Moviegoers seek some brief relief from grim reality
After four straight days of television coverage of the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, D.C., America may be ready for a breather. Gary Thomas said he needed a little escapism Friday when he purchased a ticket for "Hard Ball", an inspirational movie about Little Leaguers, at the AMC Promenade 16 theaters. Thomas, a 52-year-old stranded vacationer from Richmond, Va., was looking for a chance to get away from the events unfolding on his hotel room TV. "I almost feel guilty because I'm here enjoying myself and so many people aren't," Thomas said. "But I don't feel like doing anything else."
The same was true for Andrea Schwartz, whose husband stood in line for tickets to the thriller "Glass House". It was a movie Schwartz knew nothing about. "To be honest, it doesn't matter what I see," said the Woodland Hills woman. "I'm just here to get my mind off of things."
Following a spectacular summer box office, this weekend's box office wasn't expected to break records even before the terrorist attacks. Only two new movies - "Hard Ball" and "The Glass House" - opened in wide release on Friday. Paul Dergarabedian, president of the box-office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations Inc., noted that early to mid-September is traditionally a slow time at the box office anyway, and doubts this year will be any different. There's only one major release scheduled to open next Friday - "Glitter," the troubled Mariah Carey music movie.
But he believes people will make time for the movies - provided breaking news doesn't occur. "There's already been a return to normalcy somewhat, with people going back to work, going shopping and going about their lives," Dergarabedian says. "And part of people's lives is going to the movies."
Most people in line on Friday at the Promenade theaters were there for essentially the same reason: To get their minds off of the events of the past week, or at least try. "It's impossible to get back to normal completely," said Gabriel Serrano, a 22-year-old West Hills man with tickets for himself and his girlfriend to the horror film "Jeepers Creepers". "People have got to go on living," he said. "The movie, it has nothing to do with what's going on. It's for entertainment purposes only." (Daily News)
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