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Author Topic: AMC and Regal merge...of sorts Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 04-02-2005 09:25 PM                        I have not seen the Regal thing, but the AMC "Movie Watcher Network" has _got_ to go. I paid to see a film tonight at an AMC house and was subjected to the AMC MWN for the first time in several months. They have gone from a silent slide show with five minutes' worth of film ads (which was annoying enough) to an animated "slide show" equivalent plus _fifteen_ _minutes_ of full-motion advertising, with sync sound, approximately half the running time of which was used to promote DVD releases. If this isn't a tacky way to insult the customers who just paid to see a motion picture in a theatrical setting, then I don't know what is. Additionally, the picture "quality" is crap (even compared to horrid video->35mm transfers) and the sound sync is off. I seriously question whether the people who come up with this stuff have ever seen a quality theatrical film presentation in a "real" movie palace even once in their pathetic little lives. Whoever came up with this POS should have been fired but probably got promoted instead. I have trouble understanding why they need this "extra revenue" when their 16-plex lobby is full of people who paid $9.50 per ticket plus many more dollars on concessions. And, yes, this theatre has quit using its curtains, which used to close between the slide show and the feature.  |  IP: Logged Dean Kollet Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 591 From: Florida State University Registered: Jul 2003 posted 04-02-2005 10:26 PM                     as soon as I get it cleared with my boss, I'm going to post our pre-show here. Granted, it's a student audience, and what I have to work with is awesome...but we have some good ideas. I'm working on an interactive one, as we show midnight movies where we encourage audience participation (at least singing and/or yelling out quotes during the movie, it's not as annoying as one would think). This is all done on powerpoint. As for the 2twenty (sp?) and AMC's pre-show hell, I can honestly say they need new marketing people. I know they have a very broad audience to cover, but still....they can do MUCH better...  |  IP: Logged Chase Hanson Expert Film Handler Posts: 172 From: San Diego, CA Registered: Oct 2004 posted 04-03-2005 09:41 PM                     quote: Scott Norwood I seriously question whether the people who come up with this stuff have ever seen a quality theatrical film presentation in a "real" movie palace even once in their pathetic little lives. Whoever came up with this POS should have been fired but probably got promoted instead. Its actually masterminded by a little company called Christies Incorporated Maybe youve heard of them??  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 04-04-2005 07:42 AM                        I don't care who came up with the idea. It sucks regardless. When I was in college (where we ran 16mm), I made up a fun preshow with a mix of actual "On screen entertainment" slides and some of our own "custom" slides. The purpose of this was to mock a typical multiplex's presentation and we got some good laughs out of it. I also had (and still have) a great reel of trailers for bad films from the 1970s with a few bad public-service announcements mixed in. It was always a hit.  |  IP: Logged Chase Hanson Expert Film Handler Posts: 172 From: San Diego, CA Registered: Oct 2004 posted 04-04-2005 02:18 PM                     quote: Scott Norwood I don't care who came up with the idea. It sucks regardless. You took the time and effort to dedicate two sentences to ragging on the entity that formed this. And now it appears to have been a little thrown off by the fact that the target of your venom, wasnt quite as easy pickins' as you had wanted.  |  IP: Logged Edward Jurich Master Film Handler Posts: 305 From: Las Vegas USA Registered: Jul 2003 posted 04-05-2005 08:54 PM                     My friend in Florida is fed up with theater "poor" quality shows. Has purchased a new HD DLP rear projection TV, a new DVD player and a Comcast HD box....no more movie theaters. These companies are shooting themselves in the foot.  |  IP: Logged Robert Burtcher Expert Film Handler Posts: 194 From: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Registered: Jun 2005 posted 07-04-2005 04:02 AM                     I haven't seen either Regal's 2wenty or AMC's MovieWatcher Network... but it sounds like bad business to me. In my opinion, the pre-show entertainment should be mostly unobtrusive... There for the customers who want to enjoy it, and easily ignored for those who wish to have a conversation or otherwise occupy the time before the show. Creative slideshows and MovieTunes/Cinema Radio/etc are, IMO, much preferred by customers.  |  IP: Logged Jason Miller Expert Film Handler Posts: 241 From: Little Rock, AR, Registered: Mar 2004 posted 07-04-2005 07:26 PM                    Maybe they should stop broadcasting ads on the radio too. maybe stop putting them in newspapers, magazines, etc... the T.V. should take the hint and stop interrupting my 15 minute show with 2 minutes of ads every 10 minutes. then any internet advertising should go. And putting flyers on cars or in film cans is a definite no-no. in fact maybe ALL advertising should be banned and the only way for people to hear about NEW things would be to accidentally stumble across them. face it. Advertising is an integral part of commerce. there is no bastion of silence. everywhere you look you will find something telling you about something else. if you think the pre-feature show is too loud then send a complaint. but it wont be going away. if you think the content is inappropiate or ridiculuous then send in a complaint. but it wont be going away. I go to movies all the time by myself. I would RATHER watch the pre-feature stuff than listen to teenagers yak on about crap. or old people talk about what ailments they have. or listen to the damn couple behind me sucking each others tongue. I agree some of it isn't interesting to me. but a lot of it at least doesnt piss me off. and some of it makes me laugh. The Twenty at one point even had Aqua Teen Hunger Force excerpts. just my 2 cents...  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 07-05-2005 01:23 AM                     ..REG's is called "CineMedia" - a division of REG dedicated to the preshow concept.  |  IP: Logged Brandon Willis Expert Film Handler Posts: 216 From: Richmond, VA, USA Registered: Apr 2004 posted 07-25-2005 11:56 PM                     Has Georgia Theatre Company joined National Cinemedia?  |  IP: Logged Mike Spaeth Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1129 From: Marietta, GA Registered: Jul 2000 posted 07-26-2005 12:35 AM                        They were already under Regal Cinemedia ... so I would assume yes.  |  IP: Logged Joseph L. Kleiman Master Film Handler Posts: 380 From: Sacramento, CA Registered: Apr 2005 posted 07-26-2005 12:45 PM                     You do all know that Cinemark has purchased a 21% interest in National Cinemedia? As of Jan of next year, we'll have Regal, the new AMC (including all the old Loews theaters), Cinemark, and a number of smaller circuits NCM is contracting with all showing the new version of the 2wenty (it is scheduled to be renamed) - or what I like to call the ultimate in infomercial enteratainment. This also means that because all these screens will be using the Christie Digital projectors, we can expect a lot more digitally projected live events, like teenybop concerts and NASCAR. I can't wait.  |  IP: Logged Jesse Skeen Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1517 From: Sacramento, CA Registered: Aug 2000 posted 07-26-2005 01:20 PM                     quote: Jason Miller if you think the pre-feature show is too loud then send a complaint. but it wont be going away. if you think the content is inappropiate or ridiculuous then send in a complaint. but it wont be going away. Then the customers WILL be going away, and they "wont" come back!  |  IP: Logged Jason Miller Expert Film Handler Posts: 241 From: Little Rock, AR, Registered: Mar 2004 posted 07-26-2005 02:50 PM                    I'm sure the customers wouldnt be leaving based solely on the fact that there is ads before the movie. they usually have other complaints. people talking.. uncomfortable seats... temperature... volume... image... What do you suggest the theatre companies do? drop all advertising? think it will happen? where is the line drawn? does advertising other movies count? if someone complains that they were "forced" to watch that ridiculous trailer about some comic book movie where some guy has claws should we pull the trailer? should we just cross our fingers and HOPE that someone shows up to see movies based purely on their sense of adventure? I fail to see what the big deal about putting content BEFORE a show? do you need quiet time to relax and meditate on the movie experience you are about to receive? Ever had anyone ask "What's that movie about?" guess what... NO ONE WILL KNOW! "Have you tried that new pill that regrows hair and makes you live 10 years longer and increases sexual performance and improves your memory?" "NO. never even heard of it" "OF COURSE NOT! it would be WRONG to tell you about such products in case you might get offended about hearing that there are new products/inventions in this world!" "You ever gone to that website where all the cool projectionists talk about film stuff?" "No.. never heard of it." "Proabably not. Some guy was putting flyers in film cans and he was branded a traitor to mankind and is now living in some hut in the woods mixing some sort of chemical to put on film.. film-guard I think." "Never heard of that either." "Shit.. I've told you too much"  |  IP: Logged Lyle Romer Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1400 From: Davie, FL, USA Registered: May 2002 posted 07-26-2005 02:55 PM                     I understand the complaints about rolling stock ads shown after the feature start time but what is the big problem with ads shown before the start time? Is it really that much different than the old slide based ads? As long as the volume isn't so loud that patrons can't talk over it, who really cares. I mean, most of the pre show time is spent finding a seat, and going out to the concession stand or the bathroom. I mean how long is anybody really sitting there being tortured by these ads, 5 or 10 minutes? Like I said, once the advertised start time arrives, the only things that should be shown are trailers and the feature. Honestly, it is far more annoying to see the ridiculous quantity of obvious product placements in movies like "The Island." A question for ya'll, IF the revenue created by these ads was used to improve the presentation of the feature film, would you still be against them?  |  IP: Logged

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