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Author Topic: Seating Capacity and Print Allocation/Movement Manny Knowles "What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???" Posts: 4247 From: Bloomington, IN, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 02-13-2004 11:36 AM                     What's the point of having theatres with similar seating capacities? Is there any sensible rationale behind having, say, a 100 seat auditorium and a 90 seat auditorium? This kind of design irritates me because it creates a "need" to move prints whereas if both screens were 90 or 100 (or 95) seats there would be no reason to move a print. This all becomes especially annoying when neither movie is selling out -- which is often. Let's face it: when they move down to the tiny houses, they ain't exactly sellin' like hotcakes. So why move these prints? And why have the different (but similar) capacities? And, while I have your attention, let me ask you this: For an 8-plex, what would be sensible? Assume that the largest screen will have 250-300 seats. I'm thinking: 1 & 2 -- 250 or 300 3 & 4 -- 150 or 200 5 & 6 -- 100 7 & 8 -- 50  |  IP: Logged Jeremy Fuentes Mmmm, Dr. Pepper! Posts: 1168 From: Corpus Christi, TX United States Registered: Jan 2004 posted 02-13-2004 11:44 AM                     I agree with you about moving prints to a theater with a 10-15 seat difference. Like it really matters with such a small gap. I like the difference in seats that you put for an 8 plex, though. It seems like just the right amount for each.  |  IP: Logged William T. Parr Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 823 From: Cedar Park, TX Registered: Nov 2000 posted 02-13-2004 01:05 PM                     The 10 I am at now has the following capacities: 1,3,8,and 10 186 seats 2 and 9 306 seats 4 and 7 258 seats 5 and 6 480 seats Whe I was working at the Century 16 in Corpus we had the following capacities: 4,5,12 and 13 seated 124 8 and 9 seated 450 1 and 16 seated 180 2,3,14 and 15 seat 225 6 and and 11 seated 280 7 and 10 seated 301  |  IP: Logged Jeremy Fuentes Mmmm, Dr. Pepper! Posts: 1168 From: Corpus Christi, TX United States Registered: Jan 2004 posted 02-13-2004 01:23 PM                     Wow, Todd it looks like you worked everywhere in Corpus except Cinemark-Tinseltown and 5 Star, which I used to work at(Cinemark) and the one I work at now(5 Star). I know thats not everywhere, but that still covers most of the recent ones except the Cinemark discount and the Cine 4, or did you work there too. I mean, it looks like we pretty much got Corpus covered, when it comes to working in the booths here.  |  IP: Logged Ian Price Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1714 From: Denver, CO Registered: Jun 99 posted 02-13-2004 01:30 PM                     My 5-plex has: #1 266 #2 174 #3 162 #4 124 #5 100 My perfect 8-plex would have: 2 @ 200 w/ 30’ screen 4 @ 150 w/ 25’ screen 2 @ 100 w/ 23’ screen My perfect 12-plex would have 4 @ 200 4 @ 100 4 @ 75 Why so small you ask? It's very hard work to load 200 people in to a show. It's about my limit. The caveat would be that every one of those 200 seats would be usable. That means vast space in front of the front row, no seats next to the wall, and a nice cross isle in the middle with handicap seating. Of course this would be an art cinema. I also like to have access to an over 500 seat house to view those blockbuster films. There is nothing quite like a film on a 60' wide screen. It's difficult and expensive to pull off.  |  IP: Logged Mike Spaeth Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1129 From: Marietta, GA Registered: Jul 2000 posted 02-13-2004 02:49 PM                        My 14 has as follows: #1,5,6 - 285 (slope) #10 - 219 (stadium) #4 - 173 (slope) #7 - 154 (stadium) #9 - 144 (stadium) #2 - 143 (slope) #3 - 113 (slope) #8,12,13 - 99 (stadium) #11,14 - 75 (stadium) My 8 has (all slope-floor) #4 - 316 #5 - 298 #6 - 252 #3 - 243 #7 - 179 #1 - 178 #8 - 113 #2 - 101  |  IP: Logged Travis Hubrig Expert Film Handler Posts: 175 From: Minot ND, USA Registered: May 2003 posted 02-13-2004 03:33 PM                     Here's a 7: 1 and 2 234 seats 5 and 6 186 seats 3 115 seats 4 96 seats 7 105 seats oh yeah, number 3 looks terrible in scope because of throw and screen size. numbers 3 and 5 are equipped with mini-winds, so nothing over 120 -130 minutes. Numbers 1, 2, and 4 are the only ones with red led's, so if that ever comes out I will have to watch which prints go there. I guess I will just kinda keep the prints where they are unless we are losing mucho $$$ to sell-outs.  |  IP: Logged William T. Parr Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 823 From: Cedar Park, TX Registered: Nov 2000 posted 02-13-2004 05:23 PM                     Yep I worked at Cinema 4 and Dollar Cinema as well. in fact I trained Andy Landa at Dollar Cinema in the Booth before I was unceremoniously terminated from Cinemark and he went on to be the manager in charge of the Booth and Ushers at Tinsletown. Cinema 4: Auditorium 1: 210 Auditorium 2: 220 Auditorium 3: 231 Auditorium 4: 475 Dollar Cinema: Auditorium 1 156 seats Aud 2,3 and 4 196 seats Aud 5 225 seats Aud 6 and 7 258 seats Cine 6: Auditorium 1 Original 738, After remodel 667 Auditorium 2 Original 576, After remodel 502 Auditorium 3 220 Auditorium 4 220 Aduitorium 5 Original 220 After remodel 200 Auditorium 6 220 Mann National Twin: Auditorium 1 529 seats Auditorium 2 703 seats Movies Twin on Staples: Auditorium 1 218 seats Auditorium 2 356 seats Centre Theatre: 1196 seats Ayers Theatre: 962 seats Cine West: Both Auditoriums 278 seats [ 02-13-2004, 09:59 PM: Message edited by: William T. Parr ]  |  IP: Logged R. Andrew Diercks Expert Film Handler Posts: 232 From: Marion, Iowa (In the middle of everywhere) Registered: May 2003 posted 02-13-2004 06:32 PM                     My 5 has as follows: #1 247 #2 123 #3 117 #4 106 #5 49 If we put 50 in #5 we had to cut a whole in the wall for another exit, so we figured one seat that house would never pay back that cost. I usually place 2, 3 and 4 based on the film, not attendance. #2 has a very large screen so films that need that, such as Last Samurai etc. Go there, and #3 is smaller so a teen flick can go there.  |  IP: Logged Darryl Spicer Film God Posts: 3250 From: Lexington, KY, USA Registered: Dec 2000 posted 02-13-2004 06:37 PM                    Years ago back in the early 80's Mid-States theaters sent out a memo wich I have a copy of that had the seat allocations for all of its screens. I think the seat quanity issue at that time was so they could meet the requirements the film companies put on them. You see at that time they told use where to put the movies based on what the film companies wanted. A lot of there theaters maintained exact or near the same number of seats. Example #1 252 #2 352 #3 474 #4 473 #5 351 #6 252  |  IP: Logged Steve Kraus Film God Posts: 4094 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 02-13-2004 07:10 PM                    quote: What's the point of having theatres with similar seating capacities? Is there any sensible rationale behind having, say, a 100 seat auditorium and a 90 seat auditorium? This kind of design irritates me because it creates a "need" to move prints You're asking about the theatres when you should be asking about why anyone is ordering prints moved. The explanation of the theatre capacity may be something as simple as how the architecture worked out. For all intents and purposes a 90 and a 100 are the same size. Unless a show is going to sell out and those ten extra tickets (or ten more empties to give folks some breathing room) are going to matter then whoever is swapping auditoria has a screw loose. If you and I know they are (essentially) the same size why doesn't management?  |  IP: Logged Darryl Spicer Film God Posts: 3250 From: Lexington, KY, USA Registered: Dec 2000 posted 02-14-2004 12:05 AM                    I agree with Steve. We have that situation here were we have 4 auditoriums that run with a 3 to 10 seat differance. Normaly when we get a film down to those houses it never moves again. Only time they would is two reasons. THey split with something else or I want to keep a certain film in digital since our smallest two are only stereo.  |  IP: Logged Manny Knowles "What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???" Posts: 4247 From: Bloomington, IN, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 02-14-2004 01:52 AM                     I suppose I can understand your rationale there Darryl. Nothing wrong with wanting to put on a great show and -- Lord knows -- I've been known to place prints based (at least partially) on presentation issues. Having said all of that...I do sometimes wonder if people who wait that long to see a movie are "serious" about seeing it in the first place.  |  IP: Logged Carl Martin Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1424 From: Oakland, CA, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 02-14-2004 03:28 AM                        used to be our #2 house seated 180 and #3 185. now it's the other way around. and all that changed was our ticketing software. we rotate films so that everything gets to be downstairs 2 or 3 days in the week (ada). since we publicize when something will be downstairs, we stick to that except in exceptional circumstances. carl  |  IP: Logged Steve Kraus Film God Posts: 4094 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 02-14-2004 01:57 PM                    quote: Having said all of that...I do sometimes wonder if people who wait that long to see a movie are "serious" about seeing it in the first place. Whoa there, Manny! Are you saying everyone needs to turn out in the first few weeks? There is nothing inherently "wrong" with seeing a film at anytime, even months or a year later if it's still playing. It becomes something of a self fulfilling prophecy because the film by then will very likely be in crappy condition and playing in an auditorium that may not be as well equipped technically as the one used when it opened. But that's not how things ought to be. A smaller room, sure if attendance is tapering off. But otherwise things should be just as top notch.  |  IP: Logged

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