A thousand-year-old embroidery has become one of the hottest tickets of the year. When the British Museum released its second batch of tickets to see the Bayeux Tapestry last Wednesday, Monzo cardholders spent £14,100 there in the first hour, 48 times a normal Wednesday morning, according to the bank's spending data reported by The Guardian. More than half of those buyers, 55%, were under 35.
That was twice the opening-morning spend for this year's biggest films: £7,000 for the acclaimed The Odyssey and £6,300 for the box office hit Spider-Man: Brand New Day, based on data from Monzo's 16 million customers.
Pricier, scarcer and still selling out
Tapestry tickets cost far more than a cinema seat, at £33 for a standard adult peak ticket and £27 off-peak, and they are much harder to come by. Even so, the average basket was £97, compared with £19 on Spider-Man's opening morning. Within two hours, Monzo customers had spent £30,500, and almost half the buyers were willing to travel in from elsewhere.
Thousands joined an online queue when sales opened at 10 a.m., and the tickets were gone within three hours, faster than the first release, which took 24 hours to sell out. The rush has drawn comparisons to Glastonbury and the Oasis reunion tour.
A cultural event
The tapestry, which records the Norman Conquest, is making its first appearance there since it was taken away in the 11th century. The British Museum called the response since it went on display last month extraordinary, and has made changes to manage long lines, including banning photography.
Reviews have been glowing. The Guardian called it "a stupefying, thrilling, horrifying masterpiece that shakes the earth."
Reporting sources: Culture | The Guardian, “Bayeux tapestry becomes pop culture hit as young people more keen to see exhibition than top films”.