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Author Topic: Matrix Reloaded Allocations Paul Konen Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 981 From: Frisco, TX. (North of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 05-12-2003 09:35 AM                     Receiving 5 prints at my 24 screen. Must play all prints for Wed preview (or whatever you want to call it) starting at 10:00 PM every 15 minutes.  |  IP: Logged Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 05-12-2003 06:27 PM                     The ridiculous number of prints on recent films kind of pisses me off. A 6,000 print order here, an 8,000 print order there, so on and so forth. Did I miss something? I thought the film distributors were bitching about the cost of film prints in their need to promote low-rez glorified TV ("digital projection"). They were griping about print costs when most "big" movies would issue out 2,500 to 4,000 prints. Now we're seeing more than double that. WTF? Are print costs a real problem or not? Jeez, if the studio can afford 8,000 or even 10,000 quad format prints, they should be able to throw in a few 70mm blowups here and there! Maybe they have some new marketing model, via "Spiderman" (an arguably mediocre film that makes $400 million in the US alone within a month). I forget how many prints there were of "Spiderman", but it seemed like anyone who had the least little desire to see the movie was able to do so immediately. Granted, I don't particularly like waiting in lines wrapped around a city block for 3 hours to see a new blockbuster release, but won't this kind of print overload do more to hurt movie theaters? Things get really slow after all the "big" summer movies have played out. If they shoot their wad in attendance within a few days of opening that would only seem to leave a lot of down time afterward with lots of screens playing prints of a movie everyone has already seen. Exhibitors will need more flexibility on print contracts and their required play time. This "you have to play the print on your best screens for 8 weeks" stuff just isn't going to wash under these conditions. "X2" is already showing signs of having gone limp (if you'll excuse the expression). I guess the point I'm trying to make is if a high profile print is playing to an empty house, the theater must have the flexibility to pull it and show something else -even if it is obscure art house product. [ 05-13-2003, 03:23 PM: Message edited by: Bobby Henderson ]  |  IP: Logged David Stambaugh Film God Posts: 4021 From: Eugene, Oregon Registered: Jan 2002 posted 05-12-2003 06:34 PM                        Looking at Cinemark 17's Thursday lineup here, they will have only 10 titles playing, maybe the fewest ever there, including: Matrix Reloaded, 4 screens X-Men 2, 4 screens Daddy Day Care, 3 screens  |  IP: Logged Darryl Spicer Film God Posts: 3250 From: Lexington, KY, USA Registered: Dec 2000 posted 05-12-2003 07:23 PM                    2 prints here but the stupid Regal 4 miles down the road has a rediculous 6 prints playing starting 15 minutes apart. Now you know some of them are going to be playing in small auditoriums pissing people off when they find themselves in a small shoebox. Now both of ours are in our 2 largest auditoriums.  |  IP: Logged Jack Ondracek Film God Posts: 2348 From: Port Orchard, WA, USA Registered: Oct 2002 posted 05-12-2003 08:44 PM                        We have the same situation here in our area. We've just got one print, though it's the largest auditorium in the county... just under 500 seats & a 36 foot screen. There are 6 other prints in our county of 250k. One of Regals quads is playing X-Men on 2 screens, which will make them a 2-title house for a while. They've got 5 of the 7 prints in this county. As for the bulk number of prints, I'd agree that it's killing demand far sooner than it used to. Many of these shows are tapped out a week before the studios' minimum booking demands. What's it doing? Making much more money for the studios. That print cost of around $1200 is peanuts (per John P's link... see http://www.sabucat.com/digital.pdf). At a first-week cost to the theatre of 70%, all a theatre has to do is make $1,715 at the boxoffice and the print is paid for. If the studios dump a buttload of prints on the market and tap a show out before the percentage drops to where a theatre can actually make some boxoffice profits from it, they (the studios) and Kodak (no offense, John) make a killing, while the first-run houses pay through the nose, lose the lower-percentage weeks, maybe pay for a lot of unused square footage during 3rd & 4th weeks... and severely damage (if not kill outright) the sub-run and discount markets. We've really noticed it at our drive-in. Time was, we could bring a show in 6 weeks after it released (well... there was a time when we didn't have much choice), and still do pretty well with it. Now, we're playing combos of double features that are all playing as singles in local hardtops. The number of shows we run on break has jumped... as has what we're paying the distribs. They're happy... so are we, I guess... but it sure has made it hard to find decent product to fill the screens after Labor Day, when studio output about stops. And to think there was a time when we could book up 3 months in advance. Oooops... dated myself there, didn't I?  |  IP: Logged Charles Everett Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1470 From: New Jersey Registered: May 2001 posted 05-13-2003 07:05 AM                     A sample of bookings from my area . . . Reading, Manville: 12 screens, 4 prints AMC Hamilton: 24 screens, 5 prints AMC Clifton Commons: 16 screens, 5 prints -- 3 prints full-time, 1 print doubled-up with Lizzie McGuire, 1 print doubled-up with Holes Loews New Brunswick: 18 screens, 6 prints -- they drop Bend It Like Beckham to play the 6th print Regal Warrington Crossing: 22 screens, 7 prints Regal Hadley Center: 16 screens, 5 prints  |  IP: Logged Jonathan M. Crist Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 531 From: Hershey, PA, USA Registered: Apr 2000 posted 05-13-2003 12:44 PM                     I understand that the Empire 25 in NYC is getting 10 prints.  |  IP: Logged Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 05-13-2003 03:59 PM                     I'm still pissed about the Carmike 8 here in Lawton missing out on both "X2" and "Matrix: Reloaded" all thanks a ridiculous allocation agreement with a slum-plex down the street. There may be some silver lining about it. I just know the under-equipped 12-plex at Central Mall is going to botch at least a few of their shows. Only two of the 12 screens have DTS; the rest are analog. Much of the time the management doesn't bother to load the CDs either. Plenty of folks are going to be watching "The Matrix" in the glory of mono. Yeah, that theater's automations are funky and unless the projectionist is there riding it, you'll hear the film in mono instead of stereo optical. And then there's the Cache 8 with its pictures by Braille and mono sound that leaks from one auditorium to the next. A lot of people are going to see "film done wrong" in my town over the next few weeks. Perhaps that might do more to make audiences appreciate having an unsung all-DTS equipped 8-plex in town with a manager that actually cares about putting on a decent show. Its either that or many are going to say "screw all those theaters together; I'm only watching movies on DVD from now on."  |  IP: Logged David Stambaugh Film God Posts: 4021 From: Eugene, Oregon Registered: Jan 2002 posted 05-13-2003 04:09 PM                        By "slum-plex", are you referring to: I liked the sign better though when there were a few more pieces left hanging on for dear life. Though I guess the single word "CINEMA" conveys all the information anyone really needs.  |  IP: Logged Daniel Fuentz Expert Film Handler Posts: 230 From: Fresno, CA, USA Registered: Apr 2003 posted 05-13-2003 05:10 PM                     That sign is outside a theater that's still open?!?! Egads, the ABANDONED 6-plex here in Fresno has a nicer marquee than that!!! If the outside of the place looks like that, I shudder to think what it's like on the inside!!  |  IP: Logged Jack Ondracek Film God Posts: 2348 From: Port Orchard, WA, USA Registered: Oct 2002 posted 05-13-2003 05:38 PM                        If they don't used the sign as a marquee, it could have a second life as auxilliary parking lot lighting. At least it would be easier to change the bulbs on the sign than on the light poles!  |  IP: Logged David Stambaugh Film God Posts: 4021 From: Eugene, Oregon Registered: Jan 2002 posted 05-13-2003 05:54 PM                        Same sign in better days (all photos by Bobby Henderson):  |  IP: Logged Daniel Fuentz Expert Film Handler Posts: 230 From: Fresno, CA, USA Registered: Apr 2003 posted 05-13-2003 06:02 PM                     Oh, my goodness! Those are "better days"! And there's not a tour of this "fabulous" theater on Cinematour. I think you're being too kind calling it a slumplex. It would have to remodel to get to that level! Here, this marquee is outside an ABANDONED theater here in town. Maybe we can crate it up and ship it to that place... (post edited to add picture of abandoned marquee that is nicer than what that slum has) [ 05-14-2003, 04:26 AM: Message edited by: Daniel Fuentz ]  |  IP: Logged Jason Whyte Expert Film Handler Posts: 132 From: Victoria, BC, Canada Registered: Sep 2002 posted 05-14-2003 12:19 AM                        Are there pictures of the inside? I can't believe that place is even in business. I'd certainly never let a film of mine into a place like that. Ugh... Jason  |  IP: Logged David Stambaugh Film God Posts: 4021 From: Eugene, Oregon Registered: Jan 2002 posted 05-14-2003 11:39 AM                        If they're too cheap to repair the broken sign (which everyone can see), it makes you wonder what's going on in the booth behind the scenes...  |  IP: Logged

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