Theater Plays ‘Fifty Shades Freed’ Instead Of ‘Black Panther’ And It Didn’t Go Well
Atlanta moviegoers did not take kindly to the switch.

“ Black Panther” is bar-none the most anticipated movie of the year. “Fifty Shades Freed,” meanwhile, is the most anticipated movie of the year with an ice cream sex scene, so make of that what you will.
Moviegoers at Atlanta’s Regal Atlantic Station were in for a surprise on Thursday night when the theater mistakenly played the final installment of the erotic drama franchise instead of the superhero flick.
Fans around the country came out in droves for the Marvel movie’s debut, with many dressing in traditional African garb or clothing inspired by the film’s Afro-futurist aesthetic. “Black Panther” is already breaking records, and is predicted to have an enormous opening weekend.

Twitter user @ChefWaites was apparently in the Atlanta theater when it all went down, and live-tweeted his disappointment and the hilarious reaction from the crowd when the first thing they saw was a wedding, not Wakanda.

LMMFNFNDNDNDNDNDN DAWG THEY PLAYING THE WRONG MOVIE— The Chef (Steve) (@ChefWaites) February 16, 2018
Dawgggggg

pic.twitter.com/1WxKIgDtXW— The Chef (Steve) (@ChefWaites) February 16, 2018

In a video he shared, audience members can be heard yelling, booing and laughing at the screen, with one person exclaiming, “What are we doing?”

Aiight so this happened at Atlantic Station. They played 50 shades instead of black panther pic.twitter.com/5WhvX270Y5— The Chef (Steve) (@ChefWaites) February 16, 2018

I never laughed so hard. I’m happy i came to the black theatre pic.twitter.com/pxdTFK4Qt3— The Chef (Steve) (@ChefWaites) February 16, 2018

The snafu was corrected about five minutes into the final “50 Shades” film, according to people in the theater.

YOOO THEYRE PLAYING THE WRONG MOVIE! THEYRE SUPPOSED TO PLAY BLACK PANTHER AND ITS 50 SHADES OF GREY PLAYING RIGHT NOW AYO — Billy B the MUA (@emmabahi) February 16, 2018

@blk_tray @AminESPN
So they started to play 50 shades instead of Black Panther in my theater today... I’m 5 months removed from ACL surgery and I sprinted through the theater to get that turned off so damn fast— Slim Hardaway Jr (@TreDay421) February 16, 2018

Tell me how the Atlantic Station premiere of Black Panther at Atlanta is actually showing 50 shades. Like what in the actual Bleep . I’m livid pic.twitter.com/nVxZROw65K— Kemari (@tsnkra) February 16, 2018


Black Panther is already a hit after grossing over $25 million in Thursday preview screenings alone, surpassing the Thursday opening for even 2016’s Captain America: Civil War. This puts the film on track to nab a 3-day opening of $185 million with a total 4-day President’s Day weekend haul of $210 million, having already shattered ticket pre-sale records. The question now is if the movie will have legs to maintain its box office performance over the next few week. That won’t be that be difficult, given that there won’t be any major competition until A Wrinkle In Time rolls out on March 9.
Good word of mouth will only help the movie’s performance at the box office.Black Panther is already one of the highest rated superhero films on Rotten Tomatoes and, despite clocking in at two hours and 15 minutes, never drags thanks to its majestic visuals, cool action set pieces, and the cast’s riveting performance – meaning, it’s a very re-watchable movie. Beyond its earnings, Black Panther is expected to have a significant effect on racial awareness and proper cultural representation in Hollywood, similar to the social impact of DC’s Wonder Woman.

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