For the first ten days of the run of Dreamgirls (i.e., Friday, 12.15 to Sunday, 12.24), which is strictly a New York, L.A. and San Fran thing, interested parties will be charged $25 a ticket on a reserved-seat basis. The high-prestige movies used to open in New York and L.A. on a reserved-seat “roadshow” basis back in the late ’50s and ’60s. Still…$50 bucks for two people plus popcorn and whatnot?
DreamWorks is looking to create an aura of specialness with industry and media types by doing this, but cash-wise they’re basically looking to attract gays and the “bling” crowd. This is a bucks-up, all-black musical, after all, and they know that the blings like to flash the cash and parade around, and that most of them will probably leap at the chance to see Dreamgirls on this basis because of the ostentatious “statement” factor.
The blings have taken over the bar at the rear of the Beverly Wilshire. Weekends there are like New Year’s Eve in Dubai…gangstas and ho’s…guys with socks on their head or Iranians with shaved heads pulling up to the valet in $75,000 rich-ass- hole sports cars. The Beverly Wilshire used to have a touch of class…no longer.