my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home

» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Ground Level   » Fall booking for a single screen.

Author Topic: Fall booking for a single screen. Adam Fraser Master Film Handler Posts: 499 From: Houghton Lake, MI, USA Registered: Dec 2001 posted 10-10-2009 06:26 PM                        We have a bit of a Dilemma coming up for fall booking. Demographic: We have a single screen theatre in a tourist town, where it is currently the off season. Tourists still come for nice weekends and holidays. In the off season it is a lower middle class town, with many retirees. No 3D capability. Should we play Where the Wild Things Are then Christmas Carol, Amelia then 2012, Or Where the Wild Things Are then 2012? We typically play about 50% first run and 50% 2 weeks off the break this time of year. But all 4 of these films seem to be worth playing on the break. Sure would be nice to be allowed to split screens, but is almost never allowed here (maybe once every two years, and only on underperforming films). Thanks  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-10-2009 07:06 PM                        What's your population? We have about 2000 here. My opinion is that none of those are worth playing on the break. We plan to save Christmas Carol until closer to Christmas. I doubt we'll play Amelia at all. The other two seem like one-week pictures for us, so they'll need to wait. If you have a lot more people then I think WTWTA and 2012 are the best bets, saving Carol until closer to Christmas (unless the schedule is too logjammed with other product by then.) Decisions decisions!  |  IP: Logged Martin McCaffery Film God Posts: 2481 From: Montgomery, AL Registered: Jun 99 posted 10-10-2009 07:31 PM                        Amelia probably has retiree appeal, if you can get them to come to the movies. I'm pretty sure the commercial theatres will run it here, but if they don't, I'll try for January. We have the little ol broad audience locked in our basement;>  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 10-10-2009 08:14 PM                     Don't you get the traffic from Michigan Tech almost all year around up there? Unfort, the fall bookings is always bleak almost everywhere and sometimes, you have to adjust operating procedures to the seasons in smaller venues. Things won't run up to the peak until "New Moon" hits on the 20th of November and continue until the 1st of the year when things begins to dry up again and rolls downward towards the valley - in which a lot of us are in right now... -Monte  |  IP: Logged Adam Fraser Master Film Handler Posts: 499 From: Houghton Lake, MI, USA Registered: Dec 2001 posted 10-10-2009 09:08 PM                        Thanks for the info. We plan on breaking at least one of the films, simply because we haven't played a breaking film since Labor day. Still deciding though. We are in a town of about 3200 or so, but this time of year it is mostly retirees and working poor. During the Summer there are an extra 10,000+ people in the area, mostly vacationing business owners or retired auto workers. There isn't a very strong middle class here. The retirees may come to see Amelia, but I'm not sure they will be able to make two weeks worth of revenue. I'm also questioning the others on their ability to do it either. Monte, Houghton Lake is in the Lower Peninsula, a tourist trap because it is the largest inland lake in MI (takes over an hour to drive around the lake at about 50mph). I sure do wish we were in a college town though.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 10-10-2009 09:26 PM                     (Whoops, sorry - thought you were up at the top portion of the state in Houghton itself .. you're then almost right in the middle of the 'mitten' then ..Got a friend up there in Houghton attending M.T.)  |  IP: Logged Geoff Jones Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 579 From: Broomfield, CO, USA Registered: Feb 2006 posted 10-10-2009 10:23 PM                        Does your cinema hold its own against a decent home set-up? (Sorry, but these days you have to ask.) If so, I say run a Spielberg film festival. Show JAWS before and around Halloween when folks are looking for a good scare. Show E.T. around Thanksgiving, when folks are looking for a little heart-warming. Show RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK in between, when folks just want to see a kick ass film for a change (vs all the crap this summer).  |  IP: Logged Adam Fraser Master Film Handler Posts: 499 From: Houghton Lake, MI, USA Registered: Dec 2001 posted 10-12-2009 02:09 PM                        We have all good quality equipment. 2 Simplex XL 1004's/SH1000's/Platter DA 20/CP55 JBL Speakers ~40' wide scope screen. Adjustable side masking. We have tried classic films, they just don't tend to do well here. If a film is older than about 6 weeks there isn't any interest, even if we charge $1 admission. I think there are pictures of my theatre in the picture section. Pines Theatre, Houghton Lake, MI. In my opinion one of the nicest theatres in the state.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 10-12-2009 02:20 PM                     (That is a very nice looking cinema you have there in that town! My kudos to this small venue!) Seeing by your population and the demographic description of "but this time of year it is mostly retirees and working poor", have you done any feedback research on what the regular townspeople would like to have to attend your theatre? Like the old saying goes "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink." Now, you gotta find ways to make the horse drink your water. Good luck as always..-Monte  |  IP: Logged James Westbrook Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1133 From: Lubbock, Texas, Usa Registered: Mar 2006 posted 10-12-2009 02:45 PM                     If Amelia has any potential for Academy Award nominations, you could probably book that one early next year. Down here the Sandra Bullock movies draw the retirees, like All About Steve. The so-called "Chick flicks" also draw them in.  |  IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

Printer-friendly view of this topic

Hop To: Select a Forum: Category: Operations -------------------- Digital Cinema Forum Film Handlers' Forum Large Format Forum Ground Level Feature Info, Trailer Attachments & REAL Credit Offsets Category: Community -------------------- Film-Yak Film Handlers' Movie Reviews The Afterlife Bob Maar's Joke-A-Thon Category: Classified -------------------- Equipment and Supplies Wanted/For Sale Help Wanted/Seeking Employment Category: System -------------------- Software Beta Testing Forum

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.