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Topic: And You Thought NYC Was Expensive

Jonathan M. Crist
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 531
From: Hershey, PA, USA
Registered: Apr 2000

posted 03-14-2002 10:20 PM

On March 22 Pacific Theatres in LA will open its all reservation ArcLight luxury multiplex adjacent to the historic Cinerama Dome with a ticket price of $14.00 a ticket. A Pacific spokesman is quoted as saying " The ArcLight experience may not be for everyone".

And to think I can still rent a new release VHS tape at my local mom- and-pop video store for $1.99.

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Bob Maar
(Maar stands for Maartini)

Posts: 28608
From: New York City & Newport, RI
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 03-14-2002 11:29 PM

How many screens are they putting in this complex for no one to attend?

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Paul Mayer
Oh get out of it Melvin, before it pulls you under!

Posts: 3836
From: Albuquerque, NM
Registered: Feb 2000

posted 03-15-2002 12:46 AM

Wow! And I thought National Amusements' The Bridge special Director's Theaters were bad at $10.00 a pop in the LA market. The higher price there is supposed to ensure a "film done right" presentation to go along with the leather-upholstered stadium seating.

Now there's a business model--charge a premium for "film done right"!
I wonder what Pacific's promising for their premium? At least the machines will all be Kinotons...

Cheers!

Paul
Greetings from the land of the thrice kissed ass
Unemployed mercenary film/video projectionist/engineer
"When the money runs out, so does I."
-6

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Mitchell Dvoskin
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1869
From: West Milford, NJ, USA
Registered: Jan 2001

posted 03-15-2002 08:40 AM

What make you think they are going to do film right? I get the impression they are charging for the comfortable seating and expanded consession options. It would not surprise me to find minimum wage booth ushers upstairs.

/Mitchell

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Don Sneed
Master Film Handler

Posts: 451
From: Texas City, TX, USA
Registered: Aug 2001

posted 03-15-2002 09:40 AM

If you guys think that's bad, the movie ticket prices here in Japan is $18.00 for adult, $12.00 for kids....the ultra delux screens are $30.00 per person....& I was bitcing about paying $8.00 in the states...Whooooaaaa weeeeeeee & USA in the "Captialist Country"...I think not !!!

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Leo Enticknap
Film God

Posts: 7474
From: Loma Linda, CA
Registered: Jul 2000

posted 03-15-2002 10:03 AM

About 2-3 years ago I saw Face/Off at the Odeon Leicester Square in London, and the ticket price for the dress circle was UK£9, which I would guess works out at about US$13-14.

If the presentation had justified it I wouldn't have been too bothered - central London is central London, after all. But it didn't. The adverts lasted nearly 20 minutes and then the print was seriously scratched throughout. Also, because that cinema is a single-screen house originally built for Academy, the 'scope screen is tiny because it is achieved by closing vertical masking. Towards the back of a 2,000 seat house the screen looked tiny.

That experience showed me that ticket prices are not always a useful guide to presentation quality.

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David Stambaugh
Film God

Posts: 4021
From: Eugene, Oregon
Registered: Jan 2002

posted 03-15-2002 10:17 AM

I saw "Lord of the Rings" yesterday in a mall 17-plex. Print has been playing 3 times a day since the movie opened (has to be >300 showings), and still looked like new. Excellent presentation, good DTS sound. Screen is 36 feet wide, with correct scope ratio. $3.75 bargain matinee price.

EDIT: Someone questioned my statement that this is an original print with >300 shows on it (rightly so). So I emailed the theater GM. He says the print they are currently running is 1 of the original 3 they received when the movie first opened.

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Paul Linfesty
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1383
From: Bakersfield, CA, USA
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 03-16-2002 12:07 PM

THeir website does go into a lot more technical detail than most, so we'll see. One note: They mention having SDDS-8 in their largest auditoriums, yet also say their largest theatres feature 3 stage speakers.
http://www.arclightcinemas.com/sightnsound.jsp

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Owen Shave
Film Handler

Posts: 34
From: Manchester, UK
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 03-17-2002 06:20 AM

our most expensive seats are our 'gallery' balconies on our 3 largest screens. 15 pounds Fri/Sat/Sun.. this is about £22.50. It is often very busy too. Included in your ticket price you get free unlimited nachos, popcorn and soft drinks. The Gallery balconies are also licenced and so patrons can drink alcoholic drinks during the film should they choose to buy them.

Owen

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Scott D. Neff
Theatre Dork

Posts: 919
From: San Francisco, CA
Registered: Oct 1999

posted 03-17-2002 01:13 PM

The El Capitan in Hollywood already charges up to $22 a ticket, but that includes a special little show next door after the movie... but still... perhaps they're going to have somethign similar?

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Paul Linfesty
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1383
From: Bakersfield, CA, USA
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 03-17-2002 07:48 PM

But the El Capitan's prices fall back to the "normal" rate for their non-packaged film and (either) stage show or next door attraction, even offering the "normal" bargain mat prices. The Arclight seems to think an ALL special megaplex can make it at all times. But, there ARE a lot of wealthy people in LA (have to be, to pay for housing). The theatre is definetely being aimed at the adult crowd. The New Chinese 6 theatres actually charge 20 bucks for sitting in leather chairs, but this is offered in only one auditorium and only in the last two rows (complete with seperate upstairs lobby and entrances. These theatres are pretty upscale too, but still charge the norm for LA first-runs.

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Carl Martin
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1424
From: Oakland, CA, USA
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 03-22-2002 07:27 PM

i tried to access their webpage to confirm my suspicion that "arclight" is a misrepresentation. (or is this a changeover multiplex with 12 projectionists?) the page was not available.

carl

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John Pytlak
Film God

Posts: 9987
From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 03-24-2002 06:51 PM

Carl Martin said: "i tried to access their webpage to confirm my suspicion that "arclight" is a misrepresentation."

Both carbon and xenon are "arclights".

------------------
John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7525A
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: +1 585 477 5325 Cell: +1 585 781 4036 Fax: +1 585 722 7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
Web site: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion

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Gordon McLeod
Film God

Posts: 9532
From: Toronto Ontario Canada
Registered: Jun 99

posted 03-24-2002 07:28 PM

Any light generated by Electron discharge is by definition a Arc Light

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David Stambaugh
Film God

Posts: 4021
From: Eugene, Oregon
Registered: Jan 2002

posted 04-03-2002 07:29 PM

The local CBS outlet just ran a canned story on Arclight. Certainly looks like an impressive place from the footage they showed. Among the factoids they talked about: All seats have double-wide armrests; Patrons are escorted to their ticketed/reserved seats by ushers; and it looks like an usher gives a brief spoken introduction to the movie before it starts (at least that's what they were doing for ET).

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