April 06, 2005
Star Wars geeks line up outside wrong theater
Star Wars fans got in line this week for the late May opening of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood, just as they have before each of the prior Star Wars flicks.
The only problem this time: it isn't opening at the Chinese - it's opening at the ArcLight a few blocks down the street.
"We've heard all this before," said Sarah Sprague, one of the designated spokesmen for the group. In 1999 and 2002, there were plenty of rumors (ultimately false) that the previous two pics weren't going to open at the Chinese.The assorted geeks are chronicling their time in line as they raise money for the Starlight Foundation at http://liningup.net/. Posted by mhking at April 6, 2005 09:30 AMThis year the rumors seem to be true. Fox and the ArcLight haven't finalized their "Star Wars" deal, but execs on both sides say they expect "Revenge of the Sith" to play the ArcLight and not the Chinese.
As theaters normally do, the ArcLight is likely to ask Fox that it be the only theater playing "Revenge of the Sith" in the immediate area. And even if it doesn't, Paramount confirmed it will open "The Longest Yard" at the Chinese the week after "Revenge," which means Fox won't want to book the theater for just one week. (Paramount partly owns Mann Theaters.)