James Luxford discusses his experiences with premiere screenings

We’re heading into March, and the movie releases are getting a little bit more interesting.

The smaller releases, such as The Raid 2 (which I am disproportionately excited for), are screening early to build some hype, and some of the bigger studio movies are peeking through as well. As such, I’m doing my best to get as many of that most valued of perks, the ‘plus one’.

For the sake of clarity, a ‘plus one’ is exactly what you think it is.

When a screening is in the evening, to tempt those of us with wives/children/social lives (hey, one out of three ain’t bad), the studios sometimes offer the opportunity to bring a guest. Since I’ve moved from London to Oxford (three years next month), it’s been an opportunity to catch up with old friends, but more recently a lot of those plus ones have gone begging.

This is mostly due to everyone I know being in their late twenties/early thirties and juggling those ever growing commitments- children, marriages, work commitments etc don’t always allow for trips to the cinema on a school night.

Over the years, however, it’s thrown up some great stories. Most involve getting a little bit tipsy when there’s a free bar involved (I had to watch The Green Lantern again after getting too merry at the press screening), or trying to pinch the free gifts left on empty seats. I must confess, also, to trying to woo some ladies with screenings in my single days (it never worked, much to my chagrin).

There have been some great moments too, such as taking my future wife to see the final Harry Potter film. She is a huge fan of the books and to see her face light up when the epic Hogwarts finale unfolded was great.

However, one of my proudest moments came when I took my mum and sister to the Sex and The City 2 premiere. While the movie wasn’t my thing, both of my guests were avid fans, and to see my sister mouth “Oh! My! God!” as her idol Sarah Jessica Parker walked past made me feel like a very cool big brother. They even interviewed us for the radio afterwards.

As you read this, I should be taking another plus one to a screening of the first blockbuster of the year (a studio embargo means I’m not at liberty to say what film, but it may very well be a hero who wears red, white and blue).

Whether good, bad, or indifferent, bringing someone along to see a movie before most people get to see it tends to remind me how lucky I am to do what I do. In a way you get taken back to that first year of screenings and the excitement you felt to be ‘inside’ the industry in a small way.

At the very least, you get to seem a lot cooler to your friends!