Yarrr…Pirates' Oversell Shipping Screw-Up Stymies Excited Fans

There was an early morning movie disaster at Regal Arbor’s Westgate Theater today when anxious moviegoers were turned away at the 10:00 a.m. screening for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest due to what was deemed an “oversell of tickets.”

Interestingly, their minimal parking lot stood empty, and caused even more grumbling among the disappointed parents, kids and computer programmers playing hooky. Doubly annoying was the fact that they all felt like fish on a hook, as they opted for the early tickets that went on sale beginning last Tuesday. . . only to be denied the right to be one of the first to see the flick. Meanwhile, Metropolitan’s 9:35 a.m. show went off without a hitch.

Later in the afternoon, the following post was pasted to their ticket windows:

We regret that the following shows for Pirates of the Caribbean have been cancelled due to a film shipping error: 10:00, 1:20, 4:40, 8:00 and 11:15. We will be happy to exchange tickets already purchased for these features for another showtime or issue a pass to an available showing at the Metropolitan 14. Metropolitan showtimes are 9:35, 10:30, 1:00, 2:00, 4:25, 7:50 and 9:15. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused and we hope to find a suitable alternative showtime for you. Please see the manager if you need further assistance.

An anonymous spokesperson for the theater, with a crow’s nest perspective stated that Wednesday—the same day, but after they had submitted their media info to the local papers—they were made aware of the fact that they would only be receiving two prints of the film and not the three they were expecting. Our spyglass revealed that approximately 60 of the more grumpy (unfortunate) members of the turned-away audience were given alternate passes, in addition to new tickets to a different showtime for Pirates. We also understand the manager was forced to walk the plank. Scurry dog!