New Zealand cinemaâs expletive-laden voicemail gets rave reviews
An expletive-ridden voicemail recording, accidentally uploaded by a New Zealand cinema, is giving the nation a dose of cheer as it races to stamp out an outbreak of coronavirus.
An employee of Movie Max Cinemas in the South Island port city of Timaru attempted to record a temporary closure voicemail while the region is in a level-3 lockdown, the countryâs second-highest setting.
But instead of erasing his first few failed attempts, he accidentally uploaded them all, complete with his frustrated outbursts between takes.
Movie Max in Timaru New Zealand is having A DAY ð pic.twitter.com/ZnnVBTjEQE
— Court Mayhew (@courtmayhew) September 2, 2021The recording starts off well before it slides downhill: âHello, and thank you for calling Movie Max Digital Cinemas, Timaru. We are currently closed until ⦠ahh fuck you.â
He begins again, starting well, before stumbling and saying âOh for fuckâs sakesâ.
The third attempt ends with an exasperated âOh fuck meâ, before he finally nails it on his fourth try.
Social media has been delighting in the mistake, with many people posting about its relatability during difficult times, and voicing their support for the employee.
I LOVE this. Booking a ticket as soon as we hit level 2 purely in support of my frustrated brother here. https://t.co/NuDUoohkw2
— James Meager (@jrmeager) September 2, 2021One woman wanted to ensure the worker did not get into trouble and emailed the cinema to say how much she enjoyed the recording.
This is the greatest cinema message ever left for the public. Give that dude a damn raise. https://t.co/JYMjcwbg2z
— ð ððððððð (@Timpson) September 2, 2021âLiterally every person screws up at work sometimes, and actually listening to this brought a lovely bit of very human humour to my day,â she wrote. âIt made me laugh, and thatâs not nothing in the times we live in.â
I felt bad about the attention this is getting (though it brought me genuine delight) so I did this. https://t.co/EU7fpkj6TT pic.twitter.com/Al4IHDgZ1i
— Madam Snazzy (@MoataTamaira) September 3, 2021The Timaru mayor, Nigel Bowen, alerted the cinemaâs owner to the recording and it was promptly updated with a politer version.
âAt the moment we need a bit of lighthearted relief,â Bowen said. âEveryone is a bit cooped up with the current lockdown, so people are enjoying having a bit of a laugh.â
The cinema has been contacted for comment.