First, we appreciate your patience and are so sorry for all of the wait and confusion surrounding the campaign. There is a lot to say, so I'm putting the short of it first, then the explanation after.
Our campaign did reach the number of tickets it needed for them to book a theater, but both the original and back up theater bookings have fallen through. Do NOT go off of what is currently stated on our original campaign page; I am working with TOTH to clear up confusion there.
Here is what we are going to do.
1. We will all be refunded. Since they were not able to book the theater at the time and place we had asked for, nor the backup, and no other options are viable right now for this weekend, this is the best option right now. We are waiting to hear back from the TOTH team about how exactly that will work, if we will all have to request it individually or if we can request it for the whole group, but you will receive a full refund.
There is also an option to "Give Forward" to their fund for tickets for priests, seminarians, religious, etc., so more info to come on that as well if you do not want a refund.
2. There are still ways to watch the movie this weekend. There are some movie theaters that are showing TOTH this weekend, and with cheaper ticket prices. Here is the list we found on Fandango near zipcode 46032:
These are all definitely a bit of drive, depending on where you are coming from, but it is the best option we have right now on short notice.
3. The explanation, or what I can decipher and share right now!
First, I apologize for any confusion you have experienced around this. We have also experienced a lot of confusion, as has the TOTH team on their end of things working with the theaters. The director, Anthony D'Ambrosio, wrote an open letter to AMC theaters which sheds some light on why our back up didn't work.
Also, no one has ever done movie releases this way, so everyone is learning things. What started great has not gone as well as we had all hoped. But they tried, we tried, and it showed a lot of people that these kinds of movies are wanted by a lot of people. They were attempting to book 475 theaters around the country from the crowdfunding campaigns, so their tiny team was dealing with a lot, much more than they probably realized they would be dealing with!
If you want more of the background story of all of the zoom calls with us campaign organizers and the efforts they have made on the back end, I am happy to share more of my experience, just let me know, haha :) They are a great team, just overwhelmed, and I appreciate your patience with them, and with us. Prayers also appreciated for all of them (and us), too!
Please let me know what questions or concerns you have. I wish this was better news, and again, I am so very sorry it didn't turn out like we had hoped. Perhaps we can host a viewing in our Parish Hall in the future; you'll all be the first to know if we do!
St. Maximilian Kolbe, pray for us!
In Christ,
Emily Meiner
Associate Director of Adult and Young Adult Formation
Special Film Event!
We reached our goal!
If you are still hoping for a ticket in Carmel, we won't know how many are still available until after Sept. 1. Updates will be made here at that time.
Meanwhile, if you would like to purchase a ticket in Indianapolis or Lafayette, you may follow one of the links below.
We’re working to bring the film to Flix Brewhouse in Carmel on Friday, September 12. To secure the theater, we need to sell $1,500 in tickets (80 seats) by August 29.
If we do not reach our goal, you may choose to receive a refund or donate your ticket purchase to another campaign.
Be part of this inspiring event! For only $17, help us bring St. Maximilian Kolbe’s powerful story to the big screen!