By now we’re all aware that Star Wars: The Force Awakens has broken the internet several times this week. The combination of the final trailer debuting and ticket sales starting has caused a Star Wars-related fervor of epic proportions. One that will likely not recede for many months (or even years) to come. And, as can always be expected when a lot of people get super excited about something, there are other people all too willing to find some personal gain in it for themselves.
If you scan Ebay right now for Star Wars tickets, your eyeballs are liable to pop right out of your head. The highest price you can pay for two tickets with VIP treatment is $10,000. The tickets are only for Tinseltown USA in North Canton, OH, the showing is at seven o’clock in the XD theater and the movie will be shown in 3D. By taking the seller up on this deal you’ll get to watch the movie on December 17, the day before it opens.
I know you’re thinking, "That’s all well and good, but, damn, that’s still a pretty steep price." And here’s where that VIP treatment part comes in. The buyer will also get two round-trip airfare tickets within the continental United States, one night of hotel accommodations, a restaurant gift card for dinner and limousine transportation to and from the airport, theatre, and hotel. That almost sounds like a good deal now. No one has bid on the package, but, as of this writing, 49 people are keeping an eye on it.
Ebay prices for the scalped tickets go all the way down to ninety-nine cents. What I find interesting, no one’s bid on those mega cheap tickets yet. Actually, considering the range of ticket prices available, no one has bid on most of these deals, even the the ones for thrifty shoppers.
The highest number of bids currently belongs to a four ticket IMAX package at an AMC theater in New York, New York. Twenty-five people are willing to shell out at least $311 for that experience. The lowest number of bids is at four for another set of tickets in New York. This is a five ticket package for a 3D showing that’s going for $360.
Now, I know interest for Star Wars: The Force Awakens is high. OK, high is an understatement. I don’t think we have a word for how insane the interest is, and I wouldn’t be surprised if a new term is added to the next edition of a major dictionary just to describe this phenomenon.
I can’t help but be confused by all this, though. I mean, I want to see the movie, too. But, I guess some people need to be the first to see an event film like this. Maybe that urge comes from the fact that most of us are never the first to do anything else in our lives. Or, maybe people just like to brag about how much they paid for stuff? Either way, I’ll be doing what, I have to believe, most people will be doing. Waiting until I have a day off work in January or February, and buying tickets online for an 11:00 a.m. showing. That seems easier than trolling Ebay, any day.
