Last weekend, a group of New Yorkers filed into a private screening room in Chelsea to watch It Ends — a new horror thriller from first-time director Alexander Ullom. The film follows a group of four college grads who go on a late-night drive, only to find themselves on a never-ending highway. But this was no ordinary screening.
The room had been stocked with supplies that seemed more suited to a nuclear bunker than a movie theater. Hosted by Neon, the film’s distributor, the event brought together a handpicked group of cinephiles for an endurance contest that required them to watch It Ends on repeat for up to 36 hours. 27-year-old Fola Olusanya was among the contestants, equipped with blankets, water bottles, Clif bars, cough drops, Tylenol and a handheld fan. She and the others had been challenged to sit through the 89-minute movie as many times as possible between Friday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 7 a.m.
Their reward? 25 cents per minute with the prize capped at $540 per person. The “last man standing” competition, as Neon described it, required participants not to leave the theater for anything other than a bathroom break. Each person was given a $250 theater concessions credit, which excluded alcohol, and they were allowed to bring in their own snacks and drinks.
While spending a weekend in a movie theater might sound dreamy to some, Fola said watching the same film over and over again came with some painful side effects. Those who managed to make it through the full 36 hours were promised a $500 bonus on top of the $540 they had already earned. New subscribers only. £9.99/mo. after free trial.
Plan auto-renews until cancelled. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. Fola’s group ended up completing five watches of the film and meeting director Ullom and members of the crew at the event.
A group of four who completed all 36 hours of the challenge said that humor helped them stay afloat during the wee hours in the Metro Private Cinema. One of the winners, 24-year-old Veronica Gilligan, told The Independent: “Going into the screening, my group made an agreement that we would not be leaving before the 36 hours were up, and I’m proud to say we did, in fact, last the whole time.” They completed 24 viewings of the movie and made $1,040 per person, Neon confirmed to The Independent. Another winner, Jake, added: “I think I memorized the whole movie.
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