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Author Topic: Stupid Showtimes (AKA You Suck: Outing bad showtime schedulers) Brian Woods Film Handler Posts: 32 From: Memphis, TN Registered: Dec 2005 posted 08-29-2006 09:03 PM                    Well, in my opinion, it may just be that school has started back, and it's a film that they are bringing back, so it may not be as busy to run 5 shows a day? If it's a twin, they probably only have a box office person and a manager operating the booth and concession stand. It may be that they have enough time in between to clean, restock, and also to build a crowd of more than 2 people to watch each show time? I think it's weird to complain about showtimes? I always thought if a movie theater wasn't showing a movie around the time I wanted to see it, I would go watch something else, or kill time by grabbing something to eat, or something to keep me entertained until showtime. From what I have seen, alot of single screen and twin theaters are so slow during the day, that they only show a 5:00pm and 7:00pm show. Remember, Movie Theaters are not like cable companies....They aren't on Demand!  |  IP: Logged Mike Spaeth Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1129 From: Marietta, GA Registered: Jul 2000 posted 08-30-2006 12:59 PM                        My point was, simply, that if the goal were 4 shows, they could open for the 2:50 show, get the same number of shows in, and cut a bunch out of payroll. If you're open anyways at 12:30, you may as well have 5 shows. It seems like a waste to be open and not running shows.  |  IP: Logged Dennis Benjamin Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1445 From: Denton, MD Registered: Feb 2002 posted 08-30-2006 07:35 PM                        When I am not in charge of showtimes (as my current situation) I put forth the following rules: All shows start times must be ten minutes apart. All shows must have at least twenty minutes in between showtimes (from one set to the next). And no wierd stuff! I have always used a formula: Typical four screen schedule: 12, 12:10, 12:20, 12:30 2:30,2:40, 2:50, 3:00 (depending on run times) 4:40, 4:50, 5:00, 5:10 7:00, 7:10, 7:20, 7:30 9:30, 9:40, 9:50, 10:00 This same formula can apply to larger theatres, 6, 8 10, and 12. When you get to 14 and above - things get a little different. It is not only for the sake of the per cap - but it is for the sake of uniformity and CUSTOMER SERVICE. When you get one of those long films like Pirates or Superman, the formula will only change slightly - because you will only be running three shows. I always liked having actual SETS of shows - some of these theatres now are getting on my nerves with the whole constant revolving movie schedules - "let's see how many shows of something we can cram into a day!" - "screw our employees, our equipment, and our customers - let's run the place into the ground and see how much money we have at the end of the week!" - Geeze this is what's killing our industry!  |  IP: Logged Caleb Johnstone-Cowan Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 593 From: London, UK Registered: Mar 2006 posted 09-12-2006 06:33 AM                     Somebody in our company got the run time of the latest Indian film we are showing wrong by 15 minutes. The last show is 10pm every evening. There was a five minute gap scheduled between shows. It takes me five minutes to lace up and start a film (I'm new). Started show at 10.20pm, film is meant to finish at 1.05am instead finishes at 1.40am. With my level of experience I'm not going to go in and cut out the ads and trailers or not run the intermission and risk making the show look bad. Worst of all the company is taking the piss and wont pay us after 1am unless we go and fill out forms downstairs.  |  IP: Logged Anslem Rayburn Master Film Handler Posts: 476 From: Yuma, AZ, USA Registered: May 2002 posted 09-12-2006 06:51 AM                     quote: Caleb Johnstone-Cowan Worst of all the company is taking the piss and wont pay us after 1am unless we go and fill out forms downstairs. Which you did, right? Even if it's a single minute, they owe you, and the only way of breaking them of the habit is to cash in on it. If everyone fills out the paperwork, then they will realize it costs them more to have someone check it all over than to just pay you, so make sure you make them do the extra work...  |  IP: Logged System Notices Forum Watchdog / Soup Nazi Posts: 215 Registered: Apr 2004 posted 09-09-2008 05:07 PM                 It has been 728 days since the last post.  |  IP: Logged Eric Hooper Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 532 From: Fort Worth, TX, USA Registered: May 2003 posted 09-09-2008 05:07 PM                     More Regal retardness! Showtimes for Burn After Reading starting this Friday at the UA Stonestown Twin in San Francisco on both screens. Keep in mind the movie is only 1:36 long. Screen #1: 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 10:15 Screen #2: 1:30, 4:45, 8:00, 10:45  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 09-09-2008 05:42 PM                        I'm not really sure what the problem is. So they have an empty auditorium for awhile. So what? They still have plenty of start times. You also forgot to account for trailers.  |  IP: Logged Dustin Mitchell Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1865 From: Mondovi, WI, USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 09-09-2008 07:16 PM                     Well lets say they are running 20 minutes in previews, round off to make the show 2 hours long. They also have to leave enough time for the full preshow to play, say another 20 minutes. Plus cleaning time. Not so bad when you factor all that in.  |  IP: Logged Michael Brown Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1522 From: Bradford, England Registered: May 2001 posted 09-09-2008 09:16 PM                     The start times don't seems to be spaced-out very well. For example the first show is on at 13.00 then the next show is just half an hour later, but after that there is a massive 2 and a half hour gap untill the 16.00 show. Would make more sense to have the shows more equally spaced.  |  IP: Logged Eric Hooper Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 532 From: Fort Worth, TX, USA Registered: May 2003 posted 09-10-2008 01:45 AM                     quote: Joe Redifer I'm not really sure what the problem is. The movie is 1:36. There are usually four trailers shown at 2 minutes each for about 8-10 minutes. Let's call the total running time 1:45. (This is Regal and all the pre-show crap is before the actual advertised start time, so the four trailers start right on the advertised.) The first show at 1:00 ends at 2:45. The auditorium is then empty and not doing anything until 4:00pm! The first show in the next auditorium is 1:30pm and will end at 3:15pm, which even leaves both auditoriums empty between 3:15pm and 4:00pm. This auditorium is empty and not doing anything for an hour and a half...from 3:15pm until the next show at 4:45pm! And in the evening, we have shows at 7:00 and 8:00, which end at 8:45 and 9:45 respectively. The show that ends at 8:45 could have another show start at 9:15 if they wanted to, which is prime time right after dinner if you ask me. But no, they don't schedule the next show until 10:15pm, a whole hour later when they could have started it at 9:15pm. The auditorium is sitting there empty right at prime time not doing anything for an hour and a half (from 8:45pm to 10:15pm) except wasting electricity on the houselights...  |  IP: Logged James Westbrook Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1133 From: Lubbock, Texas, Usa Registered: Mar 2006 posted 09-10-2008 02:15 AM                     Just a hunch... Maybe that manager wants to open the building at 12:30 or 12:45 every day regardless of whatever the length of the movie(s) that are being played. What about these times? 1:00 3:20 5:40 8:00 10:20 2:10 4:30 6:50 9:10 This is using the formula of 96 minutes plus 15 minutes of trailer plus 30 minutes Firstlook divided by 2 (2 prints). 70 minutes apart. Personally, I'd want a 7 prime showing, then work forwards, then backwards. Either way, it's nine shows.  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 09-10-2008 04:19 AM                        Eric, maybe you should apply for a management position at this theater so they can no longer torture you with their showtimes.  |  IP: Logged Eric Hooper Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 532 From: Fort Worth, TX, USA Registered: May 2003 posted 09-10-2008 11:33 AM                     quote: Joe Redifer Eric, maybe you should apply for a management position at this theater so they can no longer torture you with their showtimes. See, now it's responses like this is why I haven't posted much on here. Movie theatres are a dying business model, and it's because of stupid crap like this that they are shooting themselves in the foot. Pardon me for noticing that theatres could do better and wanting them to be successful.  |  IP: Logged Justin Hamaker Film God Posts: 2253 From: Lakeport, CA USA Registered: Jan 2004 posted 09-10-2008 12:32 PM                        I manage a 5 plex and this time of the year, all my movies are on a 4 show schedule no matter the run time (unless they are too long). The shows start at 1:30-2:00, 4:00-4:30, 6:45-7:15, and 9:15-9:30. By having everything on a 4 show schedule, I reduce the number of employees I need because we don't have people coming in at the same time we're trying to clean the auditoriums. And I can also reduce the length of the employee's shifts. And I reduce energy costs by opening 30-45 minutes later and closing 30-45 minutes earlier. Besides, given the movies at this time of the year, is it really going to add business by having 5 showings of Disaster Movie or Bangkok Dangerous rather than just 4? I'll grant that it seems strange to not start the last shows until 10:15 and 10:45, but they may have found that shows starting in the 10:00 hour tend to do better than those starting in the 9:00 hour. Or it could be a strategy to take advantage of expected sell-outs at the other theatres. Looking at the times for the AMC Van Ness and the Balboa, it could very well be that they are trying to separate their times from the other theatres to take advantage of gaps in scheduling. Here are all the showtimes for Burn After Reading in SF: AMC (11:45am), 12:30, 2:00, 3:00, 4:15, 5:15, 6:50, 7:50, 9:20, 10:25 Balboa (12:30), 2:40, 4:50, 7:15, 9:20 Stowntown (1:00), (1:30), (4:00), (4:45), 7:00, 8:00, 10:15, 10:45  |  IP: Logged

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