The Hollywood Reporter notes that Watchmen has already broken a record before it was even released, as its 3,611 screens will be the most ever for an R-rated film. There will be also be an absolutely massive number of midnight screenings (1,600!) for all of you who don’t plan on going to work the next day. (Seriously, you know how long the movie is and how many trailers are playing before it, right? You ain’t getting home till well past 4.)
A bunch of you will be seeing it on Imax screens, as it will be playing on 124 of those, even though it’s not optimized for it. “All will have midnight shows, and that’s a function of demand,” Imax Filmed Entertainment president Greg Foster said. “If there weren’t midnight shows, there would be a riot. The demand is very, very strong.
I saw the movie last night and loved it. I think most of you are going to love it as well, as long as those faithful to the comic can get over a few minor changes. It’s going to be hard to top Devin’s review, but as a huge fan of Watchmen it was stunning to see how well Snyder brought over the themes and emotions from the book. I’m still not quite sure how the uninitiated will like it, but it was quite the experience to sit there and smile once it starts to sink in just how well they nailed it. It’s just like the comic in that afterwards you’ll argue and debate over the various plot points and meanings, and I don’t remember the last time I ever had an insightful discussion after a comic book (superhero!) movie. That’s probably because it hasn’t happened before. This film is something special, and I can’t wait till you’ve all seen it.