Over the past 15 years, what movies do you remember bringing out huge crowds the night that they premiered in Idaho? There’s a few franchises that we remember hosting big premiere night parties for! 

In 2010, Harry Potter fanatics packed the Edwards in Boise for premiere night of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1.

Townsquare Media Boise
Townsquare Media Boise
loading...

All of the Twilight movies drew late night crowds to watch the love story of Edward Cullen and Bella Swan come full circle. 

Townsquare Media Boise
Townsquare Media Boise
loading...

The Hunger Games was another franchise that people couldn’t wait to see come to life on the big screen. 

Townsquare Media Boise
Townsquare Media Boise
loading...

Same goes for the three Fifty Shades of Grey movies, but it was a much older audience that showed up for those. 

Townsquare Media Boise
Townsquare Media Boise
loading...

Back when those movies debuted, most theaters didn’t show the movie for the first time until midnight the Friday of its release. At some point, we started telling ourselves “we’re too old for this.” While we’d like to think the major studios agreed, we think the truth is that they saw an opportunity for some of the most highly anticipated movies to have more impressive opening weekend numbers by moving the earliest screenings up. They slowly crept up from midnight to 10 p.m. the Thursday before the official release date. 

READ MORE:  Did You Know These 15 Movies Were Shot in the State of Idaho? 

Flash forward to the premier of Avengers: Endgame in 2019 and screenings started just as people were wrapping up their workday the Thursday before the release date. The movie was such a cinematic Marvel (pun intended) that some theaters planned to play it around the clock 24 hours a day throughout its opening weekend. 

Marvel Studios' "Avengers: Endgame" Stars Place Handprints In Cement At TCL Chinese Theatre
Alberto E. Rodriguez, Getty Images
loading...

 Honestly, we don’t think there’s been a movie since Endgame that’s drawn so much interest. Barbie and Oppenheimer came close, but if they hadn’t premiered the same weekend would either of them done as well without the “Barbenheimer” buzz? Probably not! 

107.9 LITE FM logo
Get our free mobile app

For some reason, we feel like Wicked: Part 1 is the first movie since Endgame that will be a can’t miss event on opening weekend. The story of what happened in the Land of Oz before Dorothy dropped in has dazzled audiences since its first Broadway shows in 2003. Boise had the pleasure of experiencing it in person at The Morrison Center in 2011, 2014 and 2019. 

"Wicked" Australian Premiere
Saverio Marfia, Getty Images
loading...

No doubt, the people who saw it and loved it at The Morrison Center are itching to be some of the first people to see the movie version with Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande in theaters. Others who may not have seen Wicked yet may be curious to see the movie before deciding if they want to buy tickets for the Broadway in Boise production when it returns to the Treasure Valley in April 2025. 

No matter which bucket you fall in, if you’re beyond excited for the movie, we dug up the earliest screening at each of the theaters in Idaho’s most populated areas and many of them are showing the movie TWO full days before its official premiere date! Here’s a look at those screenings.

The Earliest Screenings of Wicked in Idaho's Largest Cities

Are you ready to defy gravity with Wicked Part 1?! Here's the earliest screening you can catch in Idaho's most populated areas.

Gallery Credit: Michelle Heart

Canva
Canva
loading...

KEEP READING: Did You Know These 15 Big Movies Were Shot in the State of Idaho?

Idaho has everything a filmmaker could want to use in their films: mountains, whitewater, dusty back roads, farms, lava flows and quaint towns. These are some of the films that took advantage of that!

Gallery Credit: Michelle Heart

Where to See $5 Christmas Movies Across Idaho in 2024

Both Regal Cinemas, the parent company of Idaho's Edwards theaters and Cinemark, the parent company of Meridian's Majestic Cinema are spreading holiday cheer with $5 Christmas movies. Here's what's playing and when.

Gallery Credit: Michelle Heart

More From 107.9 LITE FM