By Randy Salas
Who could have predicted that a movie made in 1939 would be the biggest ticket in town Wednesday night? It really was no miracle. What happened was just this: The family classic The Wizard of Oz was given a one-time high-def digital screening Wednesday to celebrate its 70th anniversary in advance of Tuesday's re-release on DVD and debut on Blu-ray. Tickets were $11, and the movie is no stranger to countless TV showings and home-video releases -- not exactly a formula for a big draw. Yet that's exactly what it was. At the Arbor Lakes theaters in Maple Grove, the sole-planned 7:30 p.m. show sold out. In fact, demand was so great that Arbor Lakes management requested a special exemption so the theater could show the movie again at 10 p.m., which it did. Attendees at the early show ranged from toddlers to what looked to be people in their 80s. Some young girls even dressed in a gingham dress, with ruby-red slippers and braids. We have no explanation for the much, much older woman who also went as Dorothy.
