UPDATED: A Universal hotline confirms that the studio has cancelled all non-executive employee screenings, saying the popular program's shutdown continues through July and August until further notice. But there's some contention about why this occurred. "Because some dumb fuck pirated Wanted at one of the lower lot venues," a Uni source tells me. I finally have confirmation of the piracy from the studio, which at first told me it never happened and now says a female filmgoer pirated during the Wanted screening and hasn't been caught yet. 
Universal maintains that incident was not the reason that the employee screenings were shut down. According to the studio: "We haven't scheduled our traditional employee screenings for August because we have a resource issue. We are assessing how to go forward in September and fully intend to do so."
But my insider disagrees. "There was a warning during the screening of Hellboy 2 that it happened. Apparently it happened again, so the studio brass shut it down. It was a nice perk to have, and now it's ruined because some asshole wants to get famous online." The employees are pissed, especially because they didn't get to screen The Mummy 3. (Or is that a blessing, considering the terrible reviews?) They tell me that, to prevent piracy, the studio could use the security scanners already installed at each of the theaters. Says the insider: "I know it would be a pain for employees to be checked for illegal video recorders (heaven forbid!), but [people] would put up with that inconvenience to have the screenings return. We don't get many perks, and that was a nice one." Meanwhile, executive staff are still treated to free screenings as before.
Anybody who keeps people from having to see The Mummy 3 is a hero in my book.
Comment by Sandy — August 5, 2008 @ 10:03 am
A resource issue? Baloney! If they can make a dozen prints available to the Bel-Air Circuit on opening weekend, they can keep one on hand for employees. The “Wanted” piracy scenario seems more like the common sense truth.
Comment by Horatio Crunch — August 5, 2008 @ 10:04 am
Ban free screenings completely.
If the studio employees & execs can’t be arsed paying, why should the general public?
Comment by Jimbo — August 5, 2008 @ 10:18 am
Maybe they just didn’t want their employees to see The Mummy 3 and all become lemmings…
Comment by Duke Theodore — August 5, 2008 @ 10:54 am
OH PLEASE. YOU PEOPLE ARE THE SAME SHILLS THAT SAID iNDY 4 DESERVED A BEST PICTURE OSCAR.
If you people think Mummy 3 is crap then Indy 4 is the shoe that stepped in crap.
your bias at a movie you have not even seen is just plain ridiculous.
Comment by lu-ee — August 5, 2008 @ 12:12 pm
It’s the citywalk and Universal theme park employees. They should be banned from these. They get near priority access to the screenings — even the part time ones — instead of many NBC/Uni employees, such as the red badge and green badge employees, who suffer “back of the line” treatment. It’s a leftover from the days before GE owned Universal.
In fact, the city walk employees are loud and often disrupt the movie. Talking at the screen, answering their phones. It’s not even worth going to these things anymore.
Comment by john — August 5, 2008 @ 12:34 pm
That’s GE for ya, any excuse to shave a few dollars and boost their stock (not ours, us or we).
Comment by P. Lee — August 5, 2008 @ 1:15 pm
I feel for the innocent Universal staffers. I worked at a movie theater for 3 years, and one of the few perks was Thursday night preshows. Last summer, however, our company had to shut this down because someone snuck in and pirated a screening. I know that others can’t empathize with the Universal workers and their perk, but I really wish that their situation will be rectified.
Comment by Bryan Kessler — August 5, 2008 @ 1:53 pm
we didnt have this problem in Burbank.
and yes, its the park and citiwalk kids that are a nuissance.
Comment by Me — August 5, 2008 @ 2:07 pm
Free on-the-lot movie screenings are THE BOMB. I have paid for exactly two movies since January 2000 (well, actually, on the second one, I bought the snacks and someone else paid for the movie; but its the same).
Comment by BringItBack — August 5, 2008 @ 2:26 pm
Jimbo, you are a fucking mouthbreather.
Comment by Nice One — August 5, 2008 @ 8:17 pm
Just make the employees go throiugh the same security - wands, bag search, cell phone check in - that press has to go through at word of mouth screenings.
Comment by Rich D — August 6, 2008 @ 6:46 am
Well here in NYC I still see screenings for Uni movies on the Thursday before they are to be released. We never have problems. If anything the screenings are too quiet.
Comment by NY'er — August 6, 2008 @ 10:03 am
If this individual is a Theme Park/City Walk Employee that makes me really pissed off. NBCU employees can’t get free access to the park to even go have lunch. Several of my fellow co-workers have been forced to leave the park. When they flash their blue badges they are told they must pay to enter the park even to dine there. So, if NBCU employees can’t go to the park for free then Theme Park/City walk shouldn’t be allowed to get into free screenings. PERIOD!
Comment by Peacock Girl — August 6, 2008 @ 12:24 pm
Be prepared:lookout for Wanted DVDs China made to pop up in pitated blackmarkets. For this has happened before. But Kudos for those who try to protect films from being pirated.
Comment by chuck — August 6, 2008 @ 1:20 pm
The Mummy 3, bad effects and all was still WAY better than the latest Indy flick. At least no one was swinging on vines or hiding in fridges to survive nuclear explosions. The Mummy 3 was much more believable than Indy: Crystal Skull.
Comment by polyh3dron — August 6, 2008 @ 2:11 pm
Holy crap you can’t go into the park from the lot anymore??? We used to do that ALL the time a couple years ago, plus watch screenings of stuff like Children of Men. Wow, the Uni lot sucks now.
Comment by polyh3dron — August 6, 2008 @ 2:13 pm
Wait … you can’t just walk in the back entrance by the bathrooms anymore? Really?
Used to do that all the time, if for nothing else, to go to CityWalk through the park. CityWalk is not really reachable for lunch by foot any other way.
What happened?
Comment by NoWay — August 7, 2008 @ 8:34 am