By Jill Vejnoska
Maybe you're a terrible procrastinator who still hasn't gotten around to seeing any -- let alone all -- of the nominees for Best Picture at this year's Academy Awards.
Maybe you're an annoying know-it-all who'd like a second look at "Whiplash" or "Birdman" before turning in your ballot at the neighborhood Oscar party.
Or maybe you just want the bragging rights that come from planting your butt in a theater and watching eight movies in a row.
Has AMC Theatres got a deal for you!
The theater chain is back with its"Best Picture Showcase" this year, showing all the nominated films in select cities on back-to-back Saturdays before the Oscars are broadcast live on ABC on Sunday, Feb. 22nd. In metro Atlanta, three multiplexes will show four films beginning at 10 a.m. on Feb. 14th and Feb. 21st.
There's also a "Best Picture Showcase 24-Hour Marathon" where hardy types can see all eight films in a row, starting with "Boyhood" at 10 a.m. on Feb. 21st and ending with "The Grand Budapest Hotel" at 3:45 a.m. the next day.
In previous years, the marathon has been limited to a handful of theaters in places like New York and Los Angeles. But this year, AMC is promising to bring it to other theaters where 100 marathon tickets are reserved by Feb. 13th.
"We will always hear from people in other places, 'Why not here?,'" said AMC director of public relations Ryan Noonan. "This is an opportunity for us to put the power of that decisionmaking in out guests' hands."
In other words, would-be marathoners, put up or shut up. There are nine Atlanta area theaters eligible to host the event, from Cumming to Morrow and everywhere in between. So far, AMC Parkway Pointe 15 on Cobb Parkway is doing the best at getting movie fans to agree to pony up $65 apiece for tickets at amctheatres.com (if the event is on, you'll be notified by email and your credit card will be charged). Two other AMC theaters in Alpharetta, Mansell Crossing 14 and North Point Mall 12, had booked 2 and 8 reservations respectively as of noon on Monday.
The AMC website provides updated totals for each theater, which means you can see how well the marathon is selling here versus, say, Tulsa, Oklahoma. And which metro Atlanta theater has the best chance of reaching the magic 100 ticket mark, in case you want to switch locations.
And you thought the race for Best Picture was the one that mattered!
