SALT LAKE CITY — Utah moviegoers have plenty to look forward to in theaters this weekend: In the louder corner, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1" opens with plenty of fanfare. And in the quieter corner, "127 Hours," shot here in Utah, climbs onto the big screen.
Facebook pages are filled with status updates about Harry Potter — who's seeing the midnight showings, which theaters, who's dressing up.
Universally, everyone seems excited about the release of part 1 of the seventh installment, which opened on screens at midnight; part II opens in the spring.
"An estimated 20,000 people attended the midnight showings on 72 screens at Megaplex Theatre venues," said Jeff Whipple, marketing manager for the theater company; three of those screens are showing the movie on IMAX screens, including the Clark Planetarium. "It will be the first Hollywood-produced movie shown there," he said. "We're still waiting for confirmation from the movie company, but that should put us among the top three states. Utah really has the most Potter fans."
Some theaters added 3 a.m. showings for those who couldn't get in at midnight.
There will be no midnight parties for "127 Hours," but its local appeal and early buzz have some in the industry talking Oscar.
Shot in the gorgeous Utah wilderness, "127 Hours" chronicles adventurer Aron Ralston's five-day ordeal in Blue John Canyon, his arm trapped by a boulder, until he finally had to cut it off using a dull multi-use tool.
"I knew this would be as close to a documentary, it's what a docudrama would be and so what you see on the screen is very much my real story," Ralston said at the Salt Lake premiere.
"It's wonderful, great, serendipitous moment that we conclude our press tour with Salt Lake City," director Danny Boyle ("Slumdog Millionaire") told KSL at the premiere. "To have our final screening here, where it all began."
The film stars James Franco, but the sweeping Utah terrain plays a pivotal role. "Southern Utah is just spectacular on this film; they really, really showcased it" Leigh von der Esch, managing director of Utah Office of Tourism, told KSL.
"It's not only a journey through the landscape of Utah," Boyle said, "but a journey through this man's emotional landscape as well."
Email: ehansen@desnews.com