The Vic's 24-hour Batman movie marathon puts fans to the test

BATMAN MARATHON

Where: The Vic Theatre, 808 Douglas St.
When: Saturday, Nov. 9, 10 a.m. (doors at 9)
Tickets: $75 from victoriafilmfestival.com

How much Batman can one person take? And how far will they go in order to prove their ultimate fandom?

Producers of the Victoria Film Festival are hoping several DC Comics diehards will step forward Saturday and test their mettle during The Vic Theatre’s Batman Marathon. Nine films from the Batman franchise will be screened back to back during a 24-hour period, starting at 10 a.m., with marathoners only permitted to leave the theatre during the one-hour dinner break.

The fans who can outlast the competition will need to stay awake for 24 hours in order to win the ultimate prize, a year-long free pass for regular screenings at The Vic Theatre, valued at approximately $2,000.

“If you’re sleeping, you’re disqualified,” said Kathy Kay, director of the Victoria Film Festival, which operates The Vic Theatre. “We are going to walk up to you and if we wave our hands three times in front of you and you don’t respond, we’ll know you’re sleeping.”

Kay admitted it will be an exhausting process for the ultimate victors, who in addition to not being permitted to sleep at any point during the marathon are not allowed to leave the theatre beyond the pre-arranged dinner break. But the prize, which is good for regular screenings at The Vic throughout the year, numbering around 150 films, is significant, so the ask had to be considerable.

“I have faith,” Kay said with a laugh. “There’s a type of person who would just love this challenge, and would give their all to do it. It will make for a really nice event.”

Kay initially wanted to have films by celebrated Studio Ghibli director Hayao Miyazaki be the focus of the marathon, but the decision was made to look for something with a more adventuresome demographic. Enter: Batman.

Decades ago, during the pre-streaming era, movie marathons were regular occurrences at multiplexes; nowadays, not so much. But the response to the marathon has been strong, Kay said, which could lead to more events of this ilk.

“Right now, we’re finding that people are wanting to go out, but they need a reason to go, beyond just a new film. We find that putting together fun activities at The Vic is becoming very popular. There’s usually a cocktail that goes with that, and there’s costume contests, or games.”

The marathon includes movies from 33 years of crusading, from 1989’s Batman (starring Michael Keaton) to 2022’s The Batman (with Robert Pattinson as the anti-hero). Those two and everything in between — Batman Returns (1992), Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993), Batman Forever (1995), Batman & Robin (1997), Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight (2008), and The Dark Knight Rises (2012) — will be shown, with 15-minute breaks separating the films.

Smaller prizes will be awarded thought the event, Kay said. Outside food and drink is not permitted, but sandwiches and light food will be available. “There’s always popcorn,” Kay said with a laugh.

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