Do You Like Midnight Screenings?

I honestly don’t know if they were around before this or not, but I clearly remember the very first time I went to a midnight screening. It was for the most anticipated movie of my life…. Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. I was so pumped about seeing this movie that I drove thousands of miles from the city I was living in at the time (Saskatoon Saskatchewan) to go back to my home town (The Toronto area) so I could watch the movie at my favorite theater. Yes… I really am that big of a Star Wars geek.

Now keep in mind… I had never been to a midnight screening before, so I remember wondering if going was a good idea. I mean… this was the NEW STAR WARS MOVIE!!!! Did I want to risk being sleepy while seeing it for the first time? Was I going to be a zombie walking out of the theater?

Needless to say I was fine, and since I had taken time off work to go back to Ontario, it’s not like I had to work the next day, so it all worked out just fine (except for the movie itself that is).

Soon, a few other “big” film started opening on Thursday night at midnight… not many but a couple here and there. There was still a big novelty about it. When a movie would have a opening midnight screening, it gave it a sense of being an “event”. It was a big deal. This must be a special movie… cause it’s opening at midnight (at least that’s the impression they wanted you to have).

Gradually, more and more “bigger” films started catching on to this too. It got to the point that if even a remotely big film was opening, you’d just assume there was a Thursday midnight screening.

But the other week I went out to catch the midnight screening of “District 9”. I didn’t even check to see if it was playing or not, I just knew it would be. But what was surprising was that when I got to the theater, I noticed that EVERY SINGLE MOVIE OPENING THAT WEEKEND was having a midnight screening. ALL OF THEM.

– District 9
– The Time Traveler’s Wife
– The Goods; Live Hard, Sell Hard
– Bandslam

Yes… even BANDSLAM had a midnight opening. So basically, every film out there will have a midnight screening (not at every theater… but somewhere).

It’s now just a part of my Thursday ritual. I just assume that on Thursday night at midnight, I’ll be going to the theater… to see… something.

Personally, I like the midnight screenings for a couple of reasons:

1) It’s a convenient time. Think about it… I don’t generally have too much going on at midnight on a Thursday.

2) Unless it’s a major release, the theaters aren’t very full. Oh sure, still have to go an hour early to get a seat for Transformers 2, but most films aren’t anywhere near full.

3) Even if I DON’T go do the midnight show, it lessens the crowd a little bit for Friday. Using the Transformers 2 analogy, since soooo many people went to see it at the midnight show, that means a little less craziness for those of us who saw it on Friday (still insane… just a little less insane than it would have been).

4) It frees up my weekend more (since there is one less movie to see).

Obviously there is a major drawback about midnight screenings for most people… it’s a work/school night, and getting home at 2-3am when you’ve got to get up in 4 hours isn’t very appealing.

But what about you? How do you feel about midnight screenings? Do you remember the first one you went to? What are your pros and cons? Do you see just BIG films at them… or even smaller ones?

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42 thoughts on “Do You Like Midnight Screenings?

  1. Just like you, if i’m on holiday, I had this ritual to go and see movies at midnight with my little bro. Well usually, we go out around 8.00pm, have some drinks, walk around and buy the tickets, then watch the movies. Yeah but, we only did this on friday nights and never on the weekends since its too crouded. Anyway, I’m totally support the idea of watching movies at midnight.

  2. Like many people have said, my first midnight show was also the Phantom Menace. I was in middle school at the time so it was a big deal. I have been to quite a few since, including all of the Lord of the Rings movies, Harry Potter 4-6, and the last Matrix movie. I think a few others, but I don’t remember.
    That said, I have found the only movies worth the trouble is the ones with a ravenous fan base. Like with HP and LOTR, there is this amazing electricity in the air. The crowd is explosive and enjoying every minute of just being there. Cheering, chanting, and costumes, the whole thing can have more of a community feel. Even if you are not really a fan and just there for fun or friends, the energy of the audience can be infectious.
    Though, without a pre-existing fan base, I don’t see the point of a midnight show.

