Toronto Film Festival Opening Night Beset By Digital Ticketing Issues; Queen Elizabeth II Remembered Before ‘The Swimmers’ Premiere
deadline.comNot even the death of Queen Elizabeth II could halt the hustle and bustle of another in-person Toronto International Film Festival during the Covid era as throngs lined up for premieres and chomped off food carts on festival row (aka King Street).However, what did vex festivalgoers in Hogtown was the second year of TIFF’s digital ticketing website via Ticketmaster.
Last year it wasn’t a problem given the reduced capacity at TIFF venues and fewer attending out of fear of the pandemic. However, judging by the turnout at Roy Thomson Hall tonight for the fest’s opening film, The Swimmers from Netflix, it wouldn’t be a surprise to hear that TIFF has returned to its pre-pandemic 300K-plus attendance.And with great demand, comes great chaos.
The TIFF Ticketmaster site was besieged by time out problems, which prevented festivalgoers from logging in and obtaining their tickets.
Some tickets, like those for Swimmers, didn’t even show up in some attendees’ accounts.Solving the problem at Roy Thomson Hall were Netflix staffers who ensured no key people were turned away — even if they were ticketless.
Read more on deadline.com
