Yikes! My Film Is OFF SALE!

With the excitement of single-ticket day at TIFF comes some inevitable disappointment. Surging ticket sales and the prospect of all manner of shenanigans at the Ryerson means that, despite a capacity of a whopping 1800 in the theatre, some midnight screenings will sell out ahead of time before you can snag a seat for yourself.

Dude, it's ok! We'll get you a ticket!

But fear not, festival-goers! There are still a couple of ways you can see a Midnight Madness selection even if those dreaded words, 'OFF SALE', come up when you go to buy a ticket.  Using my patented* KRAM system, you may still find a seat at the Ryerson with your name on it.

Keep checking the box office! Tickets come available all the time thoughout the Festival - whether it's because a production company has fewer people coming than expected, or because a band of crazies has abducted several members of the cast, tickets will sometimes be released to the box office on the day of the screening or even before.  I like going in person myself, but you can check online as well. It can't hurt to try!

Rush the film! Think of it like a fun adventure that involves a lot of waiting. Basically, if you join the special Rush line for a Midnight Madness screening you'll be able to score any seats that are remaining when all the ticketholders are let in.  You have a much better chance of getting in if you're in that line as early as possible, with people lining up anywhere from one to three hours ahead for very popular movies.  Also, remember that you can only hold a spot in line for yourself and one other person. Some of the most fun TIFF experiences I've had have been in Rush lines, and I'd definitely recommend trying it at least once - if not for a Midnight screening, then for any other Festival film.

Attend another screening! It may not be as rambunctious as a midnight screening, but you'll still be able to see an amazing film and maybe even remain awake for the entire running time. There are lots of second and sometimes third screenings of Midnight Madness films on the schedule, so check at the bottom of this post for the film's other screening times.


Make a pizza! Because pizza solves everything.

Pizza is a flatbread generally topped with tomato sauce and cheese and baked in an oven. It is commonly topped with a selection of meats, vegetables and condiments.

*not patented

Wuh-oh! WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS, TUSK, and BIG GAME are off sale!

We're only a day out from TIFF and I've been diligently checking the board at the box office to bring you lovely blog-readers the scoop from the chaos!

Unfortunately, today's update is a bad news/good news situation.  As of this writing, the midnight screenings of TUSK, WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS, and BIG GAME are currently listed as off-sale, meaning that advance tickets can no longer be purchased for them.  That's the bad news.

But fear not, Madness-o-philes, because my brown-terpart Sanjay has posted a helpful update about what off-sale means and the options for getting tickets for off-sale films.  You can find that post here.

Don't forget, as of this writing there are still advance tickets available for all the other Midnight screenings, and things are always changing, so snap those up while you can!

TUSK screening times:
Sat., Sept. 6th 11:59 PM, RYERSON
Sun., Sept. 7th, 9:45 PM, BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA
Fri., Sept. 12th, 3:45 PM, SCOTIABANK 1

BIG GAME screening times:
Fri., Sept. 5th, 11:59 PM, RYERSON
Sat., Sept. 6th, 9:00 PM, SCOTIABANK 12
Sat., Sept. 13th, 2:30 PM, SCOTIABANK 12

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS screening times:
Fri., Sept. 12th, 11:59 PM, RYERSON
Sat., Sept. 13th, 9:30 PM, SCOTIABANK 12
Sun., Sept. 14th, 3:45 PM, SCOTIABANK 3

Navigating TIFF Part 6: Off Sale? Don't Panic!

I’m sure a lot of you have started to notice screenings are showing up as “OFF SALE” at the online box office (accessible here), “RUSH ONLY” on the boards at the Festival Box Office at 225 King Street West, or generally unavailable by phone at (416) 599-TIFF or 1-888-599-8433.

Don’t panic, there are still ways for you to get tickets. Here are a some options:

1) Don’t give up! Keep checking the various box offices listed above. Many of the seats for films listed as off sale were ticketed during the advance order process last week. Any of those ticketholders could change their mind between now and the screening and exchange their ticket for a voucher. If tickets are available, they'll show up at 7:00 AM when the systems update. FYI The systems only update once a day so there is no point in checking more than once a day.

2) If it is the day of the screening and you still can’t get a ticket at any of the box offices, your last resort is the rush line. Rush seats become available when people decide not to exchange tickets like I described above and simply just don’t show up. 

Remember, the festival's goal is to make sure that every seat in a theater is sold. The earlier you get in line the better. If the film is *HUGE* you want to get there at least 3 hours before the film starts. For midnight screenings the line will be crazy long, but it probably has a lot of people rushing a 9:00pm or 9:30pm screening. Once those people leave, you should be close to the front of the line. Make sure you are in the rush line (not the ticket holders line) and confirm which line you are in with a volunteer. The Ryerson seats over 1200 people so the odds are good if you are at the front of the line you've got a shot at a seat but there is no guarantee that seats will be available.

 

3) Catch a repeat screening. The atmosphere is more relaxed than the midnight screenings and there is always a chance that some of the talent is still in town to do a Q&A.

4) Watch social media. Keep your eyes on the Midnight Madness Facebook page and Twitter. If there are contests for tickets to sold out screenings, they're likely to be posted there.

5) Hang out in the autograph line. If you get to the rush line late and it is ridiculously long you might want to hang out behind the red carpet and hope the talent will offer you a ticket. It's rare but I've seen it happen. The autograph line is behind a barricade opposite from the entrance to the Ryerson.