Hollywood may be synonymous with moviemaking, but Los Angeles has historically been fickle about supporting a major film festival. AFI Fest, which will unfurl the red carpet for opening night on Wednesday, hopes to certify its status as the city’s landmark festival, especially after seeing an encouraging growth in presales this fall. On the first day of availability, advanced tickets showed a spike of 200% over last year’s edition, per American Film Institute president Bob Gazzale.
“I hate to say it, but the question abounds: ‘Are people still going to the movies?’ Yet our passes are sold out,” Gazzale tells Variety . “It says something about the terrific programming team, because they’re finding films of interest. That’s naturally going to attract an audience, no matter what city we’re in.”
Strong programming hasn’t always guaranteed sustained support for local fests, though. The once-popular L.A. Film Festival was discontinued in 2018 after a quarter-century of play, with parent org Film Independent shifting to year-round programming. Then the LGBTQ-focused Outfest all but collapsed in 2023 following waves of layoffs and executive upheaval.