Tickets now on sale for the Fantastic Fest Gala Events at the Paramount Theater!
Some Fantastic Fest events are just too big to squeeze into the worn-in, comfort-fit pants of the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar. We loooove that 99% of the festival takes place at a single location- it adds a level of camaraderie and shared experience few festivals can offer, like a massive movie nerd slumber party all week long- but it’s also a fact that our biggest theater can only seat about 220 people. So, when some of these XXXL cinema juggernauts come knocking, we move them over to the gorgeous and decidedly gigantic-er Paramount Theater to share the experience with as many people as we can. It also means that Austinites who’ve not yet sampled the forbidden delights of the Fest have a chance to chip off a their own little golden sliver of what Fantastic Fest is all about.
That’s right, these shows are open to the general public!
This year we’re having four big shows at the Paramount over the course of three nights. Tickets went on sale today at noon, so read fast and get your tickets now!
GENTLEMEN BRONCOS with Director Jared Hess (NAPOLEON DYNAMITE), Jerusha Hess, Jemaine Clement, Mike White and Sam Rockwell in attendance!
With GENTLEMEN BRONCOS, Jared and Jerusha Hess return to form with many of the elements that made NAPOLEON DYNAMITE such a break out cult hit. Like Napoleon before him, Benjamin Purvis (Michael Angarano) is a loner misfit who would rather spend his time alone in his room honing his craft than interact with other kids his own age. But while Napoleon was all about nunchuk skills and drawing ligers, Benjamin dreams of just one thing: being a published fantasy/science fiction writer, like his hero Ronald Chevalier (Jemaine Clement).
Thursday, Setpember 24, 7pm, get you ticket here.
Columbia Pictures’ horror comedy ZOMBIELAND focuses on two men who have found a way to survive a world overrun by zombies. Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) is a big wuss – but when you’re afraid of being eaten by zombies, fear can keep you alive. Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) is an AK-totin’, zombie-slayin’ badass whose single determination is to get the last Twinkie on earth. As they join forces with Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin), who have also found unique ways to survive the zombie mayhem, they will have to determine which is worse: relying on each other or succumbing to the zombies.
Friday, September 25, 6:45pm, get your tickets here.
CIRQUE DU FREAK: THE VAMPIRE’S ASSISTANT with John C. Reilly in attendance!
THE VAMPIRE’S ASSISTANT, based on the popular series of books by Darren Shan, is a fantasy-adventure about a teenager who unknowingly breaks a 200-year-old truce between two warring factions of vampires. Pulled into a fantastic life of misunderstood sideshow freaks and grotesque creatures of the night, one teen will vanish from the safety of a boring existence and fulfill his destiny in a place drawn from nightmares.
Saturday, September 26, 6:45pm, get your tickets here.
SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD with George A. Romero in attendance!
In 2007, Fantastic Fest was honored by the presence of one of the true masters of horror, George A. Romero. Now, two years later, we are thrilled to welcome back the undisputed champion of all things undead for his latest blood-drenched thrill ride, SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD. When the idyllic retreat of Plum Island falls victim to the zombie plague, a new breed of clan war breaks out. On one side is the camp who want to exterminate all undead, and on the other side, devoted family members take the stance that “zombie-ism” is a disease, the undead have rights and they must be kept alive until a cure is found. An undead parallel to the tribal wars that are plaguing our own society today, SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD exposes the futility of such conflict and the need for tolerance of the beliefs of others. Plus it’s got zombie horses in it!
Saturday, September 26, 9:45pm, get your tickets here.
Fantastic Fest runs from September 24 to October 1st. It is one hell of a ride. Find out more at www.fantasticfest.com.
September 12th, 2009 at 2:33 pm
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September 14th, 2009 at 2:49 am
http://www.starkravingblack.com/ Will the Alamo be screening this hopefully?
September 14th, 2009 at 5:46 pm
if we already have FF badges, does that give us access in – or is this an additional cost?
September 14th, 2009 at 6:05 pm
do attendees of the premiere get to go to the after-party, even if they are not FF badgeholders?
September 14th, 2009 at 7:05 pm
I second Alexis’ question, if we already have badges, we can get in w/o any extra purchases correct?
