‘Phantom’ Overwhelms Box Office

The sky didn’t fall. Computers didn’t fail. Time did not grind to a halt. But millions of people put their lives on hold to see “Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace” on Wednesday, giving the film the projected largest one-day box office total in history.

Motivated in part by enough pre-release publicity to swamp a Death Star, workers and students across North America played “Wookie Hooky,” as some are calling it (even though there are no wookies in the movie). Reviews for “Phantom Menace” ranged from lukewarm to vicious; nevertheless, it seems poised to make a run at “Titanic” as the highest grossing movie of all time.

For some fans, that was precisely the point.

“We want first place back,” said a determined Matt Hanchey of Camarillo. Like many fans nationwide, the 26-year-old engineer arrived at the movie made up as a “Star Wars” character. He had painted his face in red and black, like “Phantom’s” evil Darth Maul, to stand in line in Ventura County for the 12:01 a.m. debut.

Some local companies even joined in, shutting down for the day.

Gary Copeland, president of software developer at Epicenter Research in Fountain Valley, gave his 19 employees the day off and tickets to go see the film at the 21 Megaplex near the Irvine Spectrum. He said he met executives from another company whose employees also took the day off, and even struck a business deal while standing in line.

“We’ve been looking forward to this forever,” Copeland said, comparing the movie--as did many--to a spiritual experience that can unite people of all cultures.

“It’s not about Christianity,” he said. “This is not about Hinduism. This is about something else. We’re all nerds here.”

Unofficial estimates were that the movie would earn $30 million in its first 24 hours--well above the previous one-day record of $26.1 million for “The Lost World: Jurassic Park” in 1997. But that came on the Sunday of a Memorial Day weekend. The previous record for a Wednesday opening was $17.4 million for “Independence Day” in July 1996.

In its first two days, exhibitor sources say, the George Lucas movie could take in $50 million, and by the end of the weekend, about $140 million. That still leaves a long way to go to beat “Titanic,” which took in more than $600 million in domestic box office--but it’s a start. Lucasfilms, which produced the $125-million film, gets almost all the revenue; 20th Century Fox, which is releasing “Phantom Menace,” is only getting a distribution fee.

And what do the fans, the only critics who count, say about it? Their views are as mixed as the professionals. But even many of those who say it’s only so-so plan to see it more than once.

“The plot wasn’t as good as episodes 4, 5 and 6,” said Chadi Maatouk, 20, after the midnight show at the Mann’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. “It wasn’t worth waiting in line for a month. I’ll probably see it again though.”

There were plenty, however, who said they loved the movie--almost as much as the experience of dressing up, staying up late and partying on the sidewalk while waiting to get in, a scene repeated outside theaters across the country as “Phantom Menace” fever hit full force.

“It ruled!” exulted Matt Gaffney, 19. as he came out of Mann’s. “Everyone said that it’s not gonna be able to come close to what everybody expected, but with all the digital animation they had in the movie, it overwhelms you. . . . I’ll see it at least a half-dozen more times.”

“It’s the most visually amazing film I’ve ever seen,” said Lincoln Gasking, 22, of Melbourne, Australia, founder of the CountingDown Web site--which has held a charity stand-a-thon outside Mann’s Chinese for the last six weeks--and who became a worldwide celebrity while waiting.

A National Party a Minute After Midnight

The midnight opening became the excuse for a national party. Lines looped around the block throughout Southern California, although theaters reported that tickets were available for most shows.

In Orange County, fans flocked to the Edwards Big Newport Cinemas near Fashion Island in Newport Beach, which boasts the biggest screen on the West Coast. Many said the only proper way to experience the film is with as many other people as possible, on a screen big enough to transport everyone to a galaxy far, far away.

Fans lined up for showings at 12:01 and 3 a.m. on Wednesday in the glow of the theater’s neon signs. An actor paced in the lobby in the metallic gold costume of Boba Fett, the character who hunted Han Solo in earlier episodes.

As the night wore on, the scene grew increasingly surreal. Moviegoers cloaked in the black robes of Darth Vader and his Imperial guards patrolled the lines, acting ominously, and cars cruised nearby streets, blaring the “Star Wars” theme from their stereos.

