On Thursday, July 29th, D23 Gold Members were given the opportunity to see a special opening night screening of Walt Disney Studio’s newest blockbuster Jungle Cruise at the renowned El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood.
As guests of D23, AllEars was invited to attend the Jungle Cruise premiere and revisit the experience of seeing movies on the big screen once more.
Health Precautions
Prior to arrival, guests were informed of the various safety precautions the theater was taking to decrease transmission risk in this COVID era. Masks were mandatory for everyone regardless of vaccination status, and a health screening checklist was given out for people to evaluate themselves (reporting was on the honor system basis.)
Concessions
Once inside the theater, guest tickets included a 20 oz drink, box of popcorn, Jungle Cruise Skipper hat, and a special treat for the night, DOLE Whip, courtesy of Hula Girls Shave Ice.
Inside the theater
Up in the balconies, costumes from the film were on display.
Playing us in was El Capitan’s long-standing resident organist Rob Richards.
Prior to the start of the movie, the audience had a surprise guest in the form of Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Chapek who, along with D23 President Michael Vargo, delivered some introductory comments welcoming people back to the start of D23 in-person events.
Photos and Merchandise
After the movie finished, guests could finish off their night enjoying the photo-op in the lobby and shopping for merchandise in the adjoining Ghirardelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop.
A fun night and a welcome first in-person event for D23 since this whole pandemic began. Here’s hoping things continue to settle so we can all safely enjoy more to come.
Disney’s Jungle Cruise is currently playing in theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access.
Check out our YouTube Channel for reviews, news, information and more!
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Disclosure: We were invited by D23 to attend a media event of Jungle Cruise. This did not affect our reporting of the event — our opinions are our own.
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