Be slightly less jealous you weren't there. Last night's "The Dark Knight Rises" screening, one of the first major screenings for movie junketeers attending today's press junket went awry, in what many are already calling one of the biggest film snafus of the year. One hour into the IMAX-presented screening, the picture and sound started to fall out of synch, to the point where the audience complained and the screening was shut down. While projectionists tried and failed to fix the issue, Warner Bros. was forced to halt the screening and ask the junketeers to return Saturday morning at 8 am to rewatch the film in full, just a few hours before the press conference.
What does this ultimately mean for the film? Outside of many understandably upset film writers, probably not a lot. The Christopher Nolan-directed films are generally bulletproof, and it's doubtful any critics are going to take their irritation out on the film. And after all, there have been reports of at least one other critic screening where reviewers stood up and creamed in their pa— errr, gave the film a standing ovation.
Though it's likely not the finest beginning to the IMAX-is-better narrative. Still, consider the screening gaffe a minor blip right now for a film likely to come close to the $200 million mark after its opening day weekend. Yet you've got to imagine a compromised screening experience for arguably the most anticipated movie of the year is a bitter pill that most movie media in attendance aren't going to forget anytime soon. "The Dark Knight Rises" opens on July 20th. Check out a 13-minute featurette from the film below.