Jeff Bennett, 18, of Mission Viejo said “Star Wars” is one of the best things ever to happen to America. “This is the classic story, definitely the best tragedy of this century, because it has the power to unite us all like this,” he said. “It will only get more powerful.”

Bennett waited for the 3 a.m. show--which began, he said, with the audience standing to sing the national anthem--and emerged feeling stunned. “It was everything I expected and more,” he said. “I thought it would be like the others. But it was much better than that. This is what America is all about.”

Karen Chapman, 17, is a second-generation “Star Wars” fan who flew down from the Bay Area with her family to see the movie on the really big screen. Too young to have seen the first movie in the theater, she acquired her appreciation from her father.

“I grew up on ‘Star Wars,’ ” she said. “These characters have been my heroes since I was a kid.”

Although the fans in line ranged from teenagers to baby-boomers, of varying ethnicities and professions, they all were quick to claim a common bond. “It shows hope for our society,” said Vinh Dao, 26, next to Chapman in line. “We can unite for a movie. . . . We’re bonding in geekdom.”

Unenthusiastic reviews didn’t seem to matter to the record numbers of people who camped out for weeks in order to be among the first to see the movie. Traffic was unusually light during the morning rush hour, a sign that some saw as “Star Wars” related, although the California Highway Patrol couldn’t confirm any connection.

Outside the theaters, much derision was directed at a new character, a floppy-eared amphibian named Jar Jar Binks. “Jar Jar is basically an extension of Goofy,” said Michael Danke, 32, outside Mann’s. “Much worse than an Ewok. . . . But Danke also noted: “The light-saber scenes are phenomenal though. It’s worth seeing just for that.”

“We hate Jar Jar,” said Gabriel Roxas, 25, who saw the movie at midnight at the Village Theater in Westwood. “We’re hoping for a death scene with Jar Jar.”

But it could’ve been an age thing. Eight-year-old Max Hassman, who came with his dad, Richard, 36, to celebrate his birthday at Mann’s, said: “I liked Jar Jar. I like this one a little bit better than the others.”

The Chicago employment firm of Challenger, Gray & Christmas estimated that “Phantom Menace” could have cost employers nationwide as much as $300 million in lost wages, though no one can say exactly how many people skipped work to see the movie. Company CEO John Challenger noted that many people may have seen the movie before work in one of the predawn screenings--the movie opened at midnight at about 2,100 theaters, and expanded to about 2,900 theaters later in the day--but some of those people were too tired to go to work later and called in sick.

A Pop Culture Phenomenon

What accounts for the movie’s drawing power? There is no discounting the spectacular avalanche of pre-release publicity, virtually none of it paid advertising. The movie turned into a pop culture happening, with just about every magazine, newspaper and TV show in America falling over themselves to run “Star Wars” stories.

But for many people, the appeal stemmed from something much deeper than hype.

“Obi-Wan taught us about life, man,” said Tom Sheene, 25, of Houston, who took the day off to see the movie with friends.

“It’s like God has smiled on us,” said Mike Jacobs of Toronto, who was driving toward San Francisco on Tuesday when he stopped off in Ventura to use a restroom. He was blessed, he says, to find that the Century 10 Theater downtown still had tickets for its 12:01 show.

“I’ve been waiting my whole life for this, man,” Jacobs said. “It’s like religion for people these days. It’s something people relate to more than Daniel and the lion’s den and that type of stuff.”

“If you go in there expecting the next part in the saga, you’ll be thoroughly pleased,” said Ken Brenan, 28, of Torrance, who camped outside the Village Theater. “But if you go in there expecting to see the best movie ever made, you’ll be sorely disappointed.”

Scott Rau, 30, of Oakland, said he had seen the original “Star Wars” films more than a dozen times as a young boy when he and his friends would skip school to watch them.

“You can’t critique ‘Star Wars’ the way you would ‘Schindler’s List,’ ” said Rau. “It is what it is. It’s part of our culture.”

Also contributing to this story were John Beckham in Chicago, Michelle Botwin in Westwood, Matthew Ebnet in Orange County, Lianne Hart in Houston, Karima A. Haynes in the San Fernando Valley, Lynn Marshall in Seattle, Richard Natale in Los Angeles, Massie Ritsch in Ventura County, Edith Stanley in Atlanta and Sarah Yang in Oakland.