AMC Best Picture Marathon
Wednesday, January 18, 2017 at 11:44AM 
Have you ever attended AMC's Best Picture Showcase? They've been doing this "see all the Best Picture nominees back to back" event since, I think, around 2008? I seem to remember a particularly hilarious writeup of The Reader at that event somewhere out there on the web back in the day. (2008 is now back in the day? Eep!). With the expansion of the Best Picture lineup, the event is now split into a two day event in dozens of cities and a marathon viewing in following seven: Chicago, Dallas, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, DC . The screenings will be held on the two Saturdays preceding Hollywood's High Holy Night on Sunday February 26th. (I can't imagine that La La Land won't look even stronger in the middle of all that DDDRRRAAAMMMAAA just by virtue of being so different than the rest)
Tickets go on sale on January 27th, three days after the Oscar nominations so at least you know what films you're signing up to see or see again if you choose to buy tickets.
Reader Comments (6)
I go every year! The first one was in 2007. I remember they finished on Little Miss Sunshine and it was a welcome relief after the rest of the pretty serious lineup. It started out just me and a friend but has grown over the years to include about ten of us. Of the group, I'm the only one who pays attention year-round, and it's always fun for me to hear the opinions of people who don't read Oscar blogs. Fresh perspective!
I went in 2011 for the first time. My mistake was in only bringing a coat and that's it. When I arrived, everyone had friggin pillows, blankets, etc, and dressed like they were going to a slumber party. Learned my lesson that day because it was REALLY COLD the whole time, and there were 10 nominees so.
It was a fun experience. I'm doing it again this year.
I went every year since it started. I only stopped going because I moved to Miami, and I had no one to go with. It's fun to see everything back to back, but it leads to RIDICULOUS arguments with people that don't see anything outside the awards bubble. I had to literally walk away from a man who told me that Chiwetel Ejiofor didn't deserve to win Best Actor, because "he had the same face the entire movie."
In general it's fun. I still have all the lanyards they give you and whatnot.
There's a massive theater in Seattle called Cinerama. Giant single screen, owned and updated by Paul Allen. They run the best picture nominees the week running up to the awards. They'll already be getting La La Land at the end of the month, but I know I'm going to Moonlight with them. It's a shame nothing on the weirder side will breach the 10. The Handmaiden or Elle would be wild to catch on their 30 x 90 foot screen.
The first year I went was 2010. The lineup was "Up", "A Serious Man", "The Hurt Locker", "An Education", and "District 9". It was on the largest screen in the theater, and I was surprised how full the seats were. Three of those movies would probably never even dream of making it to a giant-sized theater screen if it weren't for their nominations.
It was right then and there that I decided the expanded Best Picture lineup was a very good thing, and I would always argue firmly against going back to 5. I've gone back every year since. And since then, the way I've thought of my year-end top 10 list is: which 10 movies would I play at the BP showcase most proudly? (Which is why it's so sad that screeners are getting more and more important. A movie should be watched in the theater, people!)
I've been going every year since the second (I think). I had one year where I only saw two or three of the movies due to car trouble both Saturdays, and one year where I didn't make it because I had bought tickets for the 24-hour marathon in our city, but it didn't sell enough tickets for them to put it on, and the two-day version was already sold out. I actually plan my late-year moviegoing around it, avoiding seeing movies that I think will be nominated.