We Found Two Theaters With Sold-Out Melania Opening Day Screenings (Wired)

[pstokely]

https://www.wired.com/story/we-found-2-theaters-with-sold-out-melania-opening-day-screenings/

While it seems relatively easy to find an empty screening of Melania, WIRED reporters have taken the extra step and identified two screenings in the United States—out of nearly 1,400 we reviewed—that have sold out for Friday.

To conduct our analysis, WIRED reviewed listings for 329 movie theaters located near 64 of the 100 US cities featured in a “Best US Cities to See a Movie” ranking list created by BetMGM, which has no affiliation with Amazon MGM Studios. (Due to technical issues, WIRED was unable to complete a full review of all 100 of BetMGM’s best cities to see a movie prior to publication.) From there, WIRED identified 1,398 Melania showtimes listed for those theaters on Fandango, a ticket-buying website. Of those screenings, just two were sold out: the 12:55 pm at Vero Beach’s AMC CLASSIC Indian River 24 and the 1 pm at AMC Independence Commons 20 in Missouri. On AMC’s website, it appears that both showings were offered at a 20 percent discount, which is standard for showtimes before 4 pm.

At one point on Thursday afternoon a third showtime at another Florida theater had seemingly sold out, but when WIRED rechecked the listing, it appeared that two front-row seats had become available.

[markodochartaigh]

1. Here in Naples Florida

Most of the screenings today have only one or two seats left, but a couple of screenings in smaller theaters only have two or three seats sold. It looks to me like bulk buying, but why would they not buy out the screens with fewer seats. Maybe those screens don't count when gathering the tallies on numbers of seats sold on opening day.

https://www.regmovies.com/movies/melania-ho00020488

At any rate I would like to applaud the film makers for not filming it in 3d or 4dx.

[Kid Berwyn]

15. I-MAX

Those kidneys!

[AZJonnie]

2. Someone should do a video where they show the ticket website and how it says there's like 2 seats left

Then film their showing up to the theater, walking into the screening, showing that the venue matches, the time matches, etc.

Let's see if these ticket sales are for real

Actually, it'll probably do well THIS Sunday in neighborhoods with mega-churches nearby, but that'll be it.

[winstars]

6. I WAS THINKING THE EXACT SAME THING!

[D_Master81]

10. 100%

I thought the same thing. Are there people out there buying tickets to inflate the success of the film?

[GoCubsGo]

11. These are the same people who bulk-buy books

to get them on best-seller lists. I wouldn't put it past them to inflate ticket sales with bulk purchases. From what I understand, they also like to bulk purchase things like podcast subscriptions and downloads to push their mouthpieces higher up in the algorithm.

[Melon]

3. I looked today up in Denton TX, which is very liberal for Tx

I was surprised when I looked at Friday and Saturday. A lot of the popular movie times were probably 3/4 sold out if not more. I checked on Wednesday.

[harumph]

13. Denton is a college town and the young people lean more liberal.

The enrollment at UNT is > 40K students.
However, there is a substantial conservative older demographic there too.
I would also assume that some young people might want to see it for the "comedic" potential.
Maybe some think it's so bad that it's bound to be good sort of thing.
Like David Carradine in "Deathrace 2000."

[a kennedy]

4. Well of course all MAGA's would go wouldn't they?

[usonian]

5. Has anyone checked for subliminal messages?

And how are raincoat rentals doing?

[C_U_L8R]

7. Bulk buys by magachurches busing people in?

Or just phantom purchase… as these losers do with book sales to get on a best seller lists. It’s so pathetic.

[Grokenstein]

8. I don't even have to look at RottenTomatoes.

When each chapter of the Atlas Shrugged movies came out, the audience scores ran high because almost all the people who went to see them were cultists thoroughly predisposed to shrieking "MUST SEE! BEST MOOVY EVAR!!1!" at all things rightwank. Ditto for the God's Not Dead turds. This won't be any different.

[Vinca]

9. Maybe this is like when a noxious, right winger's book comes out and there's a bulk buy to make it look good.

Wonder if you go to the theaters if there's anyone in the sold seats.

[GoCubsGo]

12. They do the same thing with podcast subscriptions

other digital media. It games the algorithms so that their shit gets forced up front and center.

[biocube]

14. Some people may be mistakingly believing this is an honest film...

instead of a puff piece. Is it going to talk about how Epstein introduced Melania to Trump? Nah.

I live in Trump country and I don't think anyone knows this it out, TBH.