Yet another movie not screened for critics?

It used to be that, if a movie wasn’t screened for critics until the night before the movie opened, it probably meant the movie sucked. Now, it might just mean that the movie was made by 20th Century Fox. The latest case in point: The Simpsons Movie.

The Los Angeles Times reports:

Some critics won’t get a look at “The Simpsons Movie” until three days before it opens nationally, a strategy Twentieth Century Fox is using to preserve the film’s plot from Internet pirates and scoop-hungry movie bloggers.

The film, which “Simpsons” fans have awaited for years, is set to premiere in Westwood on July 24 with a wide release on July 27. Fox is hosting screenings for most critics and reporters on July 24, 25 and 26.

The late screening has prompted speculation that “The Simpsons Movie” isn’t all that its gargantuan marketing campaign has promised. A Fox spokeswoman denied those rumors Thursday.

“Anybody who’s needed to see the film has already seen it,” said the spokeswoman, who asked that her name not be used. “We’re not concerned about audience response to the film. The audience response has been overwhelming.” . . .

Of course, as readers of this blog will know, Fox didn’t cook this strategy up just for The Simpsons Movie. The last few Fox films — including Pathfinder, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer and Live Free or Die Hard — have all been screened for the media as late as possible, and in Vancouver, the only press screenings I know about have all been either cancelled or held back until the night before the movie opens (i.e. until a few hours before the public can buy tickets to midnight and/or matinee screenings). And as we all know, evening-before screenings “don’t count.”

I have not yet heard about any Vancouver-area screenings for The Simpsons Movie, but a colleague of mine in the Washington, D.C. area says he won’t get a chance to see the movie until June 26, i.e. the night before it opens. I have no idea which cities, apart from L.A., are getting the two- and three-nights-before screenings.

JUL 19 UPDATE: Wow, I just heard that there will, in fact, be a press screening for The Simpsons Movie in Vancouver — and it will happen at least two days before the movie’s release date. Fox has been behaving very strangely lately, but at least in this respect, in my home town, they are finally doing something right.

JUL 24 UPDATE: I take back the compliment. After spending a few days scrounging around for a babysitter — a task that was trickier than usual this week, thanks to a music class that my twins are enrolled in, an hour’s drive from home — I RSVP’ed for the press screening today, and then the publicist got back to me and said, in effect, “Whoops, you have a blog, don’t you? We shouldn’t have invited you to the Wednesday-morning screening. Fox wants critics with blogs to go to the Thursday-night screening, the night before the movie opens, only.” And after I had already arranged the babysitting? “Sorry about that, maybe Fox will change its policy by the time their next film comes out.” Unbelievable.