Justin Bieber film opens early with $30 tickets
Justin Bieber superfans don't have to wait until the official Friday release date to see his new 3D concert movie.
Tapping into the teen idol's widespread fanbase, Paramount Pictures and 3D firm RealD are hosting sold-out special screenings of "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never" at 300 theatres across the country Wednesday night.
The 60,000-plus tickets were scooped up weeks ago at $30 (18.67 pounds) each, bringing in about $2 million. Only $1 million will be reported as box-office revenues. The rest will be reported as merchandise, such as special purple 3D glasses (purple is the performer's favourite colour).
To market the screenings, Paramount used social networking media like Twitter and Facebook, where millions of Bieber fans around the world share their passion for the youngster.
"Never Say Never" will expand on Friday to more than 3,000 theatres. It isn't a strict concert documentary like "Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: The Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour" and "The Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience," since it also includes biographical information about Bieber's Youtube-field rise to stardom.
"Hannah Montana" debuted to $31.1 million, and "Jonas Brothers" just north of $12 million. "Never Say Never" should debut somewhere in between.