Tuesday, April 21, 2015

The Batman V Superman Trailer Premiere

TODAY'S THE DAY!!! (written yesterday night..published today because allergies) Tens of twenties of fans flocked to theaters across America to see the new trailer for Warner Bros. Batman Vs. Superman in eye-exploding IMAX clarity. Of course I kid, because honestly, all you have to say is BATMAN and you will generate a line of people who will only ask what they are lining up for after the first hour. My crowd at the New Brunswick, NJ Loews movie theater seemed as if they would be content just collecting an awesome teaser poster and a T shirt before being sent on their way. I arrived an hour and a half before the screening and there were already 20 people positioned like little DC Comics soldiers with heads pointed at their phone screens, ready for the wait that lie ahead.

At first it seemed like the pirated copy of the trailer that dumped online mere days ago (followed by the official release the following day) was going to keep this crowd to a minimum, but as we reached the 1 hour mark, our crowd managed to wrap around the back of the theater....juuuust a bit. As I creeper listened in on conversations happening around me, one thing was for sure...NO ONE knew exactly what we were going to see. Someone online had suggested that the trailer showing this day was not the same as the one that had leaked. Another offered that Zack Snyder himself promised some extra bits no one else would see anywhere. Yet another said the magic word. GIFT BAG. The crowd assembled OOOooo'd in unison. I do love me some gift bags.

As we reached a half hour til showtime, the line started to lumber forward. We were greeted by a pleasant young man who checked our printed tickets (confirming that I was -forever- alone) and handed off a little card that announced we lucky few, for showing the gusto to travel through the torrential downpours of this day, would get a free ticket to a preview screening a week prior to the release of Batman V Superman in March of 2016, right back at this theater. It will be like a reunion with people I know slightly better than 1,899 of my Facebook friends! I pull out my phone and mark it in my calendar with a happy kitten face. As we slide into the theater doors, I make a mental note of the brown box that screams "I CONTAIN MOVIE POSTERS!!" sitting on a table nearby. I shall return for you, my lovelies.

To assure my chances of getting one of those posters, I placed myself not far from the entrance and central so I can allow the IMAX brilliance to assault my face adequately. As I waited for the clock to strike 7, here are things I heard around me:

- Deadpool...he's a really good soldier and he's got swords n stuff. You can slash his guts open and it all goes back together. Yea..just like that.
- Can I draw Batman? Batman fighting a penis?
- I'm getting popcorn - It's just a trailer... - BUT I LIKE POPCORN!
For some reason, 6 people begin talking about the Cheesecake Factory from different areas around me.
- What does Chewie keep in his handbag? - A Hydro Spanner and Black Lipstick. - Dry Shampoo!

We hit 7pm and the young man who gave us our free movie coupons addresses the crowd, saying that some people chose not to watch the pirated trailer, or the official release after that, but even if you did, they are happy you've come to watch the trailer the way it was meant to be seen. IMAX!!! He then warns us that recording the trailer is a major no-no, as security will be monitoring the crowd with night vision. The theater attendant at the exit shrugs his shoulders as if to add "Yea..sure..and snipers. We got that." The theater goes dark and up pops Zack Snyder standing in front of the BVS Batmobile, all smiles. He is happy we've come, pirates suck, please don't record this trailer...please please please. Enjoy!



What follows was the same trailer released. Now...here's my question. YES, the trailer leaked. It was low res and dark and horrible sounding. Why, then, if WB wanted to keep up excitement of fans who had booked their trailer screening tickets, did they release the HD trailer online? Did we all come for swag? While we were hopeful, we were sure that we in New Brunswick, NJ would only get a poster if we were lucky. Did we come to see the trailer in IMAX? Well..i'm sure that played into it for some, but others hoped there would be a nice lengthy montage of extra bits at the end. We did get a little extra...but it was, indeed, very little. Batman and Superman face off and charge each other. The end. It looked something like this...


Yes, we know this has leaked online as well, but since Zack asked so nicely, we aren't going to show that. LEGO's are more fun anyway.

Up pops Zack again to say he'd like us to watch for the "Native IMAX" shots, being the opening bit and the end bit..and then they played the trailer again. At the end, no one from the theater said a word and a hashtag appeared on the screen. We all sat, sort of looking at each other as if to say...do we...leave now? Someone behind me yells "How to keep 100 geeks in suspense." Truer words were never spoken. We needed guidance...and there would be none.



Out in the lobby our pass giving friend was waiting with the exclusive teaser posters Zack Snyder had promised on Twitter. I snapped some pictures, grabbed a poster set and was on my way out the door when a small black and white sign where we entered caught my attention.
 

Cuuuuurious.

No comments :

Post a Comment