  3. My first midnight showing was The Phantom Menace as well. I think midnight showings are more for the uber fans of the movie. And I think it should only be for big movies or movies that have a big fan base ie Star Wars or comic book movies.

    Last midnight showing I went to was The Dark Knight and it was awesome!

    ps- most midnight showings you will see someone dressed up like you are at a comic con!

  4. So funny… the very first midnight screening I ever went to was also the Phantom Menace… with a large group of friends in Vancouver… we waited for hours and still didn’t get very good seats, but it was great fun!

    Though, I agree with all of you… it’s a marketing ploy… movies NEED to make $$, and it is fun for the participants, so why not?

  5. There was a movie about the opening of Phantom Menace, John. It’s a documentary called “A Galaxy Far, Far Away.”

    I’m always skeptical of the motives of the studios. What I see (sometimes) is that they are trying to capitalize on their marketing and their need for big first weekend numbers. So they whip people into a frenzy on a (sometimes) sub-par movie and get to rake in “midnight showing” dollars.

    Call me a skeptic.

  6. I work second shift (3-11:30) at a hospital so I usually catch my movies late night anyway. I’ve noticed the same thing John did. Once summer was here, EVERY release had a Thurs midnight screening (or Tues for Wed releases). This was the same as last year, but it tapered off around the time school started back up again. However, this year, we’re well into September and they’re STILL doing it! I love it! Even something like “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs”, a family film, gets a midnight screening.

  7. I go to them occasionally, but I like it because the crowds are the BEST.

    People typically aren’t getting phone calls on their cells at this hour.

    People don’t bring their fucking kids to midnight screenings.

    People are very pumped to see the movie, and are more respectful of the movie. They don’t yap through the whole fucking thing.

  8. The only midnight screening I ever went to was X-Men 3, and it was such a poor experience that I doubt I’ll ever go to another midnight show again. Aside from the movie not being very good, the people in the audience were loud and obnoxious…mostly high school kids just acting like idiots.

    I can see how a midnight show might be fun for something like Star Wars where people get really into it, and where there’s a genuine bond of devotion to the franchise among the people there, but for anything else, in the future…count me out.

  9. it high school it was great to say i saw the big weekend movie and talk about it on friday. as an adult. it doesn’t matter. however certain movies demand it(Dark Knight etc)

  10. I’ve never gotten to go to a midnight show because I work the graveyards shift. Only the major releases get the midnight show in my area but there’s a movie theater right up the road from where I work and I remember people coming in after seeing the Dark Knight. The theater had set up a buffet dinner and everything for the movie. I was really jealous and didn’t get to see the movie for a couple of more days. (And I sure didn’t get a buffet dinner)

  11. I would love to go to one, but I fall asleep easily. I would have loved to gone see a screening of Iron man or Dark Knight, but I know I’ll just fall asleep and waste my money. I actually like to go on Sundays when the crowd lessens. I guess I love my sleep too much.

  12. “Rocky Horror”, “The Dark Knight”, “Iron Man” and “The Two Towers.” All wonderful experiences. Only bad ones… “Hulk” (Ang Lee) and “X-Men: The Last Stand”. Walked away from both of those times with instant “WTF” mentality.

  13. As someone else mentioned, midnight screenings have been around since BATMAN. DICK TRACY had another memorable midnight showing where you had to buy a T-shirt, and wear it, to see it that night.

    Those are also the only two I remember going to.

  14. There’s more novelty of Friday night at midnight opening. I’ve never been to a midnight screening, but I almost did for ROTF.

    Friday, mid day is always nice, personally my favorite time to go to a movie is jam packed where you can barely move. It’s a good indication of the BO.

