Friends with Kids

[Celini]

and Maya Rudolph being pregnant over the span of the 4 (5?) years depicted in the film was almost as fascinating as Jennifer's forehead for me

[mediahero]

The screening in Liverpool was cancelled -- cinema did give us free tickets to another film, but I really want to see this!

[asamaic]

Now about the Shit-bury experience (Beate, be assured that WIQ is paradise in comparison!)
I arrived before 6.15pm at Shaftesbury and was wondering what the queue was all about, so I wandered to its start and realised it was for Friends With Kids.

I was asked to jump the queue so I jumped the queue ; they did not let us through before 6.25pm; and oh surprise it was in screen 5 (80 people max?), definitely not big enough to accommodate the 100+ people queuing!

They started the film at 6.30pm! Idiots! people were still trying to find some seats. I hate this cinema.

We managed to make our way to screen 5 and grab seats just before the film itself started. Felt like an accomplishment, they didn't give us much time, did they?

Felt sorry for the folk who couldn't find somewhere to sit and walked out - I know it's first come first serve, but either SFF released too many tickets or people were using the same allocated tickets more than once. Both unsatisfactory thoughts!

[Celini]

Have been turned away a couple of time at Shaft. Ave, when emailing SFF about it I realised they had no idea Cineworld had booked the smallest screen for them!
(over-allocation is normal if you want to fill up a screen; it just becomes very annoying and obvious when a wrong (smaller) screen is booked!)

@mediahero I read earlier (in this thread?) that the SFF printouts will be accepted on release day at Liverpool

[superhero]

They do a poor job at checking the tickets at Shaftsbury Ave.

[canadian_turtle]

Have been turned away a couple of time at Shaft. Ave, when emailing SFF about it I realised they had no idea Cineworld had booked the smallest screen for them!
(over-allocation is normal if you want to fill up a screen; it just becomes very annoying and obvious when a wrong (smaller) screen is booked!)

I wonder if this means that Cineworld charges SFF (or whoever pays for the screening, the film company?) full price, pretending it'll be held in a big screen, when in actual fact they book the small screen so they can still book up the big screen(s) with p*ying customers.

[asamaic]

Have been turned away a couple of time at Shaft. Ave, when emailing SFF about it I realised they had no idea Cineworld has booked the smallest screen for them!
(over-allocation is normal if you want to fill up a screen; it just becomes annoying when the wrong screen is booked!)

Used to live up north in bonnie Scotland and never got turned away for a free film screening once (always some empty seats!) but given how expensive London is, I guess more people are prepared to make the effort and turn up! Not complaining, we were lucky and did see the film, but next time we'll get there sooner.

[superhero]

SFF doesn't p*y for the screening, they are just the "conduit"

[funthing29]

They always put the SFF screenings in the tiny screens at Shaftesbury Avenue and only let people into the screen 5-10 minutes before the film is due to start. Definitely a cinema to be avoided if there are alternative locations/dates for people.

[ejwrank]

I think the last 2 or 3 times we have been to Shaftesbury Ave they have been overbooked and people have had to leave as there were no seats. The whole place is hopeless.