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This topic comprises 9 pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
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Author
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Topic: Cinemark to buy Century
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Brian Woods
Film Handler
Posts: 32
From: Memphis, TN
Registered: Dec 2005
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posted 12-11-2006 10:00 PM
I am not one who points fingers at people, usually because it's impolite, but...There are a few people on here that are anti "big chain", and voice their opinions on theaters that they haven't been to in "more than a decade". To those of you, Thank You!!!! Thank you for voicing your opinion on things that you do not know anything about. Thank you for going against the "man" of the movie theater business, and telling everyone the "man" is out to get the little guy and hold them down with their power of getting movies and selling concession items. Thank you for reminding everyone all the time since they are a "big chain" that their operators must be idiots, and that the managers must be morons to work for them and they don't hold the knowledge to put on an excellent presentation without scratching the film, or burning the building down. Thank you for loving your one screen theater, and believing it's the best little theater in the world, even with your 1978 yellow curtains and stale meldew smell. Thank you for judging other operators and their presentations since we know you have never made a mistake, had a film wrap, accidentally scratched a film, started a movie late, had a projector break down, or anything outside of a perfect presentation. Thank you for knowing everything technical about the booth, management, film buying, pay structures, taxes, real-estate, legal, investments, human resources, state and federal laws, and have your own money sitting aside that one day, you too can open a theater and invest millions of dollars in hopes that your ill trained employees will scratch prints and start movies out of frame. Thank you for letting everyone know that your ![[bs]](graemlins/bs.gif) doesn't stink!
Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!
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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."
Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001
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posted 12-12-2006 12:58 PM
quote: Brian Woods
There are a few people on here that are anti "big chain", and voice their opinions on theaters that they haven't been to in "more than a decade". To those of you, Thank You!!!! Thank you for voicing your opinion on things that you do not know anything about.
I sometimes get annoyed by broad statements which appear once in awhile amounting to "(company name here) sucks!" I'll give a theater chain that is largely unpopular with at least some credit when they do manage to do something right.
However, I'm a well informed customer not a theater employee and I will exercise my latitude to level strong criticism to any theater chain when their upper management makes really goofy decisions.
Speaking of Cinemark in particular, yes I do believe they have made some goofy decisions lately, mainly in respect to the design of many of their new auditoriums and various other compromises made that negatively affect show quality.
Any theater anywhere, big chain location or small independent, has to struggle with quality of employees. A bad employee can screw up the show quality in even the very best designed theaters. I can afford a good theater a bit of slack when a slip up here or there occurs, especially if I have seen very good show quality at that location recently.
What I cannot tolerate is how bad show quality gets built into the theater structure itself. That's something that will make me not want to return to that theater at all.
Cinemark has been doing this lately. They've been using common width screens and vertical masking in many of their auditoriums for several years now. I'm sorry, but a movie like Die Hard should be bigger than Driving Miss Daisy.
Even worse, some of these new theaters are featuring very retarded projection port placements very high above the back stadium seated row and even off center. The severe angles are a great recipe for keystoned and unevenly focused images! When I encounter such a location it makes me not want to ever return.
I like it that Cinemark has gotten rid of the wacky color schemes and gone to a much more tasteful decorative scheme in their newer theaters. However, I don't spend 2 hours in the lobby. I spend most of my time in the auditorium watching a movie. That's why I'm there. Cinemark needs to put a lot more work into improving actual show quality. That is the product they're selling, not demonstrations in lobby design.
Other big chains are guilty of the same kind of thing. AMC has a few really cool looking theaters. But that does nothing to stop me from getting irritated when I'm sent to an auditorium that has the surround speakers stuffed into the ceiling over my head.
![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
Honestly, I cannot understand why a significant number of movie theater chains have the average of declining show quality standards happening right now. If anything they should be fighting tooth and nail to make sure movies get presented in the best possible manner. Home theater is getting ever more sophisticated.
Basically these executives in various corporate offices need to improve their quality of their product. Competition in the home is getting a lot better. I guess those "suits" are just holding to the belief that no one cares about presentation quality. We'll just see how long they're able to get away with it.
