UFC 111: St-Pierre vs. Hardy to Be Shown in Movie Theaters?
by Mike Fagan on Feb 10, 2010 11:42 PM EST
in MMA News
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From the Kerasotes official site:
NCM Fathom and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) are partnering for the first Event in a series of 4 UFC Events that will be showcased in theatres throughout 2010. The first Event will feature George [sic] St-Pierre vs. Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy in the ultimate welterweight fight as well as the heavyweight championship fight between titleholder Frank Mir and his opponent Shane Carwin. Two world titles will be on the line in this one night event LIVE from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Outside of the mistakes made by the copywriter, this should be a very good partnership for the UFC. Consumers, up until now, were given two very distinct choices: watch the fights in the comfort of your own home for fifty bones or venture into the loud, crowded surroundings of your local sports bar.
The option of watching the fights in a movie theater provides a nice middle ground. You'll have to give up the adult beverages, but you get a huge HD display, a comfy seat, and no college football game getting preference on the sound system.
Bad Left Hook reader cyke detailed his experience watching the Mayweather-Marquez fight in a theater:
Broadcasting in Hi-def on what I estimated to be at least a 20 foot screen versus buying the PPV at home was a no contest. My TV would not have even covered a small fraction of the fight area on the screen. Sitting in bucket seats with camera angles that caught the seemingly 10 foot fighters from the edge of the ropes provided a better view of the action than even the cornermen at the event had.
Normally, I would hate to have people talking or shouting at the screen during a movie. In this case, I welcomed it. Hearing the partisan crowd respond to good shots, flurries and knockdowns with various permutations of applause, boos and shouts of excitement only added to the live fight experience. Like a real fight, the crowd was sparse during the undercard, but continued to filter in and become more responsive as the night progressed. By the time the main event came around, the audience had divided into camps for each fighter and showed their allegiance with cheers or boos for both men. The theater was not packed, but the audience was comparable to a third day showing of a mainstream movie.
While I won't be able to make the theater option my go-to choice for watching a fight (barring a wi-fi hot spot nearby), I'm seriously considering checking it out comes March 27th.
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If I had the chance I would
Sure, there wont be any alcohol being served, but that also means there won’t be any drunks looking for fights.
Also it is a somewhat family-friendly environment where anyone can sit down and enjoy the fights.
But if you don’t like people sreaming at the screen like they are coaches it won’t be a pleasant experience.
It also depends on what kind of theater we are talking about.
I’m not sure if the UFC’s deal is strictly with large national chains or if mom & pop theaters can also get in on the action. We have local non-chain theaters around here that have liquor licenses and occasionally screen sporting events. Watching a UFC event there wopuld be a great alternative to the noisy bar scene.
and you thought Soul Plane on opening night was loud.
by slantedwindows on Feb 11, 2010 11:07 AM EST up reply actions
This would be great, although I know it won’t happen anywhere near me. I don’t even have a bar within two hours that show UFC events. Woe is me.
I'm the best ever. You're the most average in a minute.
And NEW UFC Welterweight Champion of the World.....Dan "The Outlaw" Hardy!
by slapjaw ackrite on Feb 10, 2010 11:49 PM EST reply actions
Thanks for the shoutout
I hope this happens. It was a great experience and UFC would be smart to do it.
The theater I was at had a beverage cart serving beer and wine. Maybe the same could happen at your theater.
i wonder how much tickets would cost …. anyone know?
by ThereWlLLbeBlood on Feb 10, 2010 11:58 PM EST reply actions
Pretty sure it’s the same as a normal movie. $8-12 dollars depending on your market.
Twitter: @Mike_Fagan_13
http://www.sackmikegoldberg.com
sweet!
dont know why anyone would order at home for $45-55 when you can just see it on a giant HD movie screen for less than half the price.
by ThereWlLLbeBlood on Feb 11, 2010 12:41 AM EST up reply actions
they show Pacquiao fights live here on theatres also
(It’s on free tv also, but with tons of commercials so it’s slightly delayed) but the price tag balloons from the normal movie house tickets. Granted that if you convert it to dollars it’s probably worth 8-12 also, but it might be the same for you guys, where it’s worth a whole lot more than the average movie ticket price.
by Anton Tabuena on Feb 11, 2010 3:17 AM EST up reply actions
and yes, Cyke is right.
It does have that “live event” feel with the people being like an extension of the Vegas crowd…but with 99% of the people rooting for Pacquiao.
Alcohol isn’t that big a problem, unless you want to start drinking at 10am.
by Anton Tabuena on Feb 11, 2010 3:20 AM EST up reply actions
"Elbow Nation"?
Interesting. For some reason, I’ve always thought the commenting body was called “Elbow Heads”. I think the repetition of the “e” sound sells it
New Orleans Saints - 2010 Super Bowl Champions. Unbelievable. Who Dat.
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on Feb 10, 2010 11:58 PM EST reply actions
This is an interesting and important discussion and should ultimately lead to us acquiring “Elbow Nation/Elbow Head/Team Elbow/Bloody Member” hoodies. Okay, maybe not “Bloody Member”. That just sounds wrong.
"I'm AJB and I endorse this nut-puncher."
by AJB on Feb 11, 2010 6:27 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
I’m all for Elbow Head. Team Elbow is a close second, though.
by Monday Morning Martial Artist on Feb 11, 2010 7:31 AM EST up reply actions
"bloody member"
LMAO. rec.
I'm like PacMan fightin you silly kids... throw ya Hatton the ring, and get knocked outlike Ricky did.
lol.
We used to watch WWE PPVs like this and it was a blast.
