The Movie Max cinema in Timaru, New Zealand, is currently closed until COVID restrictions move to Level 2—and an employee's expletive-laden attempt to communicate that information in a voicemail message has given his country a good laugh at a tough time. In his first three efforts, the man got partway through the message, which starts "Hello and thank you for calling Movie Max Digital Cinemas, Timaru. We are currently closed until..." before trailing off with "Oh, f--- me" or "Oh, for f---'s sake," the Guardian reports. He nailed it on the fourth try, but accidentally uploaded the failed attempts as well.
In a reply to a Facebook message, the cinema said it was "rectifying" the issue and added a facepalm emoji. Nigel Bowen, mayor of the South Island town, said the message was replaced after he notified the cinema. "At the moment we need a bit of lighthearted relief," Bowen said. Social media users urged the cinema not to fire the employee, the New Zealand Herald reports.
"Probably got Movie Max Timaru more attention than ever before," one wrote. "Free popcorn for that man!" Another wrote: "This is the greatest cinema message ever left for the public. Give that dude a damn raise." Most of New Zealand is currently in Alert Level 3, the second-highest on the scale, but Auckland, epicenter of the country's delta variant outbreak, is still in a Level 4 lockdown. (More New Zealand stories.)
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