  15. John
    Your story STRONGLY reminded me of Fanboys. Im laughing right now, because you reminded me of the funniest scene of that movie

    “Look at my Jar Jar Binks tattoo!!! This guys going to be AWESOME! I love Jar Jar!”

    Only thing i didnt like about that movie is how they never showed you how they reacted to the movie being bad! Wtf!!

  16. Midnight screenings are fun, but really, the older I get (haha) the more of a hassle they are. I hate standing in line for hours on end and dealing with the crowds and hoping I get there soon enough to find my favorite seat.

    I honestly can’t remember the last movie I saw at midnight. May have been the Dark Knight. I completely skipped Transformers 2 in theaters.

    A movie has to be reeeeallly special for me to see it at midnight and even then, I’m starting to not care as much. Luckily, when I do want to see them, my friend is usually up for doing it so I have someone to go with (since he’s about the only person I go see movies in theaters with).

  17. I actually go the other way. On opening weekend I like the earliest show on Saturday. Our local multiplex play a show at 10:30am for $5. The crowds are always small and rarely ever have kids in them. My new favorite time to see movies.

  18. Used to like midnight screenings, now not so much, cause where I live it’s caught on for people, even younger people to go to midnight screenings than to go opening day. I remember the first movie I saw at a midnight screening was Attack Of The Clones. The theater was packed and my friend and I got the last 2 tickets. My friend, who saw a bootleg copy of the film already, was going to crash out when the movie started. But as soon as he did, one of the users came in and they turned on all the house lights. He was screaming at the the audience “WHO WANTS TO SEE STAR WARS?!?!”, and they all yelled and woke my friend up, lol! He did it again to see if they really wanted to see it (they were showing two screenings in two different auditoriums at the same time) whoever was the loudest they would start the film there first. We were the loudest so they rolled the projector on our side first :-). Ever since then I’ve gone to few midnight screenings, but since people have now caught on and go at that time. I tend to take opening day off from work and go see one of the early showings.

  19. @ John – just FYI, i remember going to the midnight premiere of Batman *1989 . I’m pretty sure this was the first movie to do this sort of thing which launched the trend and i’m pretty sure it was on a Thursday night although technically it was 12:01am on Friday. It was marketed for fanboys (before the term existed) who couldn’t hold their wad until Friday evening.

    Then in the early 90s every movie started doing it: Star Trek VI, Predator 2, Alien 3…. basically all the sci-fi/fantasy/action/adventure big budget movies.

    The trend sorta died down in the mid-late 90s that coincided with the downturn in movie patronage and industry financials.

    Then it seemed to have picked up again with the rise of Comic/Fantasy/Sci-Fi genre becoming en vogue again.

    My supposition is that the Thursday night midnight screenings are only of use to fanboys/girls and extremely bored people which would explain it’s proclivity to come and go with the popularity of certain genres. For example: I can’t ever remember/imagine hearing a gf say “OMG – we have to camp out Thu. night for Coyote Ugly or Million Dollar Baby or even Charlie’s Angels.”

    Beyond some earlier box-office receipts to boost the opening weekend #s for trade papers, it’s also become a marketing tactic so that
    – people who so it Thu. will talk about it Fri. so the general populace will go see it Sat. rather then
    – people seeing it Fri., talking about it Sat., then the general populace going to see it next Fri. (thanks to the Sun. for rest, M-F work ethic that’s ingrained into the American mentality).

    All that being said, I ROFLMAO at the idea that “Bandslam” had a midnight showing. Reminds me of the mid 90’s blanket marketing by attaching the word “Extreme” to everything like “EXTREME YOGURT” or the late 90’s when everybody was scrambling to add “dot com” to their name.

  20. I love midnight showings. There a certain energy in the theater that you don’t get otherwise. Friday openings are close but not quite there. I guess it’s because you’re there with the really hard core fans that really want to see the movie.

    The first one I remember was Independence Day in ’96.

