From what someone just posted over at Oscarwatch, it looks like HoV is going to be on about 1200 screens. Into the Blue (Jessica Alba in a bikini) is on 2700, and Serenity is going to be on 2100. The Greatest Game Ever Played (the Holes guy plays golf) is on 1000, and Oliver Twist is on 800. I don't know about films already out, yet (BOM usually puts out the final theater count list on Wednesday or Thursday).

It's probably good for Serenity that I really don't have any clear idea about any of those others -- which is to say, they haven't been promoted ad naseum. Right?

Is there anything huge opening in the next few weeks?

Man, I still don't know where I'm going to be when I see it. I'll be in Houston on Wednesday, maybe Amarillo on Thursday. Hopefully home by Friday, but I dunno if I'm going to be able to head straight to the theater.

I just got back from the Philadelphia screening. The crowd was really difficult to judge. Attendance was sparse, with most people having passes courtesy of Philly CityPaper and others probably through WMMR radio because they were the sponsors running the pre-show stuff. I think I was one of the few people who got in via Townhall.com.

Some of the people were familiar with Firefly, while others were just there because they had a pass. The audience reactions weren't quite as intense as the May and June screenings, which was to be expected, but the proper moments "clicked" when they had to, and by the end, people seemed to be invested in the characters. I'm a bit worried that some of the wit seemed to go unnoticed, but it would probably play a bit differently in a more crowded theater where those kinds of reactions can be infectious.

I didn't get a pulse on the immediate after-movie feeling because I was one of about a dozen who stayed through the credits, but the lobby did seem happy, yet quiet. I was hoping to hear more chatter.

Mirrormask is opening the same day. In that interview, Neil Gaiman pronounces September 30th National Geek Day.

I loved that interview -- thanks for posting that link.

I just saw a Serenity trailer during on NBC and there was one on WGN between 6:30 and 7 pm. It's fun to see them. (There was one on during Grey's Anatomy last night.)

Is A History of Violence opening limited or wide on Friday? (I mean, did it open limited this weekend?)

It opened limited on the 23rd (here in Boston for instance). Hopefully will be seeing it tomorrow, since there is a show at the perfect time to still get home in time to watch whichever of LOST or VM I decide to.

Interview with Joss and the cast on scifi.com: [link]

Vaugely spoilery in the Joss part, as to what is the general focus of the film. I think even many unspoiled people won't be surprised, based on the previews and what-not, so maybe it doesn't even count as spoilery.

eta: Oh yeah, speaking of the SciFi channel, today is their Firefly marathon, and tonight at 10 (9 Central) they're showing their half-hour Serenity special.

[link]

Oh, good, they're rebroadcasting that special at midnight (central time)--I'll be in the middle of TAR during the first broadcast.

Me too -- so whew!

Another late night for me.

The Flick Filosopher, whose caption contest I linked to yesterday, has her initial thoughts on the overall series up.

It often leaves the viewer to infer meaning from context, and that puts Firefly in a league all its own: it assumes a degree of intelligence on the part of the audience that few shows dare to try to get away with. Which is perhaps why it crashed and burned before it had a chance to find its audience: which isn't to say that the mainstream audience is stupid (though it may be), but that network execs weren't willing to take the chance that it wasn't.

Tomorrow, she'll be posting about individual eps, and then either Thursday or Friday will have the Serenity movie review available.