights. If fans cannot see the theater version, they will turn to the dvd. At that time SONY will make millions while the Jackson estate's potential earning will have been blocked. Sold out shows my butt. That leak was probably planted by SONY to discourage fans from attempting to even buy theater tickets.

That damn company is still sticking it to MJ!

GirlSaturday wrote:That's it! SONY is playing hardball.

The film has a short 2 week run. The profits will be 90% to the Jackson estate. Who gains if the movie fails? SONY!. They own video rights. If fans cannot see the theater version, they will turn to the dvd. At that time SONY will make millions while the Jackson estate's potential earning will have been blocked. Sold out shows my butt. That leak was probably planted by SONY to discourage fans from attempting to even buy theater tickets.

That damn company is still sticking it to MJ!

Oh wow! I never thought of it that way! I thought MJ´s estate gets the DVD earnings too. Those snakes!

Most of us believed that.

SONY paid AEG 60 million for the video rights. They fully want to recoup their investment and dive toward the huge profits. It makes perfect sense for them to trip up the theater ticket sales. I kept hearing that turnout was low here, there and everywhere. It made no sense until now. We're talking about MJ for goodness sakes!

SONY is sitting back, watching the empty theaters, and counting the money that they anticipate to make.

If there are any SONY spies trolling on this site, I hope that you choke on your money. You blood-sucking leeches. .

MJFoReVeRandAlways wrote:

GirlSaturday wrote:That's it! SONY is playing hardball.

The film has a short 2 week run. The profits will be 90% to the Jackson estate. Who gains if the movie fails? SONY!. They own video rights. If fans cannot see the theater version, they will turn to the dvd. At that time SONY will make millions while the Jackson estate's potential earning will have been blocked. Sold out shows my butt. That leak was probably planted by SONY to discourage fans from attempting to even buy theater tickets.

That damn company is still sticking it to MJ!

Oh wow! I never thought of it that way! I thought MJ´s estate gets the DVD earnings too. Those snakes!