ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The first local showing of the documentary film "Blackfish" is airing at the Enzian Theater in Maitland Friday afternoon.
The film looks at the death of SeaWorld Orlando trainer Dawn Brancheau, who was killed by a killer whale, and focuses on the controversy of holding them in captivity.
Jessica Touchstone said she has been waiting months to see the movie "Blackfish."
The film is about a film about Tilikum, the orca that took the life of the Brancheau.
The film claims to give a behind-the-scenes look at the treatment of killer whales.
Touchstone showed up at the Enzian hoping to get a ticket for Friday's showing, but she was out of luck
"Thought I would come up grab my ticket and be ready for tonight, like always, but they're sold out for today and tomorrow," said Touchstone.
She said she's been to plenty of movies here, but she's never seen it sold out so fast.
Theater officials said there's a lot of buzz about this film.
"We're fortunate to have pretty busy opening weekends, but anything with a local focus like this tends to heightening interest," said Hollie Mahadeo, general manager of the Enzian.
Chris Scales was one of the first people in line to get tickets when they became available.
"I have been counting down the hours and the minutes," said Scales.
He said he is convinced that "Blackfish" is an important movie, and said having marine life in captivity is wrong.
"It's just not fair to the animal," said Scales.
Friday afternoon SeaWorld released a statement about the film:
SeaWorld response to the movie Blackfish
Blackfish is billed as a documentary, but instead of a fair and balanced treatment of a complex subject, the film is inaccurate and misleading and, regrettably, exploits a tragedy that remains a source of deep pain for Dawn Brancheau's family, friends and colleagues.
To promote its bias that killer whales should not be maintained in a zoological setting, the film paints a distorted picture that withholds from viewers key facts about SeaWorld - among them, that SeaWorld is one of the world's most respected zoological institutions, that SeaWorld rescues, rehabilitates and returns to the wild hundreds of wild animals every year, and that SeaWorld commits millions of dollars annually to conservation and scientific research.
Perhaps most important, the film fails to mention SeaWorld's commitment to the safety of its team members and guests and to the care and welfare of its animals, as demonstrated by the company's continual refinement and improvement to its killer whale facilities, equipment and procedures both before and after the death of Dawn Brancheau.
WFTV
