On a gloomy, overcast Wednesday, the John Lewis Student Center witnessed signs of cheer. The Student Center Programs Council (SCPC) organized a movie night at the Atlantic Theater on Jan. 24, 6–8 p.m. The organizers screened the first “Shrek” (2001) movie, providing attendees with complimentary popcorn and a movie bingo sheet.

The movie, which grossed over $450 million, became a worldwide cult phenomenon, leading DreamWorks Animation to produce three more main films and two spin-off movies. Additionally, a source connected to the studio recently teased plans for a Shrek 5 release in 2025, although details around the project are yet to be revealed.

The Technique spoke to Jeffrey Pan, MS AE and SCPC President, to understand how the film was chosen.

“We use a movie licenser, which typically gives us easy access to screen slightly older movies. We did a quick survey among our members, and Shrek seemed to be the most popular. Something I’ve been pushing for is a way for the student body to also give their input on what they’d like to see — possibly through in-person surveys at our events,” Pan said.

The 90-minute-long animated film tells the story of Shrek (Mike Myers), an ogre whose swamp has been overrun by fairytale creatures exiled by Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow). In exchange for having his swamp back, Shrek agrees to rescue Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) from a castle guarded by a fire-breathing dragon for Farquaad. After a chance encounter, Donkey (Eddie Murphy), a talking donkey, tags along with Shrek and becomes a part of his quest.

Despite the movie’s evergreen popularity and the central location of the Student Center, the turnout was relatively low. 

Merely 20–30 students attended, sparsely occupying the 250-seater Atlantic Theater. On SCPC’s Instagram handle (@gtscpc), the event was publicized just two days before the date, possibly explaining the lack of awareness about the event.

Joelle Dlugozima, third-year PUBP and VP of Public…