We've heard some horror stories over the years concerning midnight screenings, and if it were for any other movie it would be funny. But this is the first time we've heard of a Star Wars movie being played in the wrong language. Kristen writes:

At the Loews Theater in Eatontown, NJ, about 20 minutes into Episode III, the movie started to be in Chinese. It happened in three other theaters there at the same time. They apparently got sent the wrong reels. They wouldn't shut the movie off so we ended up seeing another 15/20 minutes in Chinese. Then they told us there was nothing they could do.

Some people found out that there was a theater playing it in English and there was a mad rush of three hundred + Star Wars fans to get there. There was no room for everyone and it was already passed the part we missed. The theater treated us terribly. They offered us a refund pass. So we essentially wasted our entire evenings.

Most people had been there for three/four four hours waiting for the movie to start. I myself was there at 9:00pm. They just said we could come back tommorow. Most of my friends have work and can't go, not to mention we are going to have to spend another three hours of our time to get decent seats.

There were highschoolers standing around outside wondering what they should do because they had friends (who were their ride) in the other showing. The theater also told us we shouldn't be mad because it wasn't a real crises. They basically treated us like dirt.

It's 1:15am in the morning and I should be watching Epsiode III, which from the first 20 minutes look incredible.

How do Chinese reels end up in US theater? Does that mean somewhere in China, Episode III will suddenly switch to being played in English? Let's hope not.

Update:

Joe adds that it could have been Japanese. If true, then that's even stranger as the movie doesn't open in Japan for 2 months.

Update 2 - Blake adds:

The movie was definitely playing in Chinese at the Eatontown theater last night, though which variety I'm not sure.

Update 3:

The Asbury Park Press reports:

John McCauley, senior vice president of marketing for the Loews chain, explained that a reel of the movie - which is distributed to theaters on multiple reels that have to be spliced together - had somehow been mixed up with a Japanese version.

Customers were advised they could try to squeeze into showings in the five other theaters where "Episode III" was being screened. Or they were offered a refund or a pass for another time, McCauley said.

"We had amazingly very happy, content people with the way the situation was handled," McCauley said. "We received very nice compliments from our patrons."

But those who were in the audience said the news was bitter at first for the many diehard fans who had gone out of their way to get tickets for the first showing.

Thanks to Kris for the alert.