September 14th, 2009 at 7:19 pm
been wondering that a lot myself…
September 14th, 2009 at 7:27 pm
Your answers: yes, if you already have a 2009 badge you’ll be able to attend the Paramount screenings. If you don’t have a badge, however, and buy an individual ticket, then no you will NOT be able to attend the festival afterparties as those are for badgeholders and festival VIPs only.
September 14th, 2009 at 7:31 pm
cool! one more related question- do we have to go to the Paramount to pick up these tickets the day(s) of the showings, or do we go to S Lamar?
September 14th, 2009 at 8:47 pm
Who is ProTix and why are they raping me on ticket fees? A $27 ticket has a $6.50 Service fee + $3.50 order processing fee. That’s a 37% mark up just for buying a movie ticket. I don’t attend concert venues that get greedy with fees and I won’t attend a movie that charges me $10 to buy a ticket.
September 14th, 2009 at 10:02 pm
If you have a badge, the tickets for Paramount shows must be picked up at the Alamo South itself. If you buy the tickets sans badge and use will call they will need to be picked up at the Paramount box office. ProTix is some company based in Oklahoma that the Paramount recently hooked up with and their service charges are indeed terribly high, but they were equally awful when they used GetTix as well (I griped up a storm over how much they tacked on for the Cinematic Titanic event in March, for example). I agree, it’s beyond insane that these tickets have such high fees tacked on, but you can thank the Paramount for that per their contractual agreements with these ticket companies. (I don’t represent anyone at the Alamo, by the way, but I don’t think they’re directly involved with setting terms of service fees for the Paramount events.)
September 14th, 2009 at 10:40 pm
once again, thanks for the info! these were a couple of the basic questions i couldn’t find any answers to anywhere on the site, facebook, etc.
September 14th, 2009 at 11:21 pm
for FF badge holders, do we pick up our tickets at S. Lamar day of each screening, or can we snag them at any time? thx.
September 15th, 2009 at 12:04 am
If we have a second half badge do we still get in or do we need to purchase a ticket? Thanks!
September 16th, 2009 at 12:08 am
Why on earth would you be allowed to see a film playing during the FIRST half of the festival when you have a badge that’s good only for the SECOND half of the festival. Be reasonable. If you want to see the Paramount screeings you’ll have to buy separate tickets, Chris.
September 16th, 2009 at 2:29 am
Actually Jason I am asking for a friend. I happen to have a VIP Badge. Been hearing conflicting reports all weekend.
September 16th, 2009 at 4:11 pm
this is straight from the Drafthouse’s description of the ZOMBIELAND event:
“This show is Free for all Fantastic Fest 2009 VIP badge-holders, everyone else must purchase a ticket at AustinFilm.org.”
I thought if we had a regular badge we could go? This is all very confusing, and a tad frustrating.
September 16th, 2009 at 5:49 pm
Thanks Craig. I wouldn’t have even asked save for the fact that I thought I heard someone in the know say everyone with a badge was getting in. I will let my friend know.
September 16th, 2009 at 6:03 pm
I dropped an email to info@fantasticfest.com and got this response. hope this info helps:
“We do let all the VIP badge holders in first. Then if there are tickets remaining we give them out to Film badges on a first come first served basis while supplies last.
If you want to buy a ticket to guarantee your seat, you are welcome to.”
September 16th, 2009 at 9:22 pm
You can buy tix at the Paramount Box office and skip the $3.50 order processing fee. It still leaves a $6.50 kickback on that $28 ticket. That’s still a 24% jackup.
The Paramount and Fantastic Fest do all the hard work of programming and promoting this show. Meanwhile ProTix sits backs and collects 24% of whatever the Paramount and FF make combined! They make 24% just for printing a ticket. If the shows flop, ProTix doesn’t lose anything. If the show does well, ProTix makes 24% of what everyone else makes. Does anyone want to help me start up RandTix? I’ll only charge 20% instead of 24%…
September 16th, 2009 at 9:31 pm
Some of that service fee goes back to the Paramount. Venues make contracts with ticket companies like ProTix or FrontGate Tickets that give money to the venues.
Click on “Contact The Paramount” name above if you want to let the Paramount know what you think of charging $10 to buy a movie ticket, or if you want to ask the Paramount how much money they get for letting ProTix overcharge us.