To Double Feature or Not?

[Ryan Gallagher]

For those who program or operate rep back catalog films, what is your experience with double features and attendance in this modern era?

While our programmer expertly pairs movies for double features, I feel like the modern audience is far less likely to sit through two movies, especially in less than comfortable historic chairs. Drive-In's are probably their own animal and doubles are the norm.

Our summer series this year feels a bit heavy handed with the double feature programming. Out of 81 films, 42 of them are booked within double features, about HALF! If you subtract the early family friendly shows, it's well more than half of the adult screenings. Pretty much any evening we are offering two films this summer, they are not two separate films, but a pair. We used to program quite a few more separate evening offerings.

They are individually ticketed if you only want to see one, but that aspect is not marketed very well, and I think a lot of folks that might have come to one or the other just stay home. If they want to see just the 2nd film it is awkward to arrive early and have to wait or enter a dark room with a film already running. I think I asked FOH and despite it being an option, almost no one books just the 2nd screening. Our intermissions are 15 minutes or less typically. We try to start the 2nd film based on the advertised start time. People barely have time to use the bathroom let alone get in line for more snacks, and of course a lot of people do leave after the 1st.

That said attendance is not "bad", I just wonder if many of them would do better individually, or booked as a back to back pair with an option to return on the same ticket... an hour break in between, go get some real food etc. It would be different if were a dinner theatre with full service kitchen.

There are occasions where it feels entirely appropriate of course. Robert Rodriguez has several doubles in his curated series, and he treats the 2nd like a bonus, the people who stay for the 2nd get special prizes and treatment from him. And then places where we don't double feature where maybe we should (Rocky Horror for example, it is a "late night double feature picture show" after all, but as it's always a late show, an even later 2nd screening would be rough on staff).

There is a bit of self preservation in wishing for less too, not being fully automated, format changes between double features involve a frantic trip downstairs for masking etc. If both happen to be on 35mm with a format change, it is even more frantic, with bonus alignment and focus loops shown on screen.

They are fun, I just feel like maybe there is a quantity line we have crossed this summer? I feel like doubles should be a special occasion, not the norm?

Part of what may be happening is that our summer film audience is "mostly" comprised of the same group of film fans... and two separate evening films would have a tendency to cannibalize each other's numbers. If more films are the desire, maybe doubles is in fact the best way to accomplish the extended programming for a somewhat limited audience pool?

While cleverly paired doubles may be a draw for the hard core film fans, it does feel like pushing away a more general public audience, which we always want more of to join in the summer fun.

I should also ask our programmer, for all I know this summer may be a "doubles experiment" from his perspective, for comparison to historic attendance numbers.

[Marcel Birgelen]

Many feature films nowadays are on the longer side, especially compared to when Grindhouse-style double features were popular, so the time investment of your patronage is respectable. Many multi-feature presentations I see around here nowadays are in the form of some special, like a "Lord of the Rings Marathon". They also often include something special, like a dinner. Also, in many cases, you can also buy separate tickets for the individual shows.

What seems to be popular in arthouse circles around here are "specials" where some special person, like some actor, director or otherwise famous person "presenting" multiple movies with some common theme and also doing the introduction to those movies.

As for "vanilla" double features, I'd say that's quite a risk you're taking and I'd think that this only works if you sell those tickets at a discounted rate.

[Carsten Kurz]

We have historic seats in our auditorium as well. I wouldn't consider them uncomfortable per se, but then, I am biased. I do know that many people already have issues sitting through todays 2-3hour movies. Some bring their own cushions in large bags.
Of course, there will always be some hard-core fans, but, don't expect to draw crowds. What could work is adding some benefit, e.g. coffee, cookies, etc. during an intermission, some more 'frame work' that makes a show special. However, with that many double feature shows, they will not be considered that special anymore after a few shows.

[Mike Blakesley]

You must not be showing first-run films -- the studios seriously hate "stacking" these days.

