Sundance Front Loading: Fact or fiction? As the Sundance storm settles suddenly, is slotting to blame?

Sundance 2005 Slotting by First Five and Last Three Days.

First Five Days: Friday, January 21st to Tuesday, January 25th.
Last Three Days: Wednesday, January 26th to Friday, January 28th.
Note: Thursday’s Opening Premiere is grouped into First Five Days.

Here are the 11 films that had their first showing during the last three days of the festival:

• Wednesday: Lackawanna Blues; The Girl From Monday; Stranger; High School Record; The Puffy Chair; This Revolution. Thursday: Reefer Madness; Rory O’Shea Was Here; Love, Ludlow; What is it? Friday: Mysterious Skin.

There’s no question about it: Sundance essentially ended on Tuesday night. At least 75% of the crowd was gone by the time the sun came up on Wednesday, as I headed to half-filled press screenings and suddenly empty halls at the Sundance HQ.

NOTE: The 75% estimate is my eyeball based on the overall crowdsnot just the people with badges who pay to come to the festival. A very helpful Sundance staffer thought my 75% number was way off, and that my estimation of the press screenings was way off as well. He would know regarding the press screenings, since they have the actual numbers, perhaps they are not as off as I have experienced. However, 99% of the gawkers, here last week, are now gone. No one has exact stats on the number of people here, but this being my fourth Sundance, it is a really quiet here.

Trips from the Yarrow to the top of Main Street by car took five minutesnot 50. There were no more VIP parties with hundreds of hopefuls mobbing a half dozen clipboarded hipsters. The hectic battle to plant your SUV was replaced by “rock star parking” moments, where you walk 10 feet