Video gamers have long put up with game studios’ creative attempts to siphon more money from their wallets, from deluxe editions of games bundled with art books and statuettes to downloadable content sold at additional cost. Now, the Wrap reports that game studio Ubisoft is bringing the same avaricious price structure to the film world. The film in question is director Justin Kurzel’s Assassin’s Creed, an adaptation of Ubisoft’s long-running historical fiction franchise. Assassin’s Creed will reunite Kurzel with stars Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard; all three worked together on his adaptation of Macbeth. Although going from Shakespeare to a video game movie may seem like a step down for those three, they can take comfort knowing Assassin’s Creed will also feature Jeremy Irons.
The film won’t open until Dec. 21, but fans who are willing to buy a ticket sight unseen stand to reap countless benefits. For $15, Ubisoft is offering a ticket to the film, plus a digital copy of the official script, plus a “collector’s watch,” plus two temporary tattoos of the main characters. For a bit more, $25, you get a T-shirt instead of the watch and tattoos, but only people who order in the next two days have a chance at either.
Moviegoers who want a more refined experience than temporary tattoos can provide are in luck, too. For only $1,200, you can buy a single ticket to the movie, plus a replica 15th-century crossbow. Per the sales website, the crossbow is a “worthy centerpiece for any Assassin’s Creed or movie prop collection.” Sales are being handled through Kernel, a company specializing in “tickets, bundles, and experiences.”
As thrilling as it is to be able to pay $1,200 for a movie ticket nine months in advance, caution is probably in order: When Assassin’s Creed: Unity was released in 2014, the company pre-sold thousands of copies while making critics hold their reviews until after it launched. The game, unfortunately, came out glitchy, with a bad habit of rendering characters as waking-nightmare bewigged horrors with disembodied teeth and eyeballs.
Ubisoft via Steam user Retro_Acpocalypse
No word yet if Marion Cotillard will attempt that look in the film.
