'Rust' World Premiere Ticket Demand Crashes Camerimage Festival Website

Alec Baldwin’s Western flick "Rust" has been tangled in controversy ever since Halyna Hutchins' on-set death 3 years ago ... but it's finally getting its moment 'cause people are scrambling for tickets to the world premiere.

The movie’s dropping Wednesday at Poland’s EnergaCAMERIMAGE Film Festival -- but when tickets went live for festival-goers early Tuesday morning, the system crashed from all the crazy demand.

Shortly after 8 AM in Poland, a message popped up on the site saying, "The Camerimage portal is currently undergoing system maintenance." By around 8:35 AM, The Hollywood Reporter says some users were able to get back on and grab their tickets.

This shows people are eager to see "Rust" -- even though the festival’s organizers purposely didn’t invite Baldwin, noting his presence would be distracting.

When the world premiere was announced last month, it sparked major backlash from Halyna's industry peers, with Oscar-nominated cinematographer Rachel Morrison speaking out against "promoting the film that killed her."

However, the event is focused on achievements in cinematography, and as a result, it will feature a special panel led by the "Rust" director Joel Souza to honor Halyna’s life.

As you know, Halyna tragically died on the set of the film in 2021 after being struck by a bullet fired from a loaded prop gun by Baldwin. The charges of involuntary manslaughter against Baldwin were dismissed in July.