Would you, could you, in a boat?
Parisian audiences attending a screening of Ang Lee’s Life of Pi at the Piscine Pailleron theater recently watched the water-bound feature from lifeboats … perhaps the most unique method of audience participation we’ve ever seen. Thankfully, no tigers were tossed into the rafts with the patrons, though each ticket buyer did get a pair of 3D glasses to help make the experience that much more immersive.
The lifeboat screenings of Pi call to mind Jaws screenings we’ve heard of that put audience members in the shallow waters of a cove or bay. The Rolling Roadshow, co-sponsored by the Alamo Drafthouse, also brings movies to unique locations to enhance the film-going experience. In the past, they have screened Rocky movies on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Blues Brothers at Old Joliet Prison outside of Chicago, and The Godfather Part II on the rooftop of a Manhattan building located in Little Italy.
Nine times out of 10, we see new movies in local movie theaters. But every once in a while, a programmer thinks outside of the box and tries to enhance the film-going experience. Do you have a unique screening experience that still stands out in your memory? Or is there a movie playing in theaters at the moment that you’d love to see in an unusual location? Which movie, and where would you screen it? Share your thoughts below, and then check out this behind-the-scenes video on the Life of Pi screening in Paris. What a special, once-in-a-lifetime event.
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