This theatre is a new 8-plex, all THX with balconies in 2 houses. It is located in a booming downtown area close to a new hockey arena. This is the first theatre in town to have an attached parking garage (they only charge one dollar if you see a film, which is a pretty good deal). I was ready to spend money on concessions as it was dinnertime.

ONE – MAKE SURE YOU CAN BE FOUND

This is in a new location, with lots of weird street turns. I ended up going in the wrong direction twice, as it was not well marked. Also, mark your parking garage so I know how to get to the theatre from the garage. The garage told me how to get to the office building…why not the theatre?

TWO – DO SOMETHING!

Lots of employees in the lobby…none tearing tickets. I have two un-torn tickets in my shirt pocket right now. The layout here is very confusing. Why not show the customer where the room is located? ( 7 entrances on main floor, 1 entrance and 1 balcony on second floor and one balcony on third floor.) I asked a few people if they wanted to tear my ticket, but no one was interested. I got lost more than once, and this place isn’t that big.

THREE – MAKE SURE YOUR CREDIT CARD MACHINE IS WORKING

If you are going to offer upscale items like fancy desserts, sandwiches and custom-pizzas, be sure your credit card machine is working. Fortunately I had enough cash to cover it, but it would have been very awkward if I didn’t.

FOUR – IF YOU WORK THERE, DON’T ARGUE OVER CONCESSIONS

I went out for popcorn, and was the second customer in line at the concession stand. I was behind a theatre employee who was ordering food. He was taking a lot of time making sure the popcorn and the hot dog was fresh. Wow…that’s real encouraging for a customer to know that I might get stale food if I don’t ask! I waited almost 5 minutes for this transaction in front of me, as there was lots of conversation between the employees. I don't mind employees buying things, but don't stand around talking while I am waiting.

FIVE – IF YOU PUT IN ROCKING CHAIR SEATS, LEAVE ROOM TO ROCK

Great seats…leather covered and very comfortable. BUT, this balcony has a very large rise, and the seats would only rock back about 2 inches before hitting the riser behind. If I go back there, I sure won’t sit in the balcony.

SIX – IF YOU ARE A THEATRE EMPLOYEE, TURN OFF YOUR RADIO IF YOU ARE IN A THEATRE

Very disrupting to hear voices coming from over my shoulder when I’m trying to watch the movie. I’m glad someone is checking on the presentation, but loud voices over a radio are very annoying.

SEVEN – I NEED TO SEE WHERE I AM GOING

Walking in the balcony during the show was very unsettling. I had a hard time seeing the floor…was there a step here or not? I couldn’t tell. Walking was very uncomfortable. I did not feel safe.

EIGHT – IF YOU ADVERTISE THE QUALITY OF YOUR PRESENTATION, MAKE IT GOOD

This theatre has made it a marketing point to advertise THX sound and high quality presentation. I found the sound to be average. The sound didn’t balance between speakers – the a voice in the right channel sounded slightly different than the same voice in the center (this was MONSTERS, INC which has a lot of moving dialog). Picture was very soft with more than a little vertical instability. I saw the same picture earlier this week and the sound and picture quality was much better at the other theatre.

This theatre has probably lost my business. I don’t have a single compelling reason to go back. I might try again in the future, but not anytime soon. I’ll see HEIST somewhere else.

Be aware, my friends, that some of us do care about our experiences and that we carefully choose where to spend our money. If you are advertising a quality experience, you had better deliver or we’ll find another place to spend the dollars.

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"Film Done Right" and "Projection Perfection" are an important (but not the only) part of "Enhancing the Theatrical Experience". Seeing a movie in a theatre should ALWAYS be the best and most enjoyable way to see it.
------------------
John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7525A
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

Thankyou for posting this. I think it is very important for the customers to speak out. Here at film-tech we always hear plenty about film quality and presentation but not alot from the customers side.

You made alot of good points, many which I never would have thought about...such as credit card machines working properly and having the radios on in the theaters. I'm sure I would have noticed these things if they happened to me, but as a manager these are things that we should be looking out for everyday. Personally, our credit card machine is only set up for gift certificates and VIP tickets (not concessions or regular admission tickets) and it takes way too long (5 minutes minimum would be my guess). This post helped me realize what an inconvience this can be to many customers, there is nothing I can do to speed up the machine or change what we will or will not take credit cards for but at least now I will make sure to warn them ahead of time that the machine tends to take some time .

Hopefully, someone from the theater you are posting about reads this thread.

