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Topic: Open for Christmas?

Jim Ziegler
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 753
From: West Hollywood, CA
Registered: Jul 99

posted 12-11-2001 02:04 PM

Working on Christmas comes with the territory.. Although, Dave, it sounds like you work for a real prick...

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Michael Hunt
Film Handler

Posts: 63
From: Gloucester, Gloucestershire, UK
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 12-11-2001 02:07 PM

Well, for the last fourteen years we've run our last show on the day before Christmas Eve, and then have been closed until 2nd January. This year we heard that we would be open for three days during the holiday period, starting the day after Boxing Day...

Guess what, myself the rest of the projection staff, and most of the front of house management and staff had already made arrangements, as this has been the one week of the year that we've always been shut...

So, today I've started training one of my lighting technicians in the art of film done right...

I've a second nephew due over Christmas, and as I'm expected at my brother's on Boxing Day, I'm sure to get babysitting duties for nephew #1...

------------------
Uncle to JEDI Hunt,
honest!

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Bob Maar
(Maar stands for Maartini)

Posts: 28608
From: New York City & Newport, RI
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 12-11-2001 02:27 PM

Dave, Jim was being kind when he said your boss was a "prick".

If that is truly how he put it to you...the man or woman is an asshole....and I will gladly pay for the sign to be put on his/her door.

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Dave Williams
Wet nipple scene

Posts: 1836
From: Salt Lake City, UT, USA
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 12-12-2001 01:36 PM

I am in agreement on the assessment of my employer.

I can respect that its his business and his rules, but come on! Its christmas day! He doesnt work it! He doesnt even seem to understand the economics of how much money we lose by bieng open when no one shows up! And to sacrifice your staff? The ones who bring you to this point? All for a few hundred dollars?

SO why do I bitch about it and not leave? LIke i say, crazy I am, but love the work. Plus it works into my schedule with my daughter and her school.

BUT.. every string has a breaking point, its when he trys to break into my daughters time with me and her school is where I draw the line, so if his policy of treating his staff the way he does around the holidays makes them leave, I have to work harder, and lose time with the girl... END OF DISCUSSION.. family takes precedent over pricks with no earned respect.

Dave

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Joel Pantoja
Film Handler

Posts: 12
From: Sacramento, CA, USA
Registered: Nov 2001

posted 12-12-2001 04:32 PM

Only one of the movie theater companies that I have worked for paid 1.5X on holidays and maybe dropped the 1st show on Xmas. To the others it was just another day. I think one of the employee handbooks started with the phrase, "The show must go on..." when it came to discussing the holidays. The sad thing is that we were always busy on Xmas and there were always people for Xmas & New Yrs eve shows.

Actually last year I actually missed working at the theater during the holidays. I was sitting there at the "in-laws" thinking that if I still was working at the theater I could have eaten and then said I had to go!

This year I'm working again part-time...

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

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

posted 12-12-2001 06:22 PM

We always have a pretty good crowd on Christmas, and Thanksgiving too.

If some of you have bad crowds on holidays, maybe the marketing dept needs to get involved!

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Dave Williams
Wet nipple scene

Posts: 1836
From: Salt Lake City, UT, USA
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 12-13-2001 10:03 AM

As for our marketing department? Sorry, never heard of em before. Besides, who the hell wants to spend christmas at the discount house? our best picture is Rush Hour 2. Not exactly hollywoods best.

Dave

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James Holliger
Film Handler

Posts: 6
From: Winchester, IN, USA
Registered: Aug 2001

posted 12-13-2001 02:39 PM

Never will forget my first sold out house as a manager on Christmas. We had been having a snow storm for three days and attendance was near zero. The owners reduced the show times but said to open and run regardless. The roads were so bad I called my crew off and decided to handle the few brave soles my self. Big mistake... 5 pm show I had a lot full of snow mobiles. I drafted friends in the group to pop corn and wound up just 15 seats short of a complete sell out. This was for Superman!! guess cabin fever does strange things.

I've never questioned the holiday schedule again... reduced hours yes but open 365 days a year!! I always did Holiday crew schedules from turkey day thu Christmas and made sure nobody worked both unless they wanted it. As for New Years... doors locked and everybody out by 9. If they didn't go to a party that was ok I didn't want them on the roads later with all the people that did.

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Dave Bird
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 777
From: Perth, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Jun 2000

posted 12-13-2001 05:24 PM

In Ontario, the Employment Standards Act dictates "Statuatory" Holidays. Those days you have off (unless you agree to work them). The rule goes that IF you would be normally scheduled to work either the day before or after the Stat. Holiday, then you receive 8 hours regular pay for it. So I guess if you did agree to also work it, that'd be "double-time" (however most employers will add a premium as well, IF the business is even allowed to be open). Theatres can open as far as I know... Many businesses will add a day or two "non-stat" holidays as a perk.

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Mike Spaeth
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1129
From: Marietta, GA
Registered: Jul 2000

posted 12-13-2001 11:44 PM

Christmas at the discount house, huh?

I'm dreading mine already. First, Christmas just happens to fall on "Ghetto Tuesday" this year ($.50 admissions all day). Second, I am opening "The Grinch" on December 21. Should be interesting ...

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Jim Ziegler
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 753
From: West Hollywood, CA
Registered: Jul 99

posted 12-14-2001 06:22 AM

Ghetto Tuesday? Lol...

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Dave Williams
Wet nipple scene

Posts: 1836
From: Salt Lake City, UT, USA
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 12-16-2001 02:00 PM

Well I wouldn't mind bieng open on Christmas if it meant we had a decent film to run. If I want to run a classic show, I have to have eight weeks of adavance preparation, with all the detailed marketing work to back up why it would be successful. I just dont have the time ever to explain to these people that films such as "the sound of music" just sell out!

Dave

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Charles Everett
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1470
From: New Jersey
Registered: May 2001

posted 12-16-2001 04:13 PM

Now we only have 7 wide releases in 7 days. 1 movie that was to open Xmas Day got moved back into January.

After New Year's Day it'll be a pretty busy winter -- at least 2-3 wide releases each week!

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Charles Everett
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1470
From: New Jersey
Registered: May 2001

posted 12-18-2001 04:58 PM

2nd update: Miramax has moved Kate & Leopold from 12/21 to 12/25. Didn't even announce it until today!

Kate & Leopold was gonna get Gandalf'd by The Lord of the Rings. Now it's gonna lose to Ali in a 1st-round KO.

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James R. Hammonds, Jr
Jedi Master Film Handler

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

posted 12-19-2001 06:58 AM

Apparently they decided to make some last minute changes which will affect 4 different reels.
So the prints that were run for sneak previews are actually not final versions and everyone has to send it back and get the new ones.
It was also said that the new prints may not even be in until christmas morning.

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