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Can anyone explain why people come to see this other than the total lack of any decent films rite now?

Not that it isn't interesting at times, but as many people said when leaving, (I was thinking to myself why am I not at home watching this on PBS?)

I have not really been home to see any TV comercials, how are they promoting this?? do they even tell people it's a documentary?

some people walk out, quite a few with kids leave early due to bordom and restless kids.

Some people really liked it.

I personally thought it was ok for a PBS 'Nature" show, but wouldn't have even watched the whole thing on TV.

Actually what WOULD be interesting would be a movie on the MAKING of the march of the penguins! it must have been hell down there trying to stay alive let alone film this thing!

Just wonder what your opinions are of this film...

Tony.

We are running and had some people leave because it wasn't an animated feature. What they thought it was and what it is are different enough to drive them out. That was on the first night since then the crowd has been about the same each showing not doing the best or the worst it could do.

It is what it is a documentary.

I've been running it for 7 wks. I too am a little amazed by the turnout. Then again, my wife stopped second guessing my bookings when "The Story of the Weeping Camel" knocked the doors off the hinges. I think it's the combination of these funny looking creatures, the shameless anthropomorphizing, the chicks, and the hot penguin sex (oh, baby). Judging by the senior turn out you’d think we had the fountain of youth in that auditorium. I’m holding it another week!

If I booked a movie calles the weeping camel, I think all my staff would call in sick!

who can figure what people are willing to PAY to see?

Certainly not hollywood as of late!

7 weeks of penguins? wow!

I hope you have more than 1 screen, we ran Wedding Crashers 3 weeks and if we hadn't changed today I think we would have had a mass uprising!

Tony.

Penguins prove that the doom and gloom are wrong.

It is a normal enough nature TV show. But were you watching it on TV the phone would ring, dog would want a walk, you'd click right past it, and it would be on a little screen. On the big screen it was really a great way to see a basic documentary that was interesting. Guys rule! Hold that egg! Hold that egg! When those guys were being blown around like matchsticks! Wow. Anyway: that's why people love the movies. Because it can't be done at home.

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Michael Hurley
Impresario

We're showing it now (2 week run) and we're having some of the best crowds we've had in awhile. For it's second Friday, we had 225. (We probably average 100-150 for a weekend night.)

Yeah, there's rarely predicting what will be a hit. Napolean Dynamite is still our biggest film. Surprised the heck out of us, because we had almost 500 it's first night!

Rance

We had MANY people think it was animated... and a kids movie at that.

Maybe the name? I dunno..

Of course, this is the same crowd asking what movie starts between 9 and 10... at a 12 screen multiplex..... My response? All of them.

Do people's brains disappear or something?

sabre0link:

We had the same situation when we brought it up to our single screen and that some people thought it was animated. I guess they assume any movie that has the word "penguin" in it must be an animated movie. Hopefully they won't make a horror movie with "penguin" in the title.

Well, we showed Penguins at both of our theaters. We had it at our 4-screen for 4 weeks. The first week was slow, but we didn't know we could have it until the Monday before the weekend so that didn't give us time to advertise it. The 2nd week did much better. The 3rd and 4th week of it tappered off. The people that talked to us on the way out said it was a very good movie and said that we should see it. I didn't hear any complaints nor see anyone leave the movie prematurely.

At our single screen, we did about 80 people Friday night (had a home football game that took some of our people away), about 150 Saturday night, and about 50 Sunday night. On Friday night, we had a few pre-teens that kept coming in and out of the theater and I eventually had to lock them out so they wouldn't disturb the other customers (this didn't seem to bother them as they stayed outside for the rest of the movie). On Saturday a family left earlier but I think that's because their young child was getting restless. Most of the people seemed to like it and we didn't hear any complaints about it (although I think a few of the people had no idea what the movie was before they came).

I think one main reason why so many people are coming to see this movie is because it's something original, especially when so many people are getting fed up with unoriginal films. I know this movie isn't any different then something that could be watched on a nature show, but the movie can give people a different experience that they wouldn't get if they were just watching it on TV.