The Student Planning Committee hosted a free screening of the third Hunger Games movie on Thursday, Nov. 20 at the Ada Theatre. The first 100 students to show up with their ONU IDs were granted access to the movie without charge.
SPC has been hosting this event for a couple of years now, said Brianne Mosley, SPC’s Event Coordinator. Last year’s movie was The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, and it just so happened that this year The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part I worked into SPC’s schedule.
Brianne said that SPC’s main goal for this event was to give students something to do in Ada, other than the usual drinking or partying.
“Plus it’s free and a lot of times there’s not a lot to do in Ada, so it’s nice to have that option available to you, even if you are broke,” she said.
Considering the event was the Thursday before Thanksgiving break, it provided a great opportunity for students to simply relax and enjoy time with their friends before heading home for a week, Brianne added.
SPC basically buys the 100 tickets outright from the Ada Theatre, using their organization’s budget from the university, she said. These are then what is available to students.
“We just bought the tickets so you guys wouldn’t have to get them,” she said.
When coming up with ideas for their events, SPC looks inward to its diverse group of 50 members from all around the University. Their involvement, with a range of majors and clubs, allows SPC to get a wide range of feedback, and if an idea seems good, they go with it.
SPC has continued to host this movie event because it has been so popular with students, with seats being filled up quickly every year, Brianne said. SPC usually doesn’t host the same event twice unless they see a lot of interest and attendance from students.
In the email SPC sent out the week before the event, they notified interested attendees that, although the movie started at 8 p.m., they should arrive at 7 p.m. in order to secure their seats. And after going to the event itself, it’s not difficult to see why.
All tickets had been given out by 7:10 p.m. that night, and many students had to be turned away from the 8 p.m. showing as a result, with some opted to come back at 10:30 p.m. for the next show.
Nevertheless, students who attended were glad to take advantage of the opportunity, and enjoy some free entertainment. Perhaps next year’s movie night will complete the cycle with Mockingjay Part II.