It’s almost like being there live.
by Tap or Snap Radio on Feb 10, 2010 11:58 PM EST via mobile reply actions
I saw UFC 100 at Radio City Music Hall
And it was an astoundingly great experience. A movie theater is just a slight step down, ie no drinks (besides what you bring in your flask =) ), and a less palatial space. If tickets are reasonably priced, this could work very well.
I would easily pay $10 or so to watch it at a theatre.
I’m a little confused by the title, Mike. Should it have a question mark at the end?
by casey manrique on Feb 11, 2010 12:06 AM EST reply actions
Well, the only news I’ve seen on this is the above link I stumbled on in a poker forum and a Sherdog thread via Google. I’m a bit nonplussed about why no one else has picked this up.
Twitter: @Mike_Fagan_13
http://www.sackmikegoldberg.com
So which theaters, and how much will it cost? Until I know this I won’t get excited. I would pay the normal price for a movie, or extra if it was 3D. Please make it 3D.
They could, but they’d have to film it in 3D (i.e. two cameras)
by HarmlessNinja on Feb 11, 2010 9:25 AM EST up reply actions
There is a way to do it without 3d cameras now. Some company used it at the Cowboys-chargers game this year, when they put the 3d video on the monitor for part of the second half. The people at the stadium didn’t really like it, but that company is still trying to do stuff, so maybe it could be done someday.
$$$
Not knowing the cost makes that a hard one to answer.
I really need to see which theaters are showing this if it turns out to be true. I would definitely give it a shot. It can’t hurt to try something out and mix it up a bit. I get a bigger screen, for less money. On the con side, I have to leave the comfort of my home and deal with strangers. But I think I’ll try it out.
GENIUS
I watch the ppv’s, but not on HD. I don’t drinks or go to bars, this is the best idea I heard in a long time.
The price will determine how awesome it is...
I hope it’s a reasonable price. I am a HUGE MMA loner. Most of the people I hang out with know nothing about the sport and in general aren’t too interested in it. So whenever I buy a PPV I end up paying for damn near the whole thing. If it ends up being cheaper for me to watch it at a theater I will definitely check it out. Watching it on a huge screen and sneaking in snacks sounds like a good time.
excellent
Good idea for the kids. Alot of kids r into mma cuz they watch the unleashed episodes on spike,but sometime have paretns who cannot afford the ppv or are not interested in watching the ppv. They will be able to go watch the events with there friends on the weekends.
I think the commenters here are missing an obvious fact
and I’m not saying I condone these actions in anyway shape or form, but do you have any idea how easy it is to smuggle beer into a theater? This is the only reason why I think Crank 2 was robbed of an Oscar nom.
The man known simply as "Christmas Cheesesteak"
I have fond memories of smuggling beer into theaters when I was in high school. I had an old trench coat that hold a case, though anything more than a 12 pack got a little unwieldy.
No no
It’s a pint of vodka then you buy the bucket of lemonade from the concession stand
by KING FEDOR on Feb 11, 2010 12:55 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
This WILL be great
I am really excited. It’s gonna be so fun seeing how many beers I can fit into my GF’s purse (ya, she loves watching UFC too). It’s no prob drinkin beers in theaters, as long as you don’t make a scene. I haven’t NOT drank beer in a theater for a few years now…especially when I see shitty movies, which require beer to even be able to sit there.
It’ll be cool too b/c there wont be any of that crap you get at sportsbars like other sports playing on a few random t.v.s WITH THE VOLUME ON >:O , or “Number 57 your hot wings are ready!” over the fricken loudspeaker aaallll night!
Ya, this will be really cool. A bunch of MMA lovers, a giant screen, no loudspeakers, no hockey/baseball, a little beer, ahhhhh ya a guy could get used to this!
Is this going to happen in Australia too?
There’s a major chain of cinemas that recently got bought out by a massive ‘entertainment corporation’ whatever the hell that is & they’ve advertised that soon you will be able to see sporting events in the cinemas but I haven’t heard anything since.. That would be awesome.
On the other hand, our board of film & literature classification are quite strict & close minded so it will probably never happen..
Be like water..
by theredoctober on Feb 11, 2010 5:43 AM EST via mobile reply actions
Unless you live in IN, IL , or CO you’ll bascially be out of luck. They only have a few more theaters sprinkled elsewhere across the country. Maybe other theater chains will jump on board with the idea?
as a point of reference on pricing...
… the same company is showing a live black eyed peas concert (gross) and the tickets are 18 bucks.
also if you click this...
http://www.ncm.com/FathomContent/PDF/Participating Theatres_MVM_0829009.pdf (make sure you select the whole thing) you can see a list of the theatres that showed the mayweather/marquez fight.
quite a few, and i can’t imagine it would be THAT hard to convince your local theatre to do the same if they’re affiliated with this company.
Like a real fight, the crowd was sparse during the undercard, but continued to filter in and become more responsive as the night progressed.
Anyone know if they would show the undercard for a UFC fight in the theater? That would be freaking awesome!
I work in a movie theater
And I can get free tickets most of the time.
And my theater DOES serve booze in the upstairs parts. If they show it at mine you can bet your ass I’ll be in there.
twenty dollars is too much
If u go with someone to the theatre it will cost $20 each. It will be better to watch it in the comfort of ur home for $45 . I think $10 would be a much better price.
I would go to this.
Please be listening, UFC. That is all.
"Someone is WRONG on the internet. What do you want me to do? LEAVE? Then they'll keep being wrong!"
-Randall Munroe
This is a perfect compromise for our normal UFC watching crew…it gets old having to buy the PPV all the time, and the bars around showing it have poor visibility and get wayyyy too crowded. The lack of beer is a concern, but it’s nothing a backpack couldn’t solve!
I doubt they let you roll in with a backpack
If they do I’m bringing a picinic basket
by KING FEDOR on Feb 11, 2010 1:00 PM EST via mobile up reply actions 1 recs
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