Early on Friday morning, Kirkland drove out to pick up his girlfriend, Holly, and her best friend, Lisa, heading straight to a theatre. As they approached the theatre, Holly complained, "The theatre is so far away? It's almost in a black neighbourhood."
Kirkland switched lanes and said, "There's no choice. This is the only theatre in our city that is showing the film. It's not like a regular movie; we're lucky it's being screened at all."
From the back seat, Lisa chimed in, "I wonder what those three people encountered. Hopefully, the tape will give us some answers."
Kirkland and Holly both nodded. The three had been closely following the Blair Witch incident and, upon hearing that the restored footage would be shown in theatres, had planned to see it together.
When they arrived at an old theatre, Lisa pointed excitedly, "Look! Look! There are so many people!"
Holly turned to see a long line forming outside the theatre, which hadn't even opened yet. There were over a hundred people, some wearing T-shirts with the words "Blair Witch" and the faces of the three missing students.
"People really care about this," Kirkland remarked, urging, "Hurry up! This theatre isn't huge; it only seats two hundred people. We need to get good seats!"
The three quickly got in line, which stretched far along the sidewalk.
"So many people are interested!" Kirkland counted roughly 120 people in line.
Within minutes, more people joined the queue behind them.
Among those behind Lisa were several boys with loose pants and multiple piercings.
"Do you think those three unlucky people are still alive?"
They discussed the incident animatedly, "Is there a witch on the tape?"
"There's no such thing as witches!"
"Didn't you watch the TV show? The legend of the Blair Witch is real, dating back to 1785…"
"Maryland police are useless. This happened in 1994, and they still haven't found any clues."
The boys talked as if it were a real, hotly debated case. The long line buzzed with discussions, everyone deeply concerned about the fate of the three students and the Blair Witch.
In downtown Los Angeles, near the old Chinatown, Peter Johnson walked out of his break room around 8:30 to open for business.
Peter Johnson owned and lived in the small two-screen theatre. Business had been tricky, and he had downsized to just five employees.
"Will, come help me open the doors!" Peter called out as he headed to the theatre entrance.
Before he reached the closed doors, he heard a hum of voices outside, like a swarm of flies buzzing around, creating a chaotic noise.
Peter was puzzled. Why were people queuing up? "Titanic" had long since finished its run.
Will hurried over, first unlocking the glass door, then raising the metal shutters.
With a loud whoosh, the chaotic buzz hit Peter like a tidal wave. As he steadied himself, people surged through the doors.
Even with some people inside, Peter saw the line outside stretching over a hundred feet.
What was going on? It wasn't a weekend for any major film releases. Could it be…?
Peter thought of one possibility: were people here to see Nicole Kidman naked? That couldn't be it; she'd appeared nude on screen multiple times before.
One theatre was showing Warner Bros.'s Eyes Wide Shut, and the other was "The Blair Witch Project."
It couldn't be for "The Blair Witch Project," could it?
"Will! Help out!" Peter called, snapping the dazed Will into action.
Regardless, having so many customers was good news!
"Three tickets for 'The Blair Witch Project'!"
"Two tickets! Not for 'Eyes Wide Shut,' for the witch movie!"
"Five tickets for 'The Blair Witch Project'!"
"Blair Witch…"
The cacophony of ticket requests all for "The Blair Witch Project" made Peter realize everyone was here for this movie.
Seeing more people joining the line, some wearing T-shirts with "Blair Witch" on them, Peter knew one theatre wouldn't be enough.
He checked the ticket counter: dozens of tickets sold for "The Blair Witch Project," none for "Eyes Wide Shut."
Quickly thinking, he went to his office, observed for a while, and saw no tickets sold for "Eyes Wide Shut."
He picked up the phone and dialled a number: "Seashore Entertainment? This is Peter Johnson from Los Angeles Waterflow Theater. I need an additional copy! Yes, another copy! As soon as possible, preferably this morning!"
With only two hundred theatres screening "The Blair Witch Project" across the country, demand far exceeded supply. Nearly every theatre screening had long lines at the box office.
Not just in the morning, but even by afternoon, lines persisted.
The public's curiosity and desire for exploration, fueled by media coverage and discussions, were at a peak, ready to explode.
Having finished his shift at the video rental store, Arthur rushed to a Long Island theatre showing "The Blair Witch Project," eager to see the fabled footage.
"Sorry, sir," the ticket seller said apologetically, "We're sold out."
Arthur pointed at the electronic screen, "What about the 10 PM show? Tickets for that?"
The ticket seller maintained her professional smile, "Sorry, sir, all showings of 'The Blair Witch Project' tonight are sold out!"
Frustrated, Arthur said, "I'll buy tickets for tomorrow then!"
Another theatre in Brooklyn was too far; judging by this theatre's situation, it was likely sold out, too.
He had to wait a night, which was agonizing.
Arthur bought the earliest tickets for the next day and planned to rest well and come early.
In Burbank, at Seashore Entertainment's office, the sky had long darkened, but the company was still bustling with activity. Many employees were working overtime.
The company's two service lines had been ringing non-stop since the afternoon.
"Hello, this is Seashore Entertainment," a female operator answered sweetly, "How can I assist you?"
"Copies! I need copies! I'm trapped in my office by angry viewers who won't leave without seeing 'The Blair Witch Project.'"
The operator wiped her sweat and said, "Please leave your contact information…"
The other phone rang again. A male operator picked it up and heard an urgent voice, "This is Christopher. Tell Garcia I need copies right away. I need two! All three of my theatres want to screen 'The Blair Witch Project!'"
Dozens of calls came in throughout the day demanding copies. The two operators compiled a list and immediately sent it to Garcia's office.
"Good thing we prepared 300 copies," Garcia said, excitement clear on his face, "I'll get them distributed right away."
He called in a manager, handed over the list, and instructed him to contact and confirm each theatre.
David Villa, voice dry and raspy, asked, "Are we going to succeed?"
Garcia looked at Michael's calm expression and said, "From today's feedback, the screenings should be fine. Shall we start printing more copies?"
Michael checked his watch, "The theatre system has sped up data collection this year. We'll get today's box office numbers after midnight, which is less than an hour away. Let's see the figures before deciding on more prints."
Everyone agreed and waited patiently for the first-day box office results.