posted 12-27-2003 11:52 AM                    

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When I aquired a local quad, I opened with jittery machines, crappy reflectors, foggy lenses and nothing but SR for sound. Not one single patron ever complained about the quality of the show. Not one ever said they wouldn't be back because the theatre down the street had a better show. I DID have several people make comments about my great DIGITAL sound... and only my hairdresser knew for sure.
Based on that, why shouldn't I accept that they were coming to my place instead of the other guys for no other reason than that they all loved me??!! No... I started upgrading the booth because my own presentation made me crazy. We're all digital now, I have newer lenses (brand new ones on the list for this Summer), the reflectors have been replaced, one of the three machines is new and the other three will be gone within the next few months. The crowds are decent... and growing... but I still think it's a subjective matter of how each of them have perceived the experience.

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posted 12-27-2003 01:00 PM                       

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Would it have been preferable to let that quad close down (or remain closed)?

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Assuming that there is nothing wrong with building a theatre over time...What are the absolute bare essentials needed at the outset?

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Offhand, I'd say that using the Johnny Cash method of building up a theatre over time ("one piece at a time") depends to a huge extent upon whether the community thinks they need, or want that theatre in their midst. My quad is by no means the county's powerhouse. However, it's situated at the edge of town, where the crowds have to travel another 7 miles to get to the big malls & their theatres. I'm probably more like the "community theatre"... attracting the "more adult" audience that doesn't want to deal with the insanity. We're also in a military county, and the blue-collar nature of the area has generated the numbers of loyal customers we've needed to pay off... and subsequently get going on the process of rebuilding our drive-in.

The quad was not the high-priority for the chain that had it previously. First run pictures not usually in the top 6 or 7, because those films usually played the mall houses. That an an effect on the mix of customers who frequented the place, making it a location that was not thought of first as the place where the best pictures would be. When we got it, we capatalized on the fact that even the smallest rooms have 200+ seats (the smallest chain rooms are around 72), the screens are wall-to-wall, excepting for exit doors, and our biggest house has a 38-footer, easily the largest picture in the county.

Offhand, I'd say that if the community wants you, they'll have much more patience with your deficiencies... whatever they are, as long as they perceive you're investing back into the place and not just siphoning off all the profits. On the other hand, if they don't care about you, the only way you'll get something going is to kick the competition out of town (read: have lots of money to burn!). Some people will be able to play the middle ground & survive, but these are largely the operators who go into a property and literally do everything. For many of them, the only way they keep the lights on is to avoid hiring anything out. They become slaves to their properties & that is NO fun.

As far as I've experienced, the audience will forgive cosmetic deficiencies far more quickly than they will with presentation issues. If your building needs new carpet, they'll notice that when they walk on it, but will put it aside if you give them a good, solid presentation. On the other hand, if you give them a show that has serious enough problems that they are able to make negative comparisons between you and other theatres in the area, the best carpet in the world won't save you. This is where I've taught the staff that, while the popcorn is important... and keeping carpets swept and bathrooms clean is necessary and not to be forgotten, none of that matters if the customers leave thinking more about the out-of-focus picture than the movie itself. We've gotten an awful lot of mileage from people who might say to their friends, "yah... the place is 20 years old, but they've got a 38 foot screen & their sound kicks butt!"

... my $.002

... oh... and I have no "Snake-Ore" lenses in either of my theatres. Coke bottles are used only for soft drinks here!

posted 12-29-2003 01:55 PM                       

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After so much avoidance of the initial question...I now wonder if anyone on this forum is brave enough to make an apparently futile attempt to enumerate the bare minimum that is required for a theatre to be "good enough" in his/her opinion..?

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Make sure that the sound is perfect, make sure that the picture is in focus and doesn't jitter. Make sure you aren't projecting on the wall and that you are framing it properly. Make sure your customers can't hear the projector running, distracting them from the experience you are supposed to be immersing them in.

When you have that done, then make sure that the staff is courteous, make sure the concessions are good. Make sure the bathrooms are clean and are something people aren't afraid to go into.

Make your theater a place that people want to come to by using interior and exterior design that builds on the magic people want to feel when they go to a movie. Accessorize those elements with standees, posters, and other items that support that experience.

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posted 12-29-2003 05:12 PM                       

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Just a thought here. Perhaps John Pytlak would weigh in here with the point that if your theatre conforms to SEMPTE standards, then that is good enough?

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