I think double features are less of an option these days due to people not wanting to stay up as late. Even the larger city theaters near here don't have late shows on many movies.

We used to run a late show on Friday and Saturday, but after several months of getting two or three or zero people to the late show, we decided it wasn't worth it. We put all our evening shows at our standard time of 7:30. Then a few years after that we started hearing that people would really like it if the show wasn't getting out so late, so we switched to 7:00 and people have really liked it.

[Ryan Gallagher]

Cushions are a great summer film merch idea actually. lol.

Yes this is not a 1st run venue, talking about a summer classics series. Agree on "something special" being ideally included... about 4 of those pairings are curated by Robert Rodriguez and he intros each film, cuts his own teaser reels, and offers door prizes. The others, when done well usually at least have themed drink specials and booth displays for the anniversary films. But we don't have an easy dinner option. But that said we do donor events all the time that involve custom snackables, or full catering at their seats (with special trays)... so it is technically possible. Though with our seats I think when we do that we have to spread people out to every other seat.

As for show times, yes our summer series is 7:00 (or 7:30 at the latest) for the 1st primary slot, with earlier offerings on Sunday, unless the local film-club curating a horror double, in which case they might slot a late showing.

These are not marathon type series events, but rather curatorially paired films (for a host of reasons).

But the consensus in this thread seems to align with "that is too many doubles!" lol. Glad I was not alone in that sensation. You are right, after a certain point they stop feeling special. Unless of course you aren't planning on much $$ from the 2nd offerings, and it's really just indulging in a bunch of "bonus films" from a curatorial standpoint that is.

[Ed Gordon]

Double bills were popular when the average movie ran about 90 minutes. Those days are gone. Try running a double bill of Oppenhiemer and Interstellar. Show starts at 7:00pm and ends at 1:00am.

Then again, you never know what audiences might like. I remember attending a showing of trailers; not a movie called "trailers", but 90 minutes of old movie trailers. The house was packed and the audience loved it. The older trailers got a lot of unexpected laughs...

[Ryan Gallagher]

Our matinee Sunday double today is 4.5 hours with intermission. But it is Rodriguez curated, he’ll draw a crowd.

our Red Shoes + Black Swam the other day was even longer.

[Randy Stankey]

We did doubles a couple of times, at Mercyhurst. They were advertised as two, separate, movies, and customers could buy tickets to either of them or both, as normal, but there was a "Double Feature" option at the box office. If somebody bought tickets to both movies at the same time, they got a discount.

You had to buy both tickets in the same transaction. I suppose if somebody bought a single movie ticket then, later, decided to buy the double, they'd be allowed but but the Double Feature was supposed to be a promotion to get people to buy both shows.

[Mike Blakesley]

When I worked at our now-defunct drive-in, the owner was a John Wayne fan. He would book a current movie and double it with an old John Wayne flick, which we would play last. Invariably the packed house of the early film would drain off to two or three cars watching John Wayne, and they weren't exactly watching him, if you get my drift. If all the windows were fogged up, we'd leave a reel or two out. Nobody ever noticed it.

[Jack Ondracek]

I haven't seen indoor double features since I was a kid in the '60s. That said, evolution has conspired against the idea. It's even challenging for some drive-ins these days.

Feature length is a problem as they continue to get longer

Daylight time is an issue for drive-ins. This time of year, I get out at around 2am.

A double bill will require payment of percentages for each film, based on the total gross for that screen. That can get expensive

Separating percentages (separate bookings) brings up the stacking problem, mentioned earlier, unless you found a way to book older pictures that people aren't already watching on their TVs..

For an indoor house, you won't get the turnaround that used to bother me on long singles. People don't generally make multiple trips to the snack bar, and if you're giving out free refills, you're screwed until you flush the house and bring in a new crowd.

By all means, give it a try. Doubles can certainly be done... but for most, I think the novelty will wear thin quickly.