An Ode to Opening Weekend

I am not an opening weekend faithful by any means. I don’t always find myself at a screening for a film during its opening weekend. This is usually due to a couple of factors, but it is mostly due to weekend screenings being too packed for my liking. Obviously, a film screening being sold out or busy is a great thing! We need more people to go to the theatre and experience cinema! However, opening weekend is sometimes too chaotic for me, especially for highly anticipated blockbusters.

I love an empty or an almost empty theatre. I know a film is going to be good when the audience consists of me, a handful of seniors, and a couple of 20-somethings. My favourite screenings are usually the ones with a maximum of 25 people present. However, this could not have been more different from my experience at the theatre last weekend, when my friend and I went to see Sinners.

Directed, written, and co-produced by Ryan Coogler, Sinners was one of my most anticipated films of the year. The horror film, set in 1932 in the Mississippi Delta, stars Michael B. Jordan as Elijah “Smoke” Moore and Elias “Stack” Moore, twins who return to their hometown to open a juke joint. Here, they must confront a supernatural evil. The film is receiving incredibly positive reviews, from both critics and general audiences alike. I have seen the word “masterpiece” floating around in conversations about the film. Sinners offers so much thematically and visually to chew on that I believe it is one of those films that will change the way people (particularly, those who don’t often go to the theatre) view the theatregoing experience. Although there were some chatty people in my Sinners theatre and there was a man who kept checking his phone on FULL BRIGHTNESS right in front of my friend and I, I don’t think this is solely an opening weekend problem. You can chalk this behaviour up to a lack of theatre etiquette (which I discussed in my last article here, if you want to check it out). Overall, experiencing a large, grandiose film like Sinners in a full theatre is something I’ll think about for a long time.

I do love that a busier theatre – mainly on opening weekend – offers a lot more opportunity for human interaction and human reactions. Is there anything better than laughing, crying, screaming, or sighing with a bunch of strangers? It’s so special being able to share a space with people you don’t know. For the most part, everyone in attendance has one goal. That goal is to be entertained and impressed by the artform of film. Despite being from different walks of life, being of different ages, races etc., knowing that we all want to experience art and life through film is so spiritual. Earnestly, I feel lucky to be able to have this experience. It is a privilege to feel safe – mostly – in a theatre and watch a film with strangers. Knowing that I am surrounded by people who are excited and passionate about going to the theatre only elevates the experience.

I really do think this experience is elevated on opening weekend. This is not to say that those who cannot make it to a film’s opening weekend are doing something wrong. I couldn’t even get tickets to a weekend screening of Barbie back in 2023 for at least the first three weekends. I just think there is a special feeling associated with being present on opening weekend. Those who watch a film on opening weekend are usually those who know cinema, especially for non-blockbuster films. These people are excited about films not because of what social media or word of mouth has influenced them with. They show up to theatres because of directors, actors, or festival reactions to these films. Opening weekend is almost always a hub for cinephiles.

There is a sense of pride that comes with being able to say you were there opening weekend to see a film that is no doubt going to be a Very Important Film. I have a couple of those in my repertoire in recent years, including Everything Everywhere All at Once, The Substance, and now, Sinners. With The Substance, it was especially apparent that I was witnessing greatness on the screen. My The Substance theatregoing experience is probably one of my favourites of all time. There was not a single person who wasn’t having a visceral reaction to the gore and body horror elements on screen. A room of strangers just having a blast together while watching a film that is probably going to be spoken about forever is one of life’s great experiences. The fact that I not only get to say “I went to see The Substance in theatres” but also “I went to see The Substance on opening weekend” just makes me cherish being able to watch films even more.

Unfortunately, opening weekend box office numbers mean a lot to studios. So much so that they often dictate if a film’s director will ever get to make a similar film again. This is why I implore everyone to tell your friends and family about the films you watch. Seeing a film before most others do means that, in some way, you can aid the film’s longevity and potential. You can be the reason someone gets “put onto” a film. For me, there is something so incredibly consequential about this. I pride myself on being the person my friends go to for movie recommendations. It is like an added responsibility I have within our friendships. I need to make sure they are watching and engaging with films and shows that I think are good. Basically, I want them to foster taste. Seeing a film on opening weekend and the associated elevated feelings almost always inspires me to share these films with my friends.

Opening weekend also offers something else I deem sacred: clarity of mind. Of course, initial reactions and critic response are already public by the time a film is widely released. Yet, I do think the insane discourse that sprouts when the “general public” becomes involved is what really hinders the experience people have while watching a film. By attending an opening weekend screening, you usually avoid all this nonsense by a couple of weeks. You also avoid spoilers and the "memes” that often circulate on social media. This may not bother some, but it does make a case for avoiding waiting and going to see a film as soon as you can.

If my experience with Sinners taught me anything, it’s that being able to hype something up before the hype reaches a peak is always special. So, here’s to opening weekend. It is messy, busy, and sometimes features a crowd a little too talkative. I don’t always love opening weekend, but it is no doubt something to cherish.