[imagesource: @jackblackandkyle/Reddit/MovieMax5]

Customers calling a Movie Max cinema in Timaru, a South Island port city in New Zealand, were greeted with an accidentally hilarious voicemail.

The employee, who was evidently tasked with recording a temporary closure message for its phone line, didn’t delete the parts of the message where he went way off-script.

The accidental recording is a smash hit on social media now, giving everyone in New Zealand some much-needed laughter after dealing with a new COVID-19 outbreak and restrictions under their level 3 lockdown, The Guardian reports.

All Kiwis, ministers included, do enjoy a good chuckle.

Lend me your ears:

Movie Max in Timaru New Zealand is having A DAY pic.twitter.com/ZnnVBTjEQE

— Court Mayhew (@courtmayhew) September 2, 2021

Everybody is 100% backing the employee, grateful for the humour and relief that they have provided during such difficult times:

I LOVE this. Booking a ticket as soon as we hit level 2 purely in support of my frustrated brother here. https://t.co/NuDUoohkw2

— James Meager (@jrmeager) September 2, 2021

This is the greatest cinema message ever left for the public. Give that dude a damn raise. https://t.co/JYMjcwbg2z

— (@Timpson) September 2, 2021

A concerned customer even emailed the cinema to make sure the employee would be fine:

I felt bad about the attention this is getting (though it brought me genuine delight) so I did this. https://t.co/EU7fpkj6TT pic.twitter.com/Al4IHDgZ1i

— Madam Snazzy (@MoataTamaira) September 3, 2021

A person who can record a voicemail message with perfect accuracy the first time around must be close to genius because it is clearly not easy.

Thus, we can certainly understand the frustration of this employee.

Timaru mayor, Nigel Bowen, fixed the message with a more polite version (boo) but acknowledged that the original provided some “lighthearted relief” while it lasted.

[source:guardian]