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Brian Woods
Film Handler
Posts: 32
From: Memphis, TN
Registered: Dec 2005
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posted 12-12-2006 11:06 PM
I agree totally with Bobby! If a theater sucks, they suck! With AMC, Regal, Cinemark, and Mom and Pop movie theaters, there are the good, the bad, and the ugly. There are a few bad apple's in every bunch, and they need to be pointed out. I just get annoyed by independent movie theater employee's spouting stuff about theaters that they haven't been to. I know, big chains are like Wal-Mart, and we are going to move into your town and make you a door greeter. But, it doesn't make them evil, nor does it automatically list them as a theater that puts on a bad presention! I know there are theater's that I visit that the staff isn't the best, and it shows sometimes with scratches, out of frame, projection problems, etc. But, there are some theaters I go to that always have an excellent presentation and are consistent. I have been to Century, I have been to Cinemark, I have been to Regal, I have been to AMC, I have been to Mom and Pops. As mentioned above, I have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. BUT! I don't group one chain with one bad theater and have them also having alot of good theaters that do a good job. Making a statement that upper management doesn't care about presentations and are out of touch, would be in my opinion would be false. If people stop coming because of a bad presentation, crappie staff, or a run down theater, they lose money. We are here to put on a presentation for our customers and are responsible to do the best job we can with the materials handed to us. Upper Management does look at these boards to see what people talk about. Even bad feedback is good feedback. I know of a few people who have gotten in trouble for making comments about people in the company, and airing dirty laundry that should stay inhouse. I think if you have an issue with a specific theater, post it under the "You Suck" section. But please, don't state that all of AMC's 411 movie theaters suck, or all of Regal's 542 movie theater's suck.
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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."
Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001
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posted 12-12-2006 11:54 PM
quote: Matt Fields
I'm not sure the public as a whole really cares about the technical issues.
Yet many of these people will flatly refuse to buy a DVD of TV show or older movie if the sound isn't Dolby Digital 5.1. When it comes to the audio on the micro-sized surround system they bought at Wally World it damned sure better be 5.1!
The truth is the general public doesn't understand what goes on in the booth and that's really the only reason why an assumption can be made they don't care about presentation quality.
A lot of people don't even want to get up out of their seat when a glaring problem occurs. Take a frame line across the screen after a reel change for instance. I've seen that several times through the years at a number of different locations. I can sit in my chair waiting for someone else to go inform the staff about the problem, but I'm almost always the one who has to do it.
Basically a lot of people are just lazy. They'll still think the show quality sucked, but many will sit through an entire movie screwed up that way because it's more trouble for them to get out of their seat. Nevertheless, they're left with a bad impression of that theater and possibly a good sales pitch on home theater gear.
HDTV, HD-DVD, Blu-Ray, HD-capable gaming consoles -all equipped with 5.1 surround- are still pretty much a niche thing but won't be that way for long. I already know a lot of people who don't go to movie theaters anymore. Widespread proliferation of those new home entertainment technologies may cause those "I only watch movies at home" crowd grow by leaps and bounds.
The executives at various theater chains can choose to believe audiences don't care about presentation quality and even make policy decisions and theater site designs around that. But they'll be gambling with the future of their business in doing so.
quote: Brian Woods
Upper Management does look at these boards to see what people talk about. Even bad feedback is good feedback.
The problem is a certain number of those managers think they're right and I, the customer, am wrong. For instance, I don't see AMC Theaters relocating those ceiling mounted surround speakers down onto the side walls. I've been griping about that problem for roughly a decade and AMC seems to be sticking to their guns on that topic.
That's just one example. There's lots of others.
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Dave Bird
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 777
From: Perth, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Jun 2000
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posted 12-13-2006 10:33 AM
Clean bathrooms are the key for most women, and there's no excuse not to have them.
I think the frustration with big chains in just about any business (besides making us all Wal-Mart greeters) is the fact that many have switched from serving the customer to now serving the shareholder. Instead of focusing on what the people actually darkening the doors want or need, it's all about market-share, stock prices and financing.
The result of this CAN be disastrous to the consumer. Bean-counters and spin-doctors explain garish arcade-like lobbies with exposed ceiling trusses as what's necessary to "capture the 18-25 demographic", never mind that most of us spend most of our lives outside that range AND it JUST - LOOKS (and is) CHEAP. They explain digital as a "necessary improvement" and maybe it is, though only because they won't pay people to present WHAT THE CUSTOMER CAME FOR, namely a flawless presentation. But that's been discussed to death too. Point is, this is one of the only businesses that doesn't seem to get it in terms of providing what the customer wants. Retail does, if you don't want to shop the cattle-call that is Wal-Mart, there are upscale stores to serve you. The problem with movies is you have this uneasy "partnership" between production-distribution-exhibition. And none of them particularly trust each other. If prints were available to ANY exhibitor in any market, like a case of Coca-Cola is, then there would definately be a quality theatre in every town (and a "Wal-Mart" version). Digital COULD facilitate this, if Hollywood wanted it and if the quality were there. And why not? It would hurt piracy and encourage the quality experience, like Hollywood SAYS they want to provide.
The mom and pop's? Well, there are some great ones and unfortunately those that chose to "cheap-out" as well. They saw it, and maybe rightly so, as the only way to survive. It's too bad that we may never know what these places can do, they've never been allowed equal access to product.
Back to the chains, it's a shame in some cases, having worked "in the middle" as many chain managers do,
this is often the level at
which you find the people that really know how to run
things, and can do a bang-up job. Some guys are allowed
enough slack to really serve the customer, some are far
enough off the beaten path to do it and some can be
utterly handcuffed by the accountants.
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