If there were any remaining doubt as to whether the Star Trek franchise has crossed over into the mainstream, advance IMAX bookings for Star Trek Into Darkness crashed the BFI / ODEON online booking system due to excessive demand.
Both the BFI and ODEON Twitter feeds reported traffic-induced crashes, while Paramount posted an alternative telephone booking line to deal with swarms of trigger-happy Trek fans.
You can take a look at some of the relevant tweets below…
Due to overwhelming demand for Star Trek @ bfi IMAX online booking iscurrently down. We're doing all we can to rectify. Do bear with us. April 9, 2013
We know you are really eager to book for #StarTrekIntoDarkness , we're currently experiencing some technical difficulties for BFI IMAX... April 9, 2013
...we're looking into this at the moment and hope that booking for #StarTrekIntoDarkness at the #BFIIMAX will be fixed asap! April 9, 2013
To book @ bfi @ imax tickets for #StarTrek #IntoDarkness call 0330 333 7878, while their online booking is down due to overwhelming demand. April 9, 2013
Apparently the film had generated ten times more traffic than the system could handle, explaining the lengthy delay before the problem was rectified.
The last IMAX film to prompt such a rabid reaction was The Dark Knight Rises , which crashed the BFI’s booking system back in 2012. Looks like Star Trek is in pretty rarefied company.
Directed by J.J. Abrams and co-starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and Benedict Cumberbatch, Star Trek Into Darkness will open in the UK on 17 May 2013. In the meantime, you can check out an awesome new mosaic poster below…
