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Topic: Booking Disney Films for 2nd Run

Cody Martin
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 214
From: Edinburgh, IN, USA
Registered: Jun 2004

posted 10-29-2005 11:48 AM

Do any historic or 2nd run theatres have problems booking films like Lion King or anything on 35mm? We have asked our booker and he has told us that disney will not release their prints like this. Is there any truth to this? If anyone on here can help point us in the direction to someone who will help us rent some disey prints let me know.

Thanks,
Cody

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David Stambaugh
Film God

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

posted 10-29-2005 12:22 PM

Disney typically takes their "A" material out of circulation for long periods, usually years. They do it with prints, and they do it with DVDs. For example they'll release "Snow White" on DVD but it's a single production run. When they're gone, they're gone. It may be years before they re-release it. It's a way of building up demand by limiting the supply. "Buy it now while you can, cuz tomorrow it'll be gone". Also makes the releases more of an anticipated "special event". For something like "Lion King" they probably wouldn't ever release it for theatrical exhibition unless it's for some special reason and then it might only be at the El Capitan.

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Matt Fields
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 545
From: Ohio, United States
Registered: Jun 2005

posted 10-29-2005 12:49 PM

Your booker is correct. Disney does not sell their older titles to theatres. That's why you never see Disney movies for the free or $1.00 summer kids movies. Others popular movies, "Star Wars" for example, are not sold this way either.

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Monte L Fullmer
Film God

Posts: 8367
From: Nampa, Idaho, USA
Registered: Nov 2004

posted 10-30-2005 02:51 AM

We had one instance to where we did have a Disney for a Kid Show schedule, but it was incorporated into the matinee scheduling as a regular feature with matinee pricing, but couldn't be booked as a Kid Show alone.

Disney have had this policy for years now. Disney is just one tough cookie all around and really has the stranglehold when it comes to booking their features.

When prints leave the discount houses, you know that the release of that film is on DVD by then, or gonna be out of release immediately.

-Monte

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Scott Norwood
Film God

Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99

posted 10-30-2005 07:43 AM

As a side note, older Disney films usually _are_ available for non-theatrical bookings, even though they are generally _not_ available for theatrical bookings. If there's some way to get your screening classified as a non-theatrical screening (e.g. rental to a nonprofit or school group), you can book the title through Swank (35mm and 16mm available) or Modern Sound Pictures (16mm only) as a non-theatrical screening. Note that this will generally be costlier than a standard theatrical booking.

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