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The ‘Harry Potter’ Meltdown
Cursed by Voldemort? A midnight showing of the last Harry Potter installment went up in smoke after the film melted. Robert Verger talks to disappointed Muggles about missing the finale.
Jul 15, 2011 9:30 PM EDT

An event from the world of Muggles conspired against the forces of good at a midnight show of the final Harry Potter movie early Friday morning in Upper Montclair, New Jersey, as the film reel melted in the projector about an hour into the show, ending the screening.
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A manager at the Clearview movie theater said that film melting in the projector “doesn’t happen all the time, but it happens.” She referred questions to the corporate office, which provided a statement: “Regrettably, there was a technical glitch during this particular showing of Harry Potter, and all of our guests were provided with refunds and free return passes. All screens of the film are currently up and running, and we apologize for any inconvenience.”

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Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 07-16-2011, 09:01 AM:
 
The ‘Harry Potter’ Meltdown
Cursed by Voldemort? A midnight showing of the last Harry Potter installment went up in smoke after the film melted. Robert Verger talks to disappointed Muggles about missing the finale.

An event from the world of Muggles conspired against the forces of good at a midnight show of the final Harry Potter movie early Friday morning in Upper Montclair, New Jersey, as the film reel melted in the projector about an hour into the show, ending the screening.

“The movie’s tremendous. The first half is incredible. It’s better than anything we’ve seen so far,” said Judd Harner, 45, who went to the theater with his wife and three children.

But at a crucial moment in the film, when Hogwarts professors were in the process of using their wands to create a force field to protect the school, the film caught in the projector and began to melt. “It felt like Voldemort actually stopped the film,” Harner added.

Harner’s 11-year-old daughter, Olivia, said she had read the final Harry Potter book 24 times and was excited to see the film. “When the movie started burning,” she said, “it looked like the Death Eaters were trying to break the force field or something—and then it turned out, it took everyone like five seconds [to realize] that it was not the Death Eaters, it was the film.”

Olivia was there with friends. “I was definitely annoyed because the first half of the seventh movie was already a cliffhanger, and it turns out that the second half we just have to wait again, which is another cliffhanger,” she said. “So I guess I got a little angry, but not that much.”

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What was remarkable is that the kids did not actually revolt. Some sort of laughed.
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Matthew Lewis as Neville Longbottom, Emma Watson as Hermione Granger, Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley and Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter in “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2.", Warner Bros.

Ellin Baumel, a film producer, was also at the aborted screening, along with her 10-year-old daughter, Claire, who’s friends with Olivia Harner. Some minutes after the movie stopped, Baumel, who was sitting near the theater’s exit, saw two young staff members come in. “I heard them as they come in,” she said, “and they sort of heard the volume rising in the theater, and one was saying to the other, ‘What, you’re not leaving me in here alone, I’m not doing it,’ and then they leave,” Baumel said.
It started to get louder in the theater. Baumel said she went out and found the two staffers, telling them, “I think you’ve run out of time, you better make that announcement like, now.” A staffer told the audience that the film would not be continuing. “They handled the crowd management, I have to say, pretty well overall,” Baumel added.

Looking back, Judd Harner said, “What was remarkable is that the kids did not actually revolt. Some sort of laughed.”

A manager at the Clearview movie theater said that film melting in the projector “doesn’t happen all the time, but it happens.” She referred questions to the corporate office, which provided a statement: “Regrettably, there was a technical glitch during this particular showing of Harry Potter, and all of our guests were provided with refunds and free return passes. All screens of the film are currently up and running, and we apologize for any inconvenience.”

For Olivia Harner’s 11-year-old brother, Alex, the feeling Thursday night was annoyance.

“It’s almost like 1 o’clock in the morning, and I’m really tired,” he said. “I just want to see the end of it. I’ve seen all the movies, I’ve read all the books, I’ve heard all the tapes, so I just really wanted to finish it.”

Judd Harner said the family will try to see the film again Saturday night at the same cinema, but this time in 3-D.

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Yeah, nothing goes wrong with Digital.
 

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Posted by Bruce McGee (Member # 131) on 07-16-2011, 09:17 AM:
 
So they couldn't repair the film and continue the show?
 

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 07-16-2011, 09:42 AM:
 
The "projectionist" probably went home to bed after pushing the start button!

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All screens are currently up and running

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quote: John Wilson

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Yeah, nothing goes wrong with Digital.

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Had it been digital, perhaps it wouldn't have crashed. Then again, had they used FilmGuard...

I agree, it sounds like a brain wrap. They really aren't that hard to fix, but as has been pointed out the odds are the most qualified people associated with that theater were probably at home sleeping by that point.
 

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Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 07-16-2011, 01:22 PM:
 
Could be a brain wrap...could be a belt or gear breakage too. And if you are not technically inclined or have the tools...a belt break is a show stopper and it would have caused the melted frame thing too and would have been unrecoverable.

It is likely a condemnation of the the operation booth operations (lack of real projectionists or any and possibly equipment) then that of film. As for digital, they have definitely had their share of blown shows and screenings. With the way they make these KDMs have such a short window, it is damn near impossible to ensure a good screening.

-Steve
 

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Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 07-17-2011, 01:51 AM:
 
I've had a melted frame as the result of an overheated motor on a Simplex 1050. And of course that one didn't trigger either fail-safe.
 

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Posted by James Westbrook (Member # 3690) on 07-17-2011, 02:28 AM:
 
I have late night/early morning dyslexia: I keep reading the thread title as "Film Melted My A**"
 

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Posted by Bernie Anderson Jr (Member # 410) on 07-17-2011, 06:45 AM:
 
what do you want? It's Clearview Cinemas.
 

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Posted by John T. Hendrickson, Jr (Member # 849) on 07-17-2011, 07:45 PM:
 
Right on, Bernie. You said it in a nutshell.
 

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Posted by Mitchell Dvoskin (Member # 751) on 07-25-2011, 08:42 AM:
 
Clearview constantly has the worse presentation, whether it be digital or 35mm, of any commercial theatres here in northern NJ. Some locations are better than others, but none that I have seen rise to the level of good.

I was under the impression, apparently incorrect, that their Bellvue Theatre in Upper Montclair was all digital. Back in the '70's and early '80's, when it was still a United Artists single screen, it was one of my favorite places to see 70mm.

The Clearview circuit is owned by cable tv provider Cablevision.
 

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Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 07-25-2011, 09:13 AM:
 

quote: Mitchell Dvoskin

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The Clearview circuit is owned by cable tv provider Cablevision.

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Seems then they have a financial interest in making cinema look crappy
 

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