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America Devalues Its Greatness By Countering Terrorism With War Not Peace

By JERRY LYNOTT jlynott@leader.net
 Wednesday, November 14, 2001 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1C 





The Harry Potter movie hasn't even opened yet, but the young wizard has
worked his magic to generate hundreds of thousands of advance ticket sales
nationwide. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In Northeastern Pennsylvania, moviegoers also are buying tickets on the
Internet to see ``Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone'' when it opens this
weekend. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The United Artists Steamtown Cinemas in Scranton and the Cinemark 20 in
Moosic are equipped to handle advance sales through two of the major online
services, Moviefone.com and Fandango.com. Cinemark also has its own online
service at Cinemark.com. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``They're going fast,'' said C.J. Langan, assistant manager at United
Artists Steamtown. The theater will have two screens showing Harry Potter from
morning to night with a total of 500 seats available. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Langan was unable to provide specific online sales numbers Tuesday, but
said the theater chain has been selling Harry Potter tickets on the Internet
for more than two weeks. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Terrell Falk, vice president of marketing for the Plano, Texas-based
Cinemark chain, said sales for Harry Potter began Oct. 25. The chain, which
began online sales two years ago, will be showing Harry Potter on four screens
in Moosic. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Falk compared the hype for the movie to that of the latest Stars Wars
episode. People camped overnight outside theaters to purchase tickets. ``Now
people don't have to do that any longer.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Advance sales eliminate the wait and ensure a seat for a small service
charge - a $1 dollar fee for Moviefone and 75 cents for Fandango and Cinemark.
The tickets can be picked up at the theater in advance or at the time of the
show. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Fandango has special kiosks in some theaters to retrieve tickets.
Instructions provided at the time of purchase explain the procedure for
pickup. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``Nationwide we're approaching a couple hundred thousand tickets sold,''
said John Singh, spokesman for Fandango. The service has been in operation
since June 2000. ``With Harry Potter we're seeing something you see maybe once
in a generation.'' Sales for the movie are 55 percent more than for the entire
run of Pearl Harbor, he said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``We've sold in excess of 100,000,'' said Neal Pinsker, executive vice
president of theater operations for the Englewood, Colo.-based United Artists
Theatres. ``As we get closer, history tells us that most advance sales are
sold two to three days in advance.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Pinsker estimated the sales would top 175,000 for the chain's 212 screens
alone. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Looking at the bigger picture, Tommy McGloin, senior vice president and
general manager of AOL/Moviefone, said it's conceivable the service could sell
a million tickets before the film opens. But he was more certain that figure
could be reached a week from now. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``With this movie we're seeing a tremendous breadth of sales,'' McGloin
said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Moviefone, which serves the United Artists' chain, has been around since
1991 when it operated a phone service for tickets sales. The Harry Potter film
is helping McGloin to improve on an already good service, he said. ``I'm
learning a ton from this experience.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 With the services having a good handle on Internet ticket sales,
concessions are next, Falk and Singh said. Buying popcorn, candy or soft
drinks online is not far off. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Jerry Lynott, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 829-7237. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

'potter' Tickets Selling Briskly 
Advance Ticket Sales On The Net Have Reached The Hundreds Of Thousands For The
Film About The Young Wizard. It Opens This Weekend.

'potter' Tickets Selling Briskly Advance Ticket Sales On The Net Have Reached The Hundreds Of Thousands For The Film About The Young Wizard. It Opens This Weekend.