It seems like there is a new Star Wars movie, or a spinoff Star Wars movie, in theaters every six months lately. But the chance to see the sci-fi franchise’s iconic 1977 original, “A New Hope,” in tandem with a live musical performance by the Seattle Symphony, sparked a ticket-buying frenzy on Friday.
The event at Benaroya Hall in Seattle will feature the Symphony performing the classic score by John Williams as the movie plays on a giant screen in the concert hall. Performances are scheduled for July 13, 14 and 15.
Tickets went on sale starting at 11 a.m. on Friday and the nostalgic pull of Star Wars was immediately evident. A web line notice greeted those trying to purchase tickets and when GeekWire dropped in, the wait time was around 10 minutes, with hundreds of other fans in front of us.
“We’re in the middle of a major on-sale and experiencing higher than normal web traffic and wait time to purchase tickets or make donations,” the notification read. “If you’re here to purchase tickets for Star Wars: A New Hope in Concert, please remain in queue for your turn.”
A Symphony rep told GeekWire that they sold about 1,800 tickets within two hours, ranging in price from $50 to $180. The queue eventually slowed down before 1 p.m. and there are still lots of tickets left.
The rep said the response was similar to a recent announcement for a concert featuring Macklemore, Ryan Lewis, Ciara and Russell Wilson which sold out by the end of the day. That benefit event for youth access to the arts takes place on May 10.
Symphony conductor Lawrence Loh will lead the Star Wars concert.
Williams is known for scoring all eight of the Star Wars saga films. He has won five Academy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, seven British Academy Film Awards, and 22 Grammy Awards. In 2005, the American Film Institute selected Williams’ score to “A New Hope” as the greatest American film score of all time. The soundtrack to Star Wars also was preserved by the Library of Congress in the National Recording Registry, for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”