A theater I worked at over a year ago had credit card machines in the lobby. I would always hear chatter about them not working over the walkie-talkie. Customers would complain that they wouldn't work or that they ran out of paper nearly everyday. I'm not sure if they ever worked. But I was constantly asking myself "Why did they even bother to put those machines in?"

Everytime I enter an auditorium I always turn my walkie-talkie down to 0 before I pass through the door. I've missed calls to the booth because of that but in my opinion it is worth it. I don't stay in the auditorium for extended periods of time and if they REALLY need me they'll call back in a few seconds when I'm back online again. I've never had a walkie go off on me in an auditorium, but I figure that it sure as hell would annoy people if it did. I also try to be extremely discreet going in and out of the doors. I don't want to be any kind of distraction. Some theater chains like to send an usher up and down each isle every 15 minutes and make sure that they are seen to let the customers know that the theater is checking up on things. To me that would be a bit distracting.

A. Projectionist notifies management he/she will be walking the auditoriums for the next 10 (or however long it takes, depending on number of screens) minutes. That way if a booth call comes up, the manager can notify an usher to be on the lookout as the projectionist walks from auditorium to auditorium.

B. Projectionist enters auditorium with radio at almost zero volume, with speaker held up next to one ear and finger on volume knob. That way he/she can monitor what is going on via the radio and still do the walks.

Of course option A is by far the best solution, but in cases where there is a problem and the projectionist must dash into the theater to make sure everything is ok from the customer's standpoint, option B is the quicker option.

Also, I have never seen so many surround speakers...one every 3-4 feet - with separate arrays for upstairs and down. Someone could easily reach right over the balcony and disconnect the speakers on the balcony rail if they wished...they used white wire which really stands out. It would be interesting if they reversed the wires.

Mark L.

Oh, just one other thing. The money I spent last night would have bought 2 DVD's that I can play over and over and over...

Most of my theater experiences come from the state of North Carolina. I was unfortunate enough to spend my teenage years growing up in Winston Salem which has always lacked a decent theater and still does in my opinion. More to come on this subject later. I usually check up on these theaters when I visit my parents. I am also familiar with the Raleigh area theaters. Actually, I have visited them all at one point or another multiple times while I went to school over there. That’s where I kind of turned into a film buff. I guess it didn’t hurt having an apartment next door to a movie theater. I recently moved to Charlotte now, so I am having a blast exploring each new cinema I visit in search for the one I like best. Even though it is just three cities, it still provides a decent assortment of theater chains to visit. They include, AMC, Carmike, Consolidated Theaters, General Cinemas, United Artist, Regal, Cinemark, Eastern Federal, Am Star, and Ambassador Entertainment. The only different chains I have visited in other cities were Lowes in New York and Orlando and SF in Stockholm.

So with all that being said let me respond to this thread from the perspective of the regular customer. First of all you don’t have to tell me theater audiences are idiots. I have to sit with them. They are the reason I avoid going on Friday and Saturday’s and end up going to the late showing on Tuesday or Wednesday. However no matter what night I go, then number one problem I keep running into is lack of staff. I understand theaters are struggling these days but it’s hard to relate when you see a massive line of people and two people at the register. On a week night I don’t expect flock of employees but I have been to some theaters with 24 screens and only one girl in the box office, one guy tearing tickets and one person at the concessions and a line at each. Like Mark Lensenmayer said in his post, many times I have gone and there is no one to tear tickets at all, so I show the ticket to the person behind the concession and they say, "oh don’t worry about it, go ahead" from across the lobby. I say thanks, and begin my journey looking for what auditorium is playing the movie which I probably could have gotten in with out even buying a ticket in the first place. The only other thing that gets me is garbage management. Actually theaters are getting better at making sure the auditorium are clean before show time but then when you go to leave all the garbage cans are full. Carmike is really bad at this. Most of the times the cans are over flowing as you walk out. Cinemas should make sure they are empty before the movie lets out. I guess this resorts back to lack of staff.

The rest of my comments are just suggestions. I understand that some are the company policy but maybe the policy should be changed.

For one concessions. For those working at a theater hear it every single day I’m sure. They are just way too expensive. Why not have one day or even Monday through Thursday where the prices on concessions are drastically cheaper. People would be more incline to buy the stuff if the prices were reasonable. It might just get some people that wouldn’t ordinarily go on a week night to make the trip. I mean $3.00 for a medium coke is just plain laughable.

