Ster-Kinekor ruined District 9. Not on…
by Nic Haralambous on 2/09/2009Ster-Kinekor ruined District 9.
Not only for me but for an entire Cinema of ±300 people last night.
Let me make it clear that this is NOT my review of District 9. That will follow. This is a post expressing my extreme sadness, disappointment and frustrating horror at the way that Ster-Kinekor handled a cinematic breakdown.
To begin with move didn’t start on time, which isn’t a massive problem for me but it adds to the frustration that I feel now.
We then all pile in to the cinema. I decided it was a good idea to see this movie in a big Cinema at trusty old Sandton City. So we took up our spots in seats B6 and B7 in Cinema 10, Sandton City at the 19:45 show.
The adverts and trailers went off without a hitch ofcourse, these are the people who are paying Ster-Kinekor to ensure that things run smoothly not us, the end viewer. But then the actually movie started and things went downhill from here.
For the first 30-40 minutes of the movie there was an unbearably loud cracking sound.
Most people in the back 5 rows stopped and turned around to see what it could be. To give you an idea of the sound, pick up that magazine next to you, go to your dining room table and with all your strength smack the magazine on the table. That’s the sound we were fighting with.
Then I got up to inform someone of the noise because no one else in the cinema was moving. So I get up and miss about 6 minutes of the film looking for someone to speak to.
But no one is around, no one is monitoring the film. Eventually I find someone who meanders up to the room where technical things happen.
For the next 15 minutes the cracking went from a crack to a click to no sound in the left speakers to no sound in the right speakers to gone.
Then it was gone and we were good to go for the next chunk of the film.
But then the sound started to disappear and this is where I begin to get seriously irate. We are moving towards the climax of the film and people are clearly starting to get agitated with the situation.
Then the sound is gone.
It just stops and for about 4 minutes nothing happens, no one fixes it and no one comes in. And then the sound and the picture are gone and the lights come on, in the middle of the climax of the first South African Blockbuster film, Ster-Kinekor stops the film and turns the lights on.
Some cocky, arrogant person (one can only guess he was a manager) strolls in the cinema and says:
“Everybody stay calm,” Calm? Calm I hear you say. I am calm.
I am not panicked but what I want is for you to stop stuffing about and put the movie back on.
He stammers out something of an irrelevant apology: “We’re sorry but there is no way to remind, we are trying to fix the problem but that’s all, just stay calm and relax.”
RELAX?
And that was that. The film that I have blogged about and waited to see for months was ruined by this arrogant little manager who didn’t, couldn’t even offer up a proper apology.
There are 20 comments in this article: