Will 500 Million Users Go To The Movies? - The Social Network Debut

The reviews were mostly already last week, after the New York Film Festival.  They were in my Twitter stream, my inbox, and, of course, all over Facebook.

As goes the usual migration goes these days, the next day (earlier in some cases :), they were all over what we still call 'the mainstream media'.

The Social Network, the movie depicting the start-up and proliferation of Facebook was already a hit. I literally couldn't find one person who didn't like it.

The PR machine went into high gear yesterday.  There weren't too many places you could go where there wasn't an ad for the movie.  TV, Radio, ... ugh even the Internet ! :)

My wife asked me if I wanted to go. That told me something. Although she does frequent Facebook (for the old fashioned reason .... keeping up with friends ?!), we usually don't do movies. If we do, it's usually in the living room.

That was my first signal (among many). The movie, which debuts in LOTS of movie theaters across America today (prediction) is likely to tip the scales of first weekend blockbusters.

I went over to the movie's official website just now. There's a remarkable accurate 'theater finder' (apparently powered by MovieTickets.com). I say remarkably accurate because if it can deliver showtimes here in the back country of Pennsylvania (and in not one, but two theaters), these local ticket networks have come a long way.

Unlike Major League Baseball or NASCAR, movies overall haven't seen dramatic declines in ticket sales.  They've simply adjusted to the Netflix, pay-per-view, and DVD aftermarkets.

Apparently, The Social Network is just about everywhere here in the US beginning today.

My guess is, if you're reading this (and knowing the demographics of this blog), you probably will too.

Feel free to chime in here (or at The Faster Times which has ongoing permission to syndicate anything written here) with your review.

... and do everyone a favor while you're out with your special someone.

Turn your iPhone or Droid-powered thing off.

Update: Oct 3, 2010 10 PM ET - Recently acquired TechCrunch (Yes, by AOL) is pointing to the box office rundown from the LA Times with The Social Network in the No. 1 position at $35.9 million.