Ringer Spy Tig shares her report on the goings on at the Uptown Theater in Washington D.C.
Trilogy Tuesday’s capital location, which by the way is a horrible pun, has been anticipated as the chaotic apocalypse of ticket troubles.
The problem began between Fandango and the actual theatre itself. Those who had stood outside the Uptown for hours could only buy “series” tickets, which were to all three shows. However, Fandango began selling single tickets… (some to an Uptown hundreds of miles away) Thus, the mess became apparent. As the weeks passed, rumors were whispered that fans would have to file out after each show, then standing in line all over again. This, of course, is a big pain in the rear, so you can understand just why many of us were not too happy about the experience as we thought it to be.
But what happened was actually quite contrasting to the preconceived notions.
The line to file in for FOTR started the night before, and by the time I arrived, had reached roughly a hundred or so bodies. Members of the official TORn line party attempted to secure spots in the front of the line for party members, but failed after complaints from fellow Ringers. But despite a longer wait, I was quite pleased with the conditions outside. Everyone shared food, laughs, and even trivia games to pass the time. There were many skilled costumes throughout the line, which enticed various press. (I keep in mind a particular hobbit crazy enough to go about with bare feet on the snow.)
To ensure that the people with three tickets were differentiated, the staff adorned each of us with huge pins. This way we could be easily identified and not kicked out after the show. Around 1 pm, we were allowed inside. By this time, management finally decided to let us in on just what they were planning to do with all nine hundred of us. Much to our surprise, they stated that we would NOT be kicked out after each viewing. Those that held tickets for all three could remain inside. However, those with a single ticket had to wait outside in line for the movie to begin. No one complained about the procedure, as we were all pretty happy that we wouldn’t have to relocate time and time again. They even sold sandwiches in between the first two films to lessen the “outside time” (for a price of course).
Despite a few glitches in the film itself (random dialogue spurts, possibly a skipped scene), all of the fans thoroughly enjoyed the event. Everyone applauded, cheered, cried, and yelled in all the same places. It was truly a masterful and momentous occasion where a thousand bodies were bound into one roaring ultra-geek. Trilogy Tuesday was spectacular, and I can confidently say that it made up for many of the ticketing woes in the beginning. (No doubt the WETA film cells eased the pain!)
