Here's a fun blog project that I thought of minutes ago, I was about to write the top 10 movie theaters in Manila, but I need to hold that for a moment because I haven't tried one old cinema and a newly opened cinema. So let's start the top 10 things you should know in watching a movie premiere here in Manila, Philippines. (read more below)
1. In movie premieres, the ticket is not for sale and not available for purchase. You can get the tickets only if you are invited or won the ticket from a contest. Or if you have friends who have access to a movie group or a company who sponsored the event, you can get one from them. Always remember that movie premiere tickets are not for sale.
2. Always check the time and date of the movie premiere. They always put the label for the time for the cocktails for the invited guest and the start of the movie. Sometimes movie cocktails starts at around 7pm, and the movie starts at 8pm. I have this bad experience in a movie premiere, it happened once, and in the ticket it says the movie will start at 730pm, but when I arrived at 7pm, I was informed that the movie started early at around 6:45pm.
3. Always keep your tickets after entering the cinema. Movie premiere tickets are your friend, because this will serve as a proof if ever you won in a lucky draw raffle during the opening remarks and presentation of sponsors before the movie starts.
4. Digital/Analog cameras, mobile phones, laptops are not allowed inside. Sometimes, if the movie is a super blockbuster the movie distributors are requiring to deposit your digital device with cameras in their package counter. They are very strict about it and this shows that camcording the movie is illegal. If you have received your invitation days before the premiere, they will advice you on this rules and advice you to leave your camera at home. If they saw you using your phone before or during the cinema, the anti-camcording team will approach you and will advice you to step out of the cinema and deposit your device in the package counter area.
5. Do not sit on those movie seats with a RESERVE label, these seats are for special guests, movie premiere organizers, sponsors and VIP. Most reserved seats are located in the upper ground area. If you sat on it, the usher will ask you nicely to transfer to other seats, because the seats are reserved and numbered exclusively for their guest.
6. Arrive on time and if you plan to arrive late, just don't expect that you can find a good seat inside the theater. If the cinema is full already, you can score some seats in the front, near the cinema screen, or proceed to the upper ground seats and try to sit on the stair way (if you are lucky), or worst case is that you will stand at the back and watch the movie there. Also arriving early will make you be the 1st person to be in line and to enter the theater.
7. If you want to win in some on stage games before the movie premiere, sometimes they organize a bring me contest or trivia contest as a ice breaker for the event,and you need to approach the host/emcee first in order to win, the tip here is that you sit on the edge of the seat row near the hallway, so that you can run immediately to grab your prize hehehehe.
8. If the movie is a blockbuster, (like Iron Man 2 or the upcoming Harry Potter Deathly Hallows) and the cinema is in IMAX Theater in SM MOA, sometimes it sucks to sit infront that is too close from the giant IMAX screen. If you want to sit in the best seat in the house and in the middle, all you have to do is go early and skip the cocktails, many people will go for the cocktail and eat before entering the cinema, eat your dinner early or buy your hotdogs, drinks and popcorn and line up early infront, so that when the cinema let you in, you can choose the best seat for you. I do this sometimes and I enjoy seating in the best seat and then not worry too much to get the best seat.
9. After watching the cinema, and you step out of the theater, sometimes there will be a cameraman and a tv anchor/reporter waiting outside and turns the big spotlight and focuses the camera to people who are going out of the theater. They do ambush interviews and ask questions about your short review about the movie, if you saw this, and you want to be interview, all you have to do is think fast and when they asked you a question, answer it quickly and make a big smile infront of the camera. And if you don't want to be interview, just dont go out early, or hide in the comfort room and let them finish their work. I think they interview at around 10 people and sometimes they look for good looking people or celebrities.
10. If you need to score FREE movie premiere ticket, because it is not for sale or can't be bought anywhere. The trick here is that you join in some contest. Movie premieres are sometimes sponsored by a tv network or radio station, they conduct contest and announce it on tv and radio, you have to be quick in answering, especially if they are doing a trivia contest. Another way of getting a free ticket is join the Facebook fan pages of our local movie distributors, Warner Bros, UIP, Walt Disney, 20th Century Fox, Sony Pictures, Viva Intl Pictures has their own contest happening online. Our local cinemas are also organizing Facebook contest just like what SM Cinema is doing every movie promotion. Movie bloggers are also organizing small contest and they gave way tickets to their blog readers, with an easy Q and A, raffle or just post a comment in their blog and you can win some movie premiere tickets.
Well, I think this top 10 will end here,I hope these information can be helpful for you and answered your question about our local movie premieres.
happy blogging and enjoy the movies!
