Trouble supporting Tyler

I am usually very bad about getting to the movies opening weekend, despite my knowledge of the importance of opening weekend sales, especially for black films. I decided to try something new this weekend - Wrong!

This afternoon I decided I would venture out to the theater and support Tyler Perry's new movie Madea Goes To Jail - Wrong. It was a total bust! We (the hubby and I) were attempting to see the 6:20 p.m. show after running some household errands. We got to the theater at about 6:10 only to find the 6:20 had been sold out, so we purchased tickets to the 7:40 and went over to Hoggy's to grab a bite and wait for the show to start. Wrong - 1 hour wait to be seated. Next we head to the Quaker Steak and Lube, 30 - 35 minute wait. We head to the bar and have a drink as we wait for the table. It's 7:05 p.m. and we're seated, but haven't ordered. We order and our wings and burger arrive at about 7:27 p.m.

Now we know we're cutting it close, but that's not a problem because we have tickets in hand, and the theater is just across the driveway. We wolf down a few bites of food, and our server, Chris, I believe was his name comes back with the check and let's us know the show will be starting in about five minutes. Again, we're not overly anxious because we have tickets in hand, but we ask for boxes to take our leftovers and head across the packed parking lot in the icy rain.

Once inside we are directed to a long line where we stand for about half a minute before I inquire of the security guard - what's the problem. Good call. We were standing in the line for the 8:40 show. We get out of line and head over to theater 10 - only to find that there are no seats together. The courteous usher suggests we go back to the box office and exchange for the later show or a refund. We opt for a refund, we'll try again tomorrow.

As we were leaving the theater the Hubby graciously says "This is why we don't come to the opening show." While taking in his comment I'm thinking back to A Family that Preys and Why Did I Get Married. I really believe that we came out opening weekend for these as well, and this leads me to believe that a great deal of the hype is "Madea". She did not star in either of the last two movies, and I believe this is the reason the sales are off the chain. We went to the Valley View Cinemark and Madea is showing in four theaters, and although I did not check with management I would guess that each of these holds about 350-400 people. The Hubby disputes my memory saying we wen to see the other movies a week after opening.

Needless to say, the moral to this story is - get to the theater early if you want to see "Madea Goes to Jail" this weekend!