A car sits as pedestrians pass in front the TIFF Bell Lightbox, home to the Toronto International Film Festival, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2014.Galit Rodan/Bloomberg
The Toronto International Film Festival was left red-faced and scrambling this weekend after over-selling tickets to a pair of highly anticipated world premiere screenings.
Both St. Vincent, starring Bill Murray, and The Drop, which features the late James Gandolfini, are to have their first screenings this Friday at the Princess of Wales theatre. But a number of people who thought they had access are being left disappointed.
In a statement, a TIFF spokesperson blamed a computer error for continuing to offer tickets after the space had been sold out.
"We are working with the affected package holders to exchange their tickets for another screening of the same film, to choose a different film, or to offer a refund," Jennifer Bell wrote. "TIFF sincerely apologizes for this error and for the inconvenience and disappointment it has caused our audiences."
TIFF declined to say how many people are affected by the error.