posted 03-13-2005 09:20 AM                    

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REEL LIFE
Theaters are opening their doors for worship, NASCAR and other special presentations
Sunday, March 13, 2005
Tracy Turner
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

The theater is packed, popcorn is popping, and the first movie of the afternoon is Diary of a Mad Black Woman. But inside the stadiumseating theater, the house lights are on and the biblical passage 2 Corinthians 7:3 lights up the big screen.
The scene isn’t from the hit comedy-drama based on Tyler Perry’s play, but something altogether different. These are inventive times for central Ohio’s increasingly competitive movietheater market. That’s just what prompted Pastor Aziz Nahhas to lead a crowd of Mosaic Church worshippers at the AMC Lennox Town Center 24 on Sundays.

Most people come just for the church service, but some stay to catch a movie afterward — exactly what AMC management hopes.

‘‘Sometimes you can smell the popcorn wafting in during church services," said Karen Haab, Mosaic’s director of operations. ‘‘And after smelling that, some of our members go out and grab lunch and come back and watch a movie."

Movie theaters long have used midnight movies and classics to fill seats at odd hours. With the curtain rising on scores more movie theaters in Columbus, they’re devising ways to set themselves apart.

The Arena Grand, for example, hosts several non-movie events each week, including a ‘‘Singles Mingle" in partnership with a local dating service. The Grand recently hosted a black-history event with boxing legend Rubin ‘‘Hurricane" Carter and an Oscar-show viewing and party.

Central Ohio multiplexes also have opened their doors to weddings, shareholder meetings and babies. At Marcus Theatres’ Crosswoods and Pickerington locations, ‘‘Mommy’s Matinees" are held every Wednesday, showing firstrun movies for parents who want to attend with their young children. And Studio 35 Cinema broadcasts Ohio State University football games.

Franklin and Delaware counties now are home to 208 movie screens, with 18 screens in the works for the Polaris area and eight more to open at South Campus Gateway, near Ohio State University.

With each theater seeking to carve out a loyal customer base, partnerships with church and community groups ‘‘make good business sense," AMC spokeswoman Pam Blase said.

U.S. movie theaters count on ticket sales for a substantial portion of their revenues, up to 55 percent, according to one estimate. In 2003, Americans bought 1.57 billion movie tickets, a drop from the previous year when 1.63 billion tickets were sold, according to the National Association of Theater Owners.

That dip also has spurred theaters to embrace community partnerships — and events scheduled at mutually convenient times, said Belinda Judson, executive director of the Mid-States National Association of Theatre Owners.

‘‘There’s a lot of downtime in the theater industry between viewings, particularly in the mornings and on weekdays," she said.

Stadium seating has helped propel the trend of renting theaters.

Better views, more comfortable seats and cup holders make them ‘‘very attractive" for rentals, Judson said.

‘‘And the more distinctive the properties, the more money owners have invested, making theaters much more expensive. That behooves (owners) to make more use of their theaters," she said.

Theaters that don’t embrace the trend ‘‘are missing out on a significant revenue stream," said Thad Welch, director of special events for the Arena Grand. Unusual events can draw patrons who might never have visited the theater, Welch said.

‘‘For us, that helps to alleviate perceptions about our theater because of its location as a Downtown urban theater with no parking and in an inconvenient location," he said. ‘‘People come here for other events, find that they like the theater and come back for regular movie viewing."

Prices for theater rentals at the Arena Grand vary based on options, but start at $275, Welch said.

Generating new business is also the goal of those who run Screens at the Continent, said Larry Gardner of Realty Finance Management, the Continent’s management company.

In addition to its second-run movies, Screens fills seats with its showings of WWE wrestling matches, NASCAR racing and NCAA men’s basketball games.

The theater reopened under new management in December after having been closed twice since 1999.

‘‘This theater was dormant for a long time, so if we can host these free events to get the general public back to our theater to see what we offer now, it only serves to benefit (Screens at the Continent)," Gardner said.

A spillover effect might result in other benefits, he said.

‘‘Once here, they can see the theaters and the surrounding amenities in the Continent, which helps us revitalize this location."

Special events can differentiate one theater from the rest, especially when the theaters ‘‘are all showing virtually the same product."

In the end, he said, special presentations will keep the public coming back.

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