For UB students who are counting the days until the latest installment of Game of Thrones is released, the wait just got a little shorter.
The Student Association will be premiering the first episode of Game of Thrones’ fifth season on Sunday, March 29 in the Center for the Arts. This screening comes two weeks before the episode is aired worldwide on HBO.
“It was a very collaborative effort,” said Kevin Kuchta, the assistant director of marketing and communication for Campus Living. “We worked with the HBO Go, the CFA and the SA to put the whole event together. It was HBO’s idea to use Game of Thrones and we knew there would be a lot of student interest.”
Currently, the Facebook event has 283 people attending. Campus Living brought HBO Go to on-campus students, replacing a UB-hosted, on-demand movie service. HBO Go is a streaming service for HBO shows like Girls, True Blood and Boardwalk Empire.
Students who live on campus can sign up for tickets for the premiere starting March 9, while off-campus students have to wait until the Monday after spring break, March 23, to grab theirs at the CFA ticket booth or SA office.
Some off-campus students are upset on-campus students can get the tickets sooner.
“It’s not fair, I’m worried that they’ll be sold out,” said Jonathan Puma, a junior social sciences major who lives off campus. “It’ll be the same situation as the AMC tickets – the office is going to be mobbed, and by the time I get to the front, there’s not going to be any tickets left.”
In the fall, SA gave away 2,500 free AMC movie ticket vouchers to UB undergraduate students in the fall, limiting the giveaway to 200 tickets per week.
On Friday, SA reassured students via Facebook there are a "limited number" of tickets reserved for on-campus residents and tickets will "definitely be available" for off-campus students following spring break.
For some students like Alex Aponte, a sophomore exercise sciences major, the early premiere means having to catch up on the show much more quickly.
“I’m excited, but now I have two weeks less than before to catch up,” Aponte said.
What keeps many Game of Thrones viewers coming back season after season is the series’ complex characters and shocking plot twists. The medieval setting gives way to jousting, royal feasts and a wardrobe fit for a noble in shiny metal armor or ostentatious party dresses.
The show, which skyrocketed in popularity, is based on the series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin; the first book is titled Game of Thrones. The books and television adaption follow a series of nobles as they fight for power in the mythical land of Westero.
“I’ve read all the books, and they’re definitely different from the show,” Puma said. “They don’t have certain characters or storylines, but I think the show has done a good job of adapting the series.”
Whether it’s the antics of Lord Tyrion (Peter Dinklage, X-Men: Days of Future Past) or swooning over Jon Snow (Kit Harington, Seventh Son), watching the first episode of the show’s fifth installment should be an exciting for fans – even if they have to wait three weeks to see the second episode.
This post has been updated to include information posted to SA's Facebook page Friday.
Tori Roseman is a senior arts editor and can be contacted at tori.roseman@ubspectrum.com
