Tuesday August 7 12:04 AM ET
Cinemark movie theaters to test rock concerts
By Bob Tourtellotte

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Cinemark movie theater chain Monday unveiled plans to screen a live concert by rock band Sugar Ray in 14 locations across the United States this month as it steps up efforts to expand theater uses.

The move puts Dallas, Texas-based Cinemark Theaters at the forefront of an industry trend to fill otherwise empty seats with alternative entertainment.

``This is our first rock concert,'' said Cinemark spokeswoman Terrell Falk. ``We've really looked at this and said 'Okay, what's the potential for alternative programming on nights when we don't have a lot of people in the theaters.'''

Sugar Ray, whose recent CD entitled ``Sugar Ray'' debuted in the Top 10 on Billboard magazine's album charts, is scheduled to play at The Tabernacle in Atlanta, Georgia, on Aug. 15, and the show will be simulcast live, via satellite, for audiences.

The show is being simulcast by Los Angeles' Cinema Presents, which will be beaming the event to locations in a total 21 states, according to a Cinema Presents spokeswoman.

The broadcast will be all-digital with special projection systems set up by Cinema Presents. It hopes to roll out its systems in some 250 locations in the future, she said.

After years of heavy spending by exhibitors on new theaters in megaplexes with stadium seating and other amenities, many movie theater chains are struggling under a heavy debt load.

To ease the financial burden, theaters are looking to expand their uses, and one way has been to make them venues for concerts, plays, sporting events or corporate meetings.

In recent months, a digital version of Broadway play ''Jekyll and Hyde'' was piped into into several theaters around the country to test their viability.

Falk said Cinemark's showing of the play in one Dallas theater was relatively successful, whereas a similar screening in Ohio had a lower turnout.

For the Sugar Ray concert, Cinemark chose a variety of theaters and markets -- new and old, small and large -- to test the concept with the widest audience possible, she said.

For instance, Sugar Ray recently played in Dallas, and Cinemark is curious as to whether its stop there will spur fans to show up in theaters, or whether it will diminish interest.

But in a small market, such as Sierra Vista, Ariz., Cinemark wants to learn if fan interest is strong because the band has not scheduled a tour stop near the town.

Along with theaters in Dallas and Sierra Vista, Cinemark will be showing the concert in Orlando, Florida; Grandville, Michigan; Rochester, New York; Austin, Texas and other cities.

Recording artist, Uncle Kracker, will open for Sugar Ray. Tickets are for sale for $15, and can be bought at the theaters or through online ticket service, fandango.com.

Reuters/Variety

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So it would seem that when business is up THE WALL, the powers that be are trying the old live music idea again. Nice to see that THE SONG REMAINS THE SAME....

Here's an article from the on-line Boxoffice Magazine with a list of all the theatres showing the concert:
http://www.boxoffice.com/scripts/newsviewstory.asp?ID=748

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John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Eastman Kodak Company
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7419
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: 716-477-5325 Cell: 716-781-4036 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
Web site: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion

North Shore Cinemas -- Mequon, WI

Point UltraScreen Cinemas -- Madison, WI (two theatres at this site)

South Shore Cinemas -- Oak Creek, WI

Westown UltraScreen Cinemas -- Waukesha, WI

Crosswoods Cinemas & IMAX -- Columbus, OH

Cambridge Cinemas -- Cambridge, MN

Oakdale Cinemas -- Oakdale, MN (3 separate showings here)

Elk River -- Elk River, MN

Addison Cinemas and IMAX -- Addison, IL

Elgin Fox Theatre -- Elgin, IL

Gurnee Cinemas -- Gurnee, IL

Orland Park Marcus Cinemas -- Orland Park, IL

Prices look to be $15.00, although the Columbus site is a bargain at only $7.50. Tickets for some of the shows are listed as not available.

This show has received NO publicity in the Columbus area...can't speak for the other locations.

I'd like to check this out BUT the local art center is showing MOTHRA and BATTLE IN OUTER SPACE. I think MOTHRA sounds like more fun!

Mark Lensenmayer

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For an exclusive on things like the Super Bowl, NBA finals, Olympics, etc., theatres would be bidding against other media like television and cable networks. So you would have to guarantee a better return than these established channels. It's difficult to start charging for something people have gotten used to getting free.

If the idea would be to co-broadcast, offering the advantage of a big theatre screen, would it be enough to get "Joe Six-Pack" away from his free TV or low priced PPV and into a theatre?

The timing of these "events" is likely to conflict with the times feature movies do their best business too, so it's not as simple as just filling the "spare" time in a theatre.

Interesting times ahead.

------------------
John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Eastman Kodak Company
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7419
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: 716-477-5325 Cell: 716-781-4036 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
Web site: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion

quote:

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Ive always said with digital cinema you can potentially show the latest in Boxing matches

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I think that idea (video in theaters making non-film programming available) was first raised in the 1920's, & large scale rollout of video projection for boxing matches, etc. first hit in the 1950's. Generally, it starts off with lukewarm interest, then dies. Then it sort of cycles like 3D movies.

Maybe now with auditorium sizes being tiny fractions of the old houses, the margins may be there for being successful. I personally think that with that type of programming, image quality will not be so important. What will probably be more important is the programming itself -- massive pop culture artists might fill a house (N'Sync, etc.) but attendance for anything else is probably not going to be worth the hassles of rights neqotiations, etc.

Especially for concerts, even though many live shows are in former movie palace PAC's with bolted-in seating, I think that the seating & other viewing environment issues will not make concert projection (as opposed to concert movies) very attractive to potential ticket buyers for a concert broadcast. At the very least, it would be necessary to lift any ban on powwow dancing.

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#1 He can go see his favorite band, N'Sync, LIVE in concert with what is "generally" (or at least supposed to be) top notch sound presentation at true concert levels. If he gets close enough, he may even be able to take in some of the air that was in their lungs creating that sweet sound.

or...

#2 Ian can go see his favorite boys at the local theater via video feed (Cinemark or otherwise).

Now we all know how much Ian idolizes those 5 lads and obviously the visual portion of the concert will be diminished by the mere fact he is seeing a video reproduction of the concert, but what about that sound presentation? "Most" theaters don't have what it takes to properly re-create the sound environment of a rock concert. And if they did, what kind of HORRIBLE bleed-through will there be into the neighboing auditoriums where the movie-patronizing customers will be complaining?

So really, has anyone taken the sound aspect into account in all of this? Or are the corporate big shots going to sit there and blab about "oh our super duper whooper mega diddly do wop sound systems will recreate that experience just as well, blah, blah, blah"? I think these guys will come to realize that music concerts will not sell like non-sound-intensive telecasts will. The presentation just won't be there.

Sporting events, that are now shown on regular or cable TV, will not fly in the long run. They certainly will not equal being at the stadium and seeing the game and feeling the excitement generated by the crowd. It won't even equal sitting in your living room, with your family or your buddies, popping a cool and watching the game.

As a matter of fact if you pay $15.00 or $20.00 per ticket you will not be a happy camper at the end of the night.

So let it be written, so let it be done.