This is just a total random suggestion. I am a believer of image is everything. However, some of these uniforms theater chains make employees wear are stupid. Gone are the days of bow ties and vests. Let’s get with the times and maybe more people would apply to work there. It just might help out on that staff shortage I was talking about earlier.

Before the movie, most chains have the slide show and music playing. I thought it would be nice if instead of "Who Let The Dogs Out" theaters would actually play a mix of theatrical scores from movies, or songs from movie soundtracks. I have only been to ONE theater where they did this and it was a very nice touch. It almost like it sets the tone before the movie starts. If you really want to make a buck, theaters could sell movie soundtracks in the lobby. It is a movie theater so why not bank off movie related products? Some of these theaters are so big you could have a little store where you sell movie soundtracks, movie posters, t-shirts, and anything else related to movies. People buy them online and at stores why not at the theater?

I know it’s policy to play TV commercials before the trailers, because otherwise why would you do it, but that is really tacky. We get enough commercials at home. The cinema should be an experience not a really large TV screen where you can’t change the channel.

Some theaters play sound trailers and some don’t. Most don’t, and I feel that’s a big mistake. I’ll take a sound trailer over a commercial any day. You can’t get that at home, and if you do, it often doesn’t sound as good. Granted your average Joe doesn’t care, but don’t forget there might be someone in your audience that drove across town just to see it in THX. These are the people you want to please because not only will they return over and over in hopes they can see that rare 1 minute clip, but they will often recommend that theater to friends and family. It’s seems silly and a waste of time for the projectionist but it’s a powerful marketing ploy and it really does work. I know so because several people that know nothing about digital surround sound have said to me, "lets go to this theater because they have digital sound" even though a closer theater has it but doesn’t market it.

Speaking of sound, the volume should match the size of the screen. People by now should know it’s going to be loud. It’s a freekin’ movie theater for God sakes. You don’t build a sound proof room, supply it with state of the art equipment and expect the same volume you would by watching The Weather Channel. Sorry, if it’s to loud, that’s what Blockbuster Video is for. It’s so annoying to hear people talking, kids crying, candy wrappers rustling, and that idiot eating popcorn like it’s their last meal on Earth. Keep the volume up and drown them out please!

I could go on and on, but one thing is for sure. The movie experience is still a wonderful thing, and thankfully there are still so many that enjoy it as much as I do.

Take Care.

As for "keeping the customer satisfied", there is no substitute for making the presentations (image and sound) as good as possible, and in doing so, keeping the theatre clean and in good cosmetic condition.

NINE - KEEP THE AUDIENCE UNDER CONTROL

This means kicking out anyone who behaves antisocially or who disrupts other customers, and in particular people who use mobile 'phones during the show. I'd much rather the film was stopped while such people are removed rather than have to struggle on being disturbed by yobbos. I'd also very much like to see a 'concession free zone' in each auditorium - e.g. no eating or drinking in the front five rows, or whatever.

This is the reason why I will never, ever go back to the Warner Village on the York outer ring road (and also why I'd advise any reader from this part of the world to stay well away). I saw 'The Tailor of Panama' there last spring. Technical presentation was reasonable for a multiplex, though there was a bit of ghosting on the shutter. The auditorium was clean (well, it was to start with, anyway), and the box office and ushers all seemed efficient at first glance.

There was a group of about 10 young men wearing rugby shirts, all rather drunk and talking loudly. When one of them lit a cigarette (the auditorium was all no smoking) I got up, found an usher and asked her to do something about it. No-one came into the screen: a few minutes later, one of their mobile 'phones started ringing and its owner began a conversation in a normal speaking voice, not even bothering to whisper. Sometime after that, during a romantic scene between Pierce Brosnan and Jamie Lee Curtis, one of the rugby players shouted 'Go on! Get ya pole up 'er spout!', the others all cheered and then one of them vomited into the aisle. At this point I went out again and asked to see the duty manager who offered me a refund, explaining that it was not the company policy to challenge disruptive customers, 'to ensure the personal safety of their staff'.

In all the cinemas I ever worked at, if we were faced with a situation like that then the film would be stopped, the offenders asked to leave and the Police would be called if they failed to do so. Politically correct or not, we'd usually make sure that it was a well-built male member of staff who did the asking. On several occasions I got nominated and I admit it was not a pleasant experience. If Warner Village's policy is to just let the yobs carry on regardless, then I will not be visiting any of their sites again.

