MOVIES - Dec. 26, 1990

Merry Al Pacino Day: The Christmas dawn broke crisp and clear on several dozen devoted moviegoers camped out on cardboard boxes along the sidewalks of Westwood. Many had been there since 4 a.m. Everyone seemed to have the same idea: “The lines for ‘The Godfather Part III’ are bound to be huge. But if we go to the first morning show on Christmas, at 11:30 a.m., no one will be there.” Wrong. The first showing at the Mann Village theater in Westwood was sold out immediately, before 10 a.m. The ticket line stretched up the block and around the corner. While the rest of the streets in Los Angeles were virtually empty, the streets around the theater were jammed with cars and pedestrians. Tickets for the 3:15 p.m. screening sold briskly and were almost gone by 11 a.m. as people jumped out of cars in the middle of the street--still hoping to nab tickets for the first showing. One disappointed couple, upon learning the show was a sellout, said: “It’s not Christmas Day. It’s Al Pacino Day.”