Man wants refund after buying $650 in tickets to 'The Interview' at Esquire Theatre
CINCINNATI - The controversial film "The Interview" has been the buzz of the entertainment world in recent weeks.
So when Jason Best learned that a local movie house was among the 300-plus theaters across the country that planned to debut the film on Christmas Day, he wanted in.
Due to the limited release, Best bought 50 tickets to the showings at the Esquire Theatre in Clifton. He spent $650, or $13 per ticket (with service charges), because he thought he’d get his money back when he sold them online.
Tickets are generally $7 for matinees and $9.75 for evening shows. But management considered this a special event due to the fact it's an exclusive to the Ludlow Avenue venue.
"I saw all the hype about 'The Interview' on the 23rd and thought, 'hey, folks are selling these tickets in other cities and it seems like that's the thing to do right now so why not give it a shot so see how it goes,'" said Best, adding that he planned to use one ticket for himself.
But his plan backfired once Sony, the distributor of the film, announced it was releasing the film to streaming services like YouTube, Hulu and Netflix.
"The Interview," originally canned all together because of an alleged cyber threat from North Korea, got released online Dec. 24. That made the film widely available for about half the price of what Best paid for his tickets.
But the demand was nowhere near as great for Best's tickets. Once he realized that the he wasn't going to be able to sell the tickets, he tried to return them to the Esquire.
Another reason the theater listed for its refusal to give Best a refund is the fact he was trying to scalp the tickets at a higher price, "which is illegal," Duncan said.
http://www.wcpo.com/entertainment/movies/man-wants-refund-after-buying-650-in-tickets-to-the-interview-at-esquire-theatre
