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Topic: Harry Potter print releases

Steve Kraus
Film God

Posts: 4094
From: Chicago, IL, USA
Registered: May 2000

posted 11-01-2002 07:39 AM

When I was with the post production center, "interlock" was the term we used for unmarried (separate soundtrack) projection. Now I generally prefer the latter term to avoid confusion.

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Thomas Procyk
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1842
From: Royal Palm Beach, FL, USA
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 11-01-2002 11:38 AM

I think part of the reason why multiplexes book 50 prints of a given movie for opening weekend comes from everyone's obsession with "convenience." When a customer arrives at 4:37, they want to see the movie at 4:40. If you're not showing it until 5:00, they'll get mad, and complain, and become appalled at the theater for inconveniencing them. The same reason we have drive-up everything, TV on demand, and instant pudding.

As far as interlocking goes, the public isn't ready for it yet these days. If you're interlocking two houses that are next to each other, half the people who were supposed to "Meet my friend at Harry Potter at 7pm" will probably end up in the opposite one, which once again will become the theater's fault. Which leads me to the question, when theaters interlock a print, does the interlocked screen have to have the same showtime as the original? Or can you for example, interlock it to a machine down the hall and have showtimes 5 or so minutes apart?

Another reason, as everyone has stated, is the opening weekend numbers. The bigger the numbers, the bigger the news story is for the reporters to chase, and interview kids at the theater skipping school to see it, and go for a "live report" every time a show is getting out. This is the kind of publicity that drives future DVD sales.

Forget about everyone gathering at one time to see a big event picture anymore -- but they'll certainly gather to talk about how much money it made.

=TMP=

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 11-01-2002 03:29 PM

Generally speaking, yes the two (or more) theaters have to have the same start time. However it is possible to interlock two (or more) theaters with differing showtimes, but 99.9% of theaters do not have the kind of operators, techs, automation and desire to even bother trying to pull it off.

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John Schulien
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 206
From: Chicago, IL, USA
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 11-01-2002 03:41 PM

quote:
it is possible to interlock two (or more) theaters with differing showtimes

How do you do that? I can't think of a way to use a platter to do it.
Are you talking about thousands of feet of rollers, or is it something obvious that escapes me?

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 11-01-2002 04:39 PM

One platter, two or more projectors, hundreds of rollers and thousands of feet of leader. No biggie.

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John T. Hendrickson, Jr
Jedi Master Film Handler

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

posted 11-01-2002 06:50 PM

Rube Goldberg would be proud.

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Gordon McLeod
Film God

Posts: 9532
From: Toronto Ontario Canada
Registered: Jun 99

posted 11-01-2002 08:55 PM

Brad said"Generally speaking, yes the two (or more) theaters have to have the same start time. However it is possible to interlock two (or more) theaters with differing showtimes, but 99.9% of theaters do not have the kind of operators, techs, automation and desire to even bother trying to pull it off." Yes there is a very good method it is a single print running changeovers with stagered start times after rewind ing each reel in multiple theatres

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Steve Kraus
Film God

Posts: 4094
From: Chicago, IL, USA
Registered: May 2000

posted 11-02-2002 12:31 AM

Or a loop platter in between to create a delay.

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Daryl C. W. O'Shea
Film God

Posts: 3977
From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from)
Registered: Jun 2002

posted 11-02-2002 01:00 AM

I always found the highway inbetween the indoor and the outdoor theatre to be enough of a delay when running reels.

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Steve Kraus
Film God

Posts: 4094
From: Chicago, IL, USA
Registered: May 2000

posted 11-02-2002 10:54 AM

For the first week of "Raiders of the Lost Ark" in 1981, Plitt was running a single 70mm print on both screen #1 (the original D150 house) and #2 which was part of a separate two screen building across a fairly busy road. Ushers were running the reels back and forth. As I think about it now, given the fullness of the reels, the were probably doubled up reels.

#1 (D150) was DP75's and Super Corelights. I think #2 was JJ's. Not sure about the light.

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John T. Hendrickson, Jr
Jedi Master Film Handler

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

posted 11-02-2002 04:21 PM

Interestingly enough, in the old days that was called "bycycling". Off would come reel #1 and it was sent off to another location (with an usher on a bicycle), then reel #2, and so on, to return again later for the second show!

We actually pulled this off back in the early 70's, running a print back and forth by car (on 6000 ft. reels) to locations about 10 miles apart. Fortunately, the car didn't get into an accident or break down!

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 11-02-2002 04:28 PM

One print and two theaters just on either side of the road? They should've just interlocked.

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James R. Hammonds, Jr
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 931
From: Houston, TX, USA
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 11-02-2002 08:41 PM

Id love to see two theaters across the street form each other connected by a walkway that goes over the street, filled with rollers, and to see the projectionist threading the film literally across the street to the other theatre.
Wow, I feel like Matthew Bailey thinking of something like that.

------------------
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"It is the opinion of the entire staff the Dexter is criminally insane."

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Daryl C. W. O'Shea
Film God

Posts: 3977
From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from)
Registered: Jun 2002

posted 11-02-2002 09:33 PM

We used to run 6000' reels from the indoor to the outdoor 13 kilometers down the highway all the time. One night there happened to be a ride check with a huge line of cars waiting to go through (I almost got out of the car and ran the remaining mile down the highway). By the time I got to the front of the line the cop was suspicious of why I seemed to be nervous of the time. Once he saw the film in the back seat of my car he recognized me and let me go. I arrived with about 20 seconds to spare. Most other times I always had 10 minutes, not quite as interesting.

quote:
Id love to see two theaters across the street form each other connected by a walkway that goes over the street, filled with rollers, and to see the projectionist threading the film literally across the street to the other theatre.

Rollers? Who needs rollers? Don't you have hydro lines out front. With all those wires you could interlock across the street and back again. Remember, it only takes about 50' of wire per screen.

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Alex Grasic
Film Handler

Posts: 90
From: Toronto, ON, Canada
Registered: Jul 2002

posted 11-03-2002 12:42 AM

Question:

"Or a loop platter in between to create a delay."

A look platter?? Please explain.

A year ago when our complex opening up (funny enough on opening day of Harry Potter), they were running six prints which sold out EVERY show for the whole first week. There were a few 11:00PM starts that had 50-100 seats open during the week. We recieved a total of 6 Spiderman prints when it first opened and gave the same response. We got 4 Star Wars prints and they ALL bombed!! Never sold more than 50% of a theatre for that. Everyone has huge hype now about HP2 which is why the 8 screens. They also want to clear out most of them by the time Lord of the Rings comes in (most likely on 5 or 6 screens). The sooner they satisfy the Harry Potter craze, the sooner they can worry about satisfying the Lord of the Rings craze. Speaking of which, anyone have any idea on the running time of Lord of the Rings 2??

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