The live action adaptation of Attack on Titan isn't particularly good, but fans who love the anime and manga may still get a kick out of seeing the popular franchise brought to the big screen. The first part of the two-part film has arrived in America and, well, it's off to a rough (and hilarious) start.
During a screening of the film in San Francisco, the English subtitles for the Japanese film froze about a third of the way through, with the line "I've been waiting for this day!" staying on the screen even as the film's characters continued talking.
And talking. And talking. The line stayed onscreen for upwards of 20 minutes until – according to Kotaku reader Daniel Barnes, who was at the showing – theater employees stopped the movie and announced they would start it over from the beginning. Seems like more than a few moviegoers weren't interested in rewatching 30 minutes of the movie, and instead received vouchers for their trouble.
The San Francisco screening isn't the only one to have seen problems, either. Apparently, multiple other theaters have also encountered the issue, though it's unclear what exactly is causing the problem. The film is being shown in more than 300 American theaters, so it doesn't seem like the problem is widespread. Still, it's more than a little strange and sure to be frustrating for those in attendance.
Moviegoers who watched the subtitle debacle play out took to social media to let the world know their pain.
Subtitles stuck for... 10 minutes? 20? Feels like longer. I want my money back! #AttackOnTitan pic.twitter.com/5T60clMIWE
— Dallas Middaugh (@notthatdallas) October 1, 2015
@FUNimation at Centry theater in SF and our Attack on Titan film subtitles have been stuck for the last 10 min. :-( pic.twitter.com/tnH0LvPwL5 — Rebecca S. (@sithel) October 1, 2015
More than a few people at least had a good sense of humor about the whole mess.
@FUNimation Have you been waiting for this day? Cuz I've been. #Waiting4ThisDay pic.twitter.com/dahE5q4Zk5 — Daniel Barnes (@Danny8bit) October 1, 2015
The screen has said "I've been waiting for this day" for 20 minutes. Attack on Titan in theaters today!!! pic.twitter.com/WuMtHLjYIv — Haunter x Haunter (@sailorbee) October 1, 2015
Expect memes sporting the words "I've been waiting for this day!" in all-caps to be circulating the web within the next 24 hours — probably accompanied by an image of a less-than-thrilled anime character. Fans have been waiting for the Attack on Titan movie for a long time, but nobody expected that wait to come to an end like this.
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