In fact, this was what the top of my browser window looked like for most of this morning, as most theaters put users into a queue, with wait times that lasted for multiple hours:
A little bit of waiting and patience never hurt anybody. The real problem came to fruition when people found their orders crashing due to a server issue on Fandango's back end. While it appears that the ticketing giant planned for the massive traffic-the queue screens were clearly designed for this specific purpose-they still managed to malfunction, spitting users back out, and leaving potential opening night patrons ticketless.
As the opportunity to ensure an premiere night glimpse of Tony Stark, Thor, Black Widow, and the rest of the crew dwindled, people took their understandable frustration to social media.
The saga started off innocently enough:
Oh snap! #AvengersEndgame {\__/} ( . ) < \ {\__/} ( . ) / > {\__/} ( . ) / > | {\__/} ( .) / > | tickets are on sale: https://t.co/qQi9f70b3Q pic.twitter.com/KLzaCr7iiw - Fandango (@Fandango) April 2, 2019
Its not about how much we lost, its about how much we have left. Tickets are now available for Marvel Studios #AvengersEndgame , in theaters April 26: https://t.co/PC8FnQeIcu pic.twitter.com/kWMrwSteDO - Russo Brothers (@Russo_Brothers) April 2, 2019
But things very quickly went awry, as people went absolutely insane, mashing their keyboards and phones at the chance to maybe see Ant Man do something to Thanos.
My wait time to buy #AvengersEndgame tickets went from 15 minutes to 10 and then up to 20. Sigh. pic.twitter.com/cH0ty3JvEa - Frederick Joseph (@FredTJoseph) April 2, 2019
Hey @Fandango , its a good thing your one purpose isnt to sell movie tickets. Heres what Im getting after an hour of waiting. pic.twitter.com/hRvGvmnxPo - Matt Goldberg (@MattGoldberg) April 2, 2019
Fam Im suing you @Fandango - Dad (@fivefifths) April 2, 2019
Trying to purchase Endgame Tickets on AMC and Fandango right now pic.twitter.com/9uoVu9yvVC - Manuel Ramirez (@_M_A_N_N_Y_) April 2, 2019
Fandango just put "the line is paused" My current situation at work... pic.twitter.com/8da9W8gohV - BlaquElizabeth (@BlaquElizabeth) April 2, 2019
Luckily, some managed a happy ending to this dramatic saga:
When everyone is having issues with fandango but you got your avengers tickets pic.twitter.com/sKlKlUJ32k - Big Girl Slay (@Biggirlslay) April 2, 2019
LETS FUCKING GO. #AvengersEndgame pic.twitter.com/A2I5VrqGja - Frederick Joseph (@FredTJoseph) April 2, 2019
Others though, myself included, were not as lucky. Some, you might even say, were pushed back to square one; as I sit here, my five remaining Avengers: Endgame tabs-for five different theaters-have returned to 'over an hour' as the ETA for my ticket purchase. Will I ever be able to purchase tickets? Or has Fandango completed their ploy, with me constantly checking tabs of their site for the rest of my life? Time will tell.