Talks of 'Jamaican Mafia 2', general showing at Caribalks of Jamaican Mafia Pt2, general showing at Carib

After many delays, the highly anticipated movie, Jamaican Mafia, had its official premiere on local soil recently to a sold-out audience. Scores of movie lovers turned up at the Carib Theatre in Cross Roads, St Andrew, to witness what producers of the film have been calling history in the making.

For those who had their doubts about whether or not people were still interested in seeing the film, their concerns were addressed on Friday night. When The Gleaner team arrived at the cinemas just before the start of the show, it was clear that the premiere of the movie was a special occasion.

There was a huge gathering outside the ticket area, as scores of persons joined long lines to purchase their tickets for the show. A red carpet was laid out for moviegoers as they entered the cinema and led the way to the rooms where the movie was being shown.

The film's producers must have anticipated that the crowd would be huge, as they booked not one, but two cinemas for the showing of the film. However, despite having two areas where the film was being shown, there were several persons who did not get a seat inside the theatres. They didn't seem to mind though, as they stood in the aisles for the duration of the movie, some saying that they would rather be standing than to miss out on the film.

Producer happy

The Gleaner spoke to Orville Matherson, one of the film's executive producers, following the movie's premiere and he could not hide his joy. Bursting with pride, Matherson said he was happy with the overwhelming support the film received.

"Knowing how much we struggled with getting this film here, it was a great feeling to see the success," he said. "People were so determined to see the movie that even when they did not get a seat, they stood in the aisles and watched from there. It was just amazing."

He also reported that there were a number of persons who had to be turned away as there was no space to accommodate them. "Even when persons were standing in the aisles, there were others still coming," he said. "We had to turn away a busload of people because we just didn't have anywhere to put them, and they were so disappointed."

Matherson said the response to the film was so great that the producers are again in talks with Palace Amusement about having a general showing. "We had to rent the two cinemas where the film was shown and that still was not enough. People want to see this movie, so we are back in talks with the heads of Palace Cinemas, hoping to get them to include the movie in their regular schedule," he explained.

"The interest is there and the numbers don't lie, so we are hoping that having seen the film's success, they (Palace Amusements) will rethink their original decision."

Matherson also revealed that a decision on the matter should be reached by the end of the week.

Based on the movie's ending, fans have been wondering whether or not there will be a sequel to the movie - and Matherson let the cat out of the bag. "Yes, there will definitely be a Jamaican Mafia, Part Two," he said. "We are still in the discussion phase though, and we also want to see the reactions from this first one to determine how the story will unfold in part two."

Matherson also told The Gleaner that since the movie premiered on Friday, he has received word that bootleg copies of the film have become available in New York, but he has not confirmed this.

"We have been hearing of these bootlegs, but we have not confirmed it for ourselves yet. We are, however, doing our investigations," he revealed. "We have been through so much with this film, so legal action against persons who wish to profit from it illegally will be an option."

shereita.grizzle@gleanerjm.com