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Author Topic: "Technical Difficulties" lead to cancelled shows Paul Linfesty Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1383 From: Bakersfield, CA, USA Registered: Nov 1999 posted 07-06-2012 11:35 PM                     Last Monday afternoon I went to a local 14 plex to see a show and noticed a posting in the window stating that "Due to technical difficulties, the following movies and showtimes have been cancelled:" the three movies were SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN, THE AVENGERS, and ABRAHAM LINCOLN, VAMPIRE HUNTER. Strangely, the showtime for each was the last one of the evening, in the 9:45-10:30 pm range. None of the showings between that afternoon and the last showing were being cancelled. (Need I mention that there was a midnight showing of SPIDERMAN that night?) This same theatre last year seemed to have a screen down for "technical/projection" problems every Friday /Saturday night on one screen, again, only on the prime show range (7-8pm). Since this is the one complex that had consistently excellent projection and sound, its hard to believe it was operator incompetance. If what I think was taking place (doubling up on a popular new movie), I have to wonder since this is probably the biggest chain in the country if it is routine practice. Pity the poor person who bought advanced tickets (and yes they were still available on line) and showed up if this is being deliberate.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 07-06-2012 11:40 PM                     Surely you know what is going on. They are "interlocking" whatever the big movie is to make more seats.  |  IP: Logged Chris Slycord Film God Posts: 2986 From: 퍼항시, 경상푹도, South Korea Registered: Mar 2007 posted 07-06-2012 11:52 PM                     Maybe I'm cynical, but on a Monday night I'd be surprised they were interlocking. I think there's a chance someone wanted to get out early and preempted anyone trying to purchase tickets...  |  IP: Logged Paul Linfesty Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1383 From: Bakersfield, CA, USA Registered: Nov 1999 posted 07-07-2012 12:43 AM                     Well, all the other auditoriums were running late in the evening and SPIDERMAN was showing in a number of screens starting at 12:01am.  |  IP: Logged Chris Slycord Film God Posts: 2986 From: 퍼항시, 경상푹도, South Korea Registered: Mar 2007 posted 07-07-2012 02:27 AM                     Well, then the interlocking seems like the most likely answer.  |  IP: Logged Paul Linfesty Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1383 From: Bakersfield, CA, USA Registered: Nov 1999 posted 07-07-2012 10:52 AM                     How does interlocking work for digital prints? Does each auditorium have to have it's own individual key? Is there a central server that can send the same ingested DCP material to as many screens as programmed. Or is each screen seen as its own individual entity?  |  IP: Logged Mark Hajducki Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 500 From: Edinburgh, UK Registered: May 2003 posted 07-07-2012 10:54 AM                     A previous employer liked to make last minute changes to the show schedule to squeeze in extra showings of popular titles (I suspect that with digital this will happen even more). From a customer service perspective cancelling shows is not a good move (especially if there are prebooked tickets).  |  IP: Logged Mark Lensenmayer Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1605 From: Upper Arlington, OH Registered: Sep 1999 posted 07-07-2012 11:05 AM                     They probably cancelled those showings because they expected very few to be in attendance. AVENGERS & SNOW WHITE have been playing a awhile and I saw ABRAHAM LINCOLN during the first week of the run and I was the only one there. There would most likely have been very very few tickets sold.  |  IP: Logged Mike Frese Master Film Handler Posts: 465 From: Holts Summit, MO Registered: Jun 2007 posted 07-07-2012 11:27 AM                        Goodrich does this at the Capital 8 in Jefferson City, MO often when there is a big film on a Friday night. They will cancel a 7ish showing of something and add another show of the big title. They have done it for the last Twilight (cancelling a prime time Immortals show on its 2nd Friday of release), Hunger Games, & The Avengers. The changes will only be seen on their website and at the box office. BUT after the time has past by (say 8pm for a 7pm show) the changes will go back to the original published times.  |  IP: Logged Chris Slycord Film God Posts: 2986 From: 퍼항시, 경상푹도, South Korea Registered: Mar 2007 posted 07-07-2012 06:25 PM                     quote: Paul Linfesty How does interlocking work for digital prints? Does each auditorium have to have it's own individual key? Is there a central server that can send the same ingested DCP material to as many screens as programmed. Or is each screen seen as its own individual entity? 1) They don't have per-auditorium keys. It's just one key for a given movie (and it expires after a period of time specified in the key itself). 2) Lots of places have centralized library servers for ingesting to individual houses, but that's not necessary for an "interlock." 3) In terms of an "interlock" it's usually where each screen is its own separate entity that has the content loaded and is scheduled to play it.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 07-07-2012 08:14 PM                     quote: Chris Slycord 1) They don't have per-auditorium keys. It's just one key for a given movie (and it expires after a period of time specified in the key itself). Yes they do.  |  IP: Logged Chris Slycord Film God Posts: 2986 From: 퍼항시, 경상푹도, South Korea Registered: Mar 2007 posted 07-07-2012 08:23 PM                     I stand corrected. I presume most of the time they just send out one key that'll run on any house in a given location.  |  IP: Logged Dustin Mitchell Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1865 From: Mondovi, WI, USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 07-07-2012 10:48 PM                     You'll get a key for every screen, even if you're only booked for one screen, that way you can put the movie wherever you have too. So if you have 12 screens, you'll get 12 keys per movie, one for each screen.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 07-08-2012 01:40 AM                     Each key is unique due to the number of servers on location and each server's SN is listed within each key. Just another form of a checksum to keep things in a normal operation.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 07-08-2012 03:56 AM                     The key has nothing to do with how many servers are at a location. Each key is valid for one server, and one server period. It can be a single screen, or an 80 plex.  |  IP: Logged

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