# Thursday Midnight Releases now starting at 10:00pm???

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thursday-midnight-releases-now-starting-at-10-00pm/648975>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [January 31, 2013, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thursday-midnight-releases-now-starting-at-10-00pm/648975 "2013-01-31T23:41:38Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\
**Post date:** [January 31, 2013, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thursday-midnight-releases-now-starting-at-10-00pm/648975/1 "2013-01-31T23:41:38Z")

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Has anyone else noticed this?

Of course I’m not using “Thursday Midnight” literally, because if I were using it literally then the movies wouldn’t be starting at 10:00pm because 10:00pm isn’t midnight (in fact, if I _really_ was using it literally the movies would be starting one minute past Wednesday 11:59pm).

I’m referring to the practice of movie theaters having their first screening of a BIG movie at 12:00am at the end of the business day of Thursday- technically holding true to the official Friday release date, but for all practical concerns showing the movie “the night before” its official release.

Of course, it’s been a long time since this practice has only applied to BIG movies. Now it seems anything in the action or sci-fi or horror genres can get this treatment. Hell, some theater even had Thursday Midnight screenings for _The Three Stooges_ (though, there were other Midnight releases concurrent so I figure the theater just figured “Hey, since we’re open into the night anyway we might as well screen all the new stuff”). I remember when _The Phantom Menace_ was released it was a big deal that the earliest shows were at 12:00am, 12:01am, and 12:03am on “Thursday Night”- I don’t _think_ this was the first time it was ever done, but it was definitely a practice only reserved for BIG movies until the past few years when it’s become commonplace.

Anyway, I’m now noticing that these “Thursday Midnight” screenings are now happening as early as 10:00pm. The _official_ release date is still Friday, but theaters are having 10:00pm screenings on Thursday.

For tonight, Thursday January 1st, I see that multiple local theaters have 10:00pm (or 10:15pm) screenings of _Warm Bodies_ as well as _Bullet to the Head_- both of which have February 1st release dates.

Anyone know how this new trend started? Anyone care?