Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Christmas 2011 releases

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Topic: Christmas 2011 releases

John T. Hendrickson, Jr
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 889
From: Freehold, NJ, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 12-04-2011 07:46 PM

Here we go again. Three releases on the 21st, but Darkest Hour and War Horse start on Christmas Day.

Never have been able to understand the logic of this. It raises hell with our screen changes and booking becomes a nightmare.

Perhaps someone can explain it.

[ 12-14-2011, 01:58 AM: Message edited by: Aaron Sisemore ]

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Dustin Mitchell
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1865
From: Mondovi, WI, USA
Registered: Mar 2000

posted 12-04-2011 08:30 PM

Marketing people fixated on the whole 'Christmas Day' tagline for new openers? I think its stupid too. I remember when 'The Life Aquatic' opened on Christmas Day, which happened to be a Saturday that year. A snowstorm prevented us from getting the movie until 9pm that night, missed every show on opening day. Truly idiotic.

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 12-04-2011 08:52 PM

This is still 2011, actually.

I agree opening movies on Christmas Day is silly unless Christmas falls on a mid-week day. This year, any Christmas-day releases SHOULD be opening on the 23rd.

I also think it's idiotic the way the film-companies advertise a movie like "Alvin and the Chipmunks" to be opening at "Christmas" when in reality it's the 16th. Why don't they just say the 16th?

Bunch of nut cases, those film company marketers.

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Edward Havens
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 614
From: Los Angeles, CA
Registered: Mar 2008

posted 12-04-2011 09:28 PM

Movies get released on Christmas Day because Christmas Day and, even more so, the day after Christmas are such busy times at theatres. Once the kids are done opening the presents and dinner has been served, what the hell else is there to do? Go to the movies! That's why the vast majority of theatre chains are open 365 days a year.

I've never been bothered by Christmas Day film openings. Only by most of the crappy movies that have opened on Christmas Day.

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Frank Cox
Film God

Posts: 2234
From: Melville Saskatchewan Canada
Registered: Apr 2011

posted 12-04-2011 11:38 PM

Christmas eve and Christmas day are the only two days that I close my theatre.

I close on those two days because my auditorium floor is painted with an oil-based floor paint and that's my opportunity to paint it and cover the chips that have been knocked out of the paint over the course of the year. It takes a day to dry and another day for that smell to get out of the room.

I'll be playing Arthur Christmas during Christmas week this year, so I considered opening on those two days and not painting the floor, but changed my mind when I looked at the shape it's in. Everyone's used to me be being closed those two days every year anyway.

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Dustin Mitchell
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1865
From: Mondovi, WI, USA
Registered: Mar 2000

posted 12-04-2011 11:58 PM

Edward, I think the point is that the movies opening on Christmas would do just as much business if they opened on Friday the 23rd as opposed to Sunday the 25th. Logistically speaking it will be less of a pain with digital projection than it was with film; that of course is due to how the distributors chose to handle 35mm prints with last minute delivery, not because digital is innately better in this regard. From a business point of view its still foolish; school may be out but many people go back to work on the 26th, 27th at the latest. Why not get two extra weekend days into your opening weekend?

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Mike Frese
Master Film Handler

Posts: 465
From: Holts Summit, MO
Registered: Jun 2007

posted 12-05-2011 02:14 AM

quote: Frank Cox
Christmas eve and Christmas day are the only two days that I close my theatre.

I close on those two days because my auditorium floor is painted with an oil-based floor paint and that's my opportunity to paint it and cover the chips that have been knocked out of the paint over the course of the year. It takes a day to dry and another day for that smell to get out of the room.

I'll be playing Arthur Christmas during Christmas week this year, so I considered opening on those two days and not painting the floor, but changed my mind when I looked at the shape it's in. Everyone's used to me be being closed those two days every year anyway.

Frank, I can think of about 30 or more weeks where you could close for 2 days in a row to paint that floor and miss very little business.

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Aaron Garman
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1470
From: Toledo, OH USA
Registered: Mar 2003

posted 12-05-2011 02:25 AM

I go to the movies on Christmas Day every year. It's always an exciting place to be because it is bustling with families and friends. This year could be tough though: the Bears play the Packers in the evening.

AJG

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Justin Hamaker
Film God

Posts: 2253
From: Lakeport, CA USA
Registered: Jan 2004

posted 12-05-2011 04:39 AM

I'm not thrilled about Christmas Day releases this year with the holiday falling on a Sunday. It further complicates the logistics if anything goes wrong.

As the operator of a 5 screen theatre, I'm not exactly thrilled by the number of releases this year. Even if we doubled our number of screens, we couldn't play everything. While I do like that there are at least 7-8 movies which could potentially do strong business, I'm not looking forward to the complaints about what we are not playing.

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Edward Havens
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 614
From: Los Angeles, CA
Registered: Mar 2008

posted 12-05-2011 11:02 AM

Dustin, it's because people want the newest thing. By the 24th, they'll have already seen Alvin and Mission Impossible and Sherlock Holmes and Tintin and Dragon Tattoo and Zoo. There'll be nothing new for them to see on Christmas Day.

</sarcasm>... but sadly, it's the truth.

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 12-05-2011 11:34 AM

Sure but if those Christmas movies opened on the 23rd, you would get the Friday business (and Saturday, if you're open) and those movies would STILL be "new" on Christmas, and there would be less hassle on the management end.

About Frank Cox being closed on Christmas: We usually have a very good crowd on Christmas Day, although it might be a little slow this year if we're playing the 9-day-old Chipmunks. We were closed on New Year's Eve for many years, but one year we were playing a very popular movie (Toy Story 1, I think) and we decided to be open. The place was packed. We've been open every New Year's Eve since and always do well.

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John T. Hendrickson, Jr
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 889
From: Freehold, NJ, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 12-11-2011 03:55 PM

Sorry for the typo in the topic guys. I assure you I'm not trying to wish my life away. [Smile]

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