Come to think of it, the problem might be solved if a theatre advertised on a sign:

I myself am in not just the technical area but also in the corporate area as well, and perhaps can shed some light on some of the issues that you have.

I too find it annoying to have commercials playing before a movie. I wish we did not have to do it, but they pay money to have us do it, and we really need that to stay open. Without it, we are dead in the water. At least it is before the movie, and not in the middle of each reel.

As for the lack of staff, especially in the huge gigaplexes, I can empathise with you, but there are very good reasons for this. You may see a line when you arrive, but these lines during the week are few and far between. The rents on these new buildings is astronomical, most in the range of 35 grand to 75 grand per week. Most are not making it. Plus you have to take into account that most films are on a 90/10 split for the first two weeks or so, with 90 percent going to the film studios. After all, someone has to pay tom cruise, and that person is you.

Of course we all hate high concession prices, but if we lowered it too much, goodbye theaters. Case in point. In my own theater, now closed for a year now, we three times lowered concession prices, all the way down to $2 per item, even for jumbo drinks and popcorns. What happened is that we closed forever. Our sales did not increase, but drastically died. What we found out is that there are a finite number of people who will buy concessions, and they will buy given the price is right. There are also those that will buy no matter the price. However they cover about 15 percent of theater audiences, and the rest just will not buy. They will avoid, sneak and rape a theater to death but will not buy our popcorn, something about the feeling that THE MAN is taking some sort of advantage of them. SO with that in mind, the prices are set based upon how many items will actually sell in any given circumstance, and how many bills have to be paid in a given week. NO ONE is making a profit from theaters right now, except for CENTURY. THey are the only chain wholly owned by its founding family. NO DEBT.

As for sound, I agree! However in most states there are laws governing sound levels. And for some reason, old folks come in with their hearing aids cranked up and want the sound down. I had a couple of old ladies came in and sat right under the cross section of two surround speakers and demanded that I turn them off. It isn't fair to the other customers at all. As for talkers, I ask them kindly to stop, then on second offence they are out. FOREVER BANNED.

Last but not least, we make our staff wear long sleeve white shirts, black vests, and BOW TIES!!! I feel this brings back an air of class not really seen since the thirties, back when it was fun to go.

Like I knew what it was like. Im just a kid.

I've never seen where a theater was "done" by opening day. Usually, there are a ton of little details to take care of, and that includes the projection. So, they probably did not EQ the auditourium (or have time to make the credit card machines work.) I don't think these problems are *that* bad. Most look like they can be fixed with better staff training, or minor work. Most times, the opening date is a bit unreasonable. Not saying it's right, just that that's what happens. Really, if the show didn't actually stop, or the fire alarm go off, all screen channels were working, the screen was evenly lit, etc., etc., I'd think it was a successful opening.

With all the money problems plaguing theaters (and other industries) today, I'm impressed they paid for THX in all houses and put in leather seats. So, I would probably give them another chance a few weeks later to see.

The theatre had been open 1 month before I attended. The rooms were THX certified before opening. I agree that they are all minor things, but they added up to an unpleasant experience, not just for me but for my non-technical wife who went with me (she didn't enjoy getting lost in the garage). There were many unfinished touches in the theatre that I did not mention, giving them the benefit of the doubt of being new. There was some construction glitches around, and some materials piled in the corners. I have no problem with that. Almost tripping and falling on solid concrete because I couldn't see where I was going is a bit more serious.

Yes, a LOT of money went into this facillity. I know the operators want to do a good job...I have worked with them on projects long ago. Perhaps I just hit them on a bad night. And, I probably will give it a second chance. But, as I said, I have MANY other choices, including one that never fails to deliver an outstanding presentation. I'm going to spend my money where I am most likely to see things done well.

The point I was trying to make, John, is that going to the movies is not as automatic as it once was. Do I go to the theatre, or wait for the DVD? The location in this area that showed HEDWIG has difficult parking. I chose to get the DVD just because of that. That DVD cost, including shipping, just $18.74, which is not much more than the cost of 2 tickets.

At a tiny twin in Manhattan, the manager wore a tuxedo with white carnation on holidays, and his wife and daughters gowns, and on Xmas
and New Years many patrons were similarly dressed. The manager's family served cups of demi-tasse gratis. His policy was to show a film from Spain in one auditorium and one from South or Central America in the other. And each year he hosted a Miss Latin New York
type competition, where young ladies came onstage in gowns they had made themselves, to be interviewed and win prizes, while local politicos spoke words of praise.