    1. I agree re ID4. i went to a midnight screening in our city, and to date that remains the best cinema experience I’ve ever had, before or since. Everybody was so amped up to see destruction and cool effects, there was clapping, cheering, laughing and general electricity in the air that we were witnessing a communal battle for the Earth.

      I did go to a mindnight screening of Phantom Menace on opening night, but the audience sat there like stunned mullets (probably due to the fact that the film was rubbish) and nobody said a word.

      Generally, now, though, midnight screenings are too much hard work. Just wait an extra week and go see it at a regular time without the crowds, who will be off seeing Bandslam or someother teen junk.

  21. Best midnight screening I ever saw, was for Hellboy 2. No one was inj the theater except for me and a few friends. I loved it. Other great midnight screenings I experienced were Rambo and Burn After Reading. I generally enjoy them. My ex gf from last year was big into that too. Almost all the movies we saw were at midnight on thursdays, except for RocknRolla. That wasn’t released at midnight in my city.

  22. Actually though, how I think about it. The great thing about seeing a film at a regular evening performance is that there’s still time afterwards to discuss it with your friends, as opposed to them just wanting to go to bed.

  23. Thursday night midnight screenings are a ritual for my friends and I. It’s really just a reason to get together after work, go have a few drinks and dinner at the closest restaurant in the same plaza, bullshit till around 11pm, then head on over and bullshit in the theater until the movie starts.

    We like it because it the audience is made up of more mature movie goers, and not the typical 14-18 year olds who all sit in the front row and run out laughing half way through the movie for no apparent reason.

    It’s just something fun to do, and is a great time to do it.

    I remember the biggest one I went to was The Dark Knight. I got to the theater at 6pm right after work and stayed in line till about 10 (they let us in the theater).

    4 hours of line sitting…mostly by myself to watch the dark knight.

    Then a local well known radio jockey came in the theater at 11:55pm (6 mins before the movie starts)….and does the typical dumb ass look around for seats (there was NONE).

    His model GF (way out of his league!) approached me and my friends and ask us to use our “man space” (seat between you and a friend so no knee touching in the theater lol) so she and her radio jockey could sit together.

    I said no and they had to sit apart.

    THAT’S WHAT YA GET FOR SHOWING UP TO A MIDNIGHT SCREENING 5 MINS BEFORE IT STARTS TO ONE OF BIGGEST MOVIES OF THE YEAR. HAH!

  24. The first midnight show I went to was The Dark knight. Since then, I went to Watchmen, Transformers 2, Harry potter and District 9. I was surprised when ther wasent an Inglorious basterds midnight show. Anyways, I really enjoy them. One annoying thing is the audience for the bigger movies. For Harry potter, there were people dressed up running to the front of the theatre and wand dueling. Annoying, but i guess i should of expected it.

    1. At the theater I work at, there was an Inglourious Basterds midnight… there were a pretty good amount of people, but not enough to warrant a midnight opening.

      I see why some films (i.e. The Dark Knight, Iron Man) have them, but some films (the aforementioned Bandslam… BANDSLAM?!!!) simply don’t need them

      1. Well, at some theatres they have 20+ screens and if you already have staff working there and screens available, you may as well show the other opening movies at 12:01 in hopes of adding some revenue.

  25. I enjoy midnight screenings, it’s really the only time of day I’m free to go watch a movie, and i agree with the benefits you listed.

    Drawbacks to midnight screenings. With a large/popular movie, the midnight screen is just a rowdy crowd which can go both ways, it can either enhance your experience or completely kill it which might lead you to spend more if you’re willing to go back to watch it again in a better/quieter environment.
    Second drawback, watching Inglorious Basterds, Return of the King, Dark Knight leaves you worn out by 3am and the movie still hasn’t ended yet.

  26. I like the midnight screenings for the big films that I just can’t wait to go see especially the ones with big fan followings. My most enjoyable movie experience will always be The Dark Knight since the excited atmosphere in the theater got me even more into an already great movie.

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