Weymouth premiere of new film sells out in four hours (From Dorset Echo)

Weymouth premiere of new film sells out in four hours

9:30am Thursday 5th March 2009 in News By Joanna Davis

FILM fans have snapped up every ticket for the regional premiere of a movie shot in Weymouth and Portland.

Tickets for the March 27 premiere of The Boat That Rocked sold out within 24 hours.

Radio 2 DJ Johnnie Walker, who lives near Blandford, has been confirmed as the Weymouth premiere’s first celebrity guest.

The veteran DJ made his name in the 1960s on pirate radio station Radio Caroline, which the film is loosely based on.

Darren Richards, Weymouth Cineworld’s operations manager, said: “On the day the tickets went on sale, we’d sold all 230.

“We knew there would be a demand but we didn’t expect to sell them all within four hours.

“We’ve had to turn so many people away.”

It is hoped that some of Weymouth and Portland’s local Olympians will also be gracing the red carpet along with Dorset-based celebrities Martin Clunes, Billy Bragg and the winner of Masterchef 2009, Mat Follas.

The premiere, which takes place three days after the London premiere, will raise around £1,500 to £2,000 for the RNLI.

Other celebrities and stars of the film – including Bill Nighy, Emma Thompson and Philip Seymour Hoffman - are still being courted by premiere organisers at Cineworld.

Some of the cast and crew from the film are already familiar with the cinema.

A group of them took over the back two rows of one of the screens to watch the latest Indiana Jones movie when they were filming on Portland in May last year.

The Boat That Rocked goes on general release in the UK on April 1 and will be released in the US on August 28.

It is the second film to be directed by acclaimed screenwriter Richard Curtis, who made his directorial debut with Love Actually in 2003.

Portland Mayor Sandy West was one of the disappointed fans who missed out on a ticket.

She said: “Some of the filming was done at Portland Port and in one of the big hangars at Osprey Quay.

“I think it’s going to be fantastic when people around the country see the film because it will make them all want to come here.

“I haven’t been this excited about a film for a long time.”

Mr Richards added: “This is a big coup for us as a region. It puts our area on the film map. The British film industry is very big at the moment and has a very strong following.”

Filmgoers are asked to dress smartly for the premiere, which will include an after-show party.