Wednesday I went to see Return of the King with my friend Ian. I had the day off, but he took his final vacation day of the year to go see a movie. There was a line, and I imagine there was a certain amount of camping out across the world. Online ticket buying has probably lessened this phenomenon, but I imagine the die-hard fans were out there, braving the cold.
The last movie I saw on opening day might have been the re-release of Star Wars: Episode IV, when my friend Joe waited in line overnight to get us all tickets. People dressed up. Vader was in the house, as was luke. Some kids gave them their toy lightsabers and there was a battle on the balcony. When Vader's lightsaber went out [batteries?] and the crowd roared. The anticipation was thick in the air.There's just something about these epics, these sci-fi and fantasy movies that draws people out. I mean, people don't stand in line for days to see the new Julia Roberts movie. [At least in my experience, maybe this is a phenom somewhere.] I think some of it is the escapism, that's something I've always enjoyed about Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, or even Star Trek.
There's something about sharing in with a community of like minds, a bit of an underground appeal, even though these are multi-million dollar franchises. There's always someone a bit geekier, who has the toys, the costume, the die-cast model, or who has read more books than you, etc. I think it's fun to share in these worlds, but I also like to be able to leave.
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