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Author Topic: Alabama Drive-In Cancells Beauty And The Beast Over Gay Character Jack Ondracek Film God Posts: 2348 From: Port Orchard, WA, USA Registered: Oct 2002 posted 03-12-2017 01:25 PM                        Getting a bit off track here, but... There are two drive-ins in my part of the state (one still operating) that owed their survival in no small part to porn. As the indoor chains increasingly cleared the ozoners, fewer people were attending their sub-run lineups. In desperation, the owners switched and found that porn was more-widely attended (though that part was not well-covered by the local press)and the percentages were far below Hollywood mainstream fare. The owner quietly lamented their fate while taking a lot more money to the bank. For some, the tough part was getting over the stigma of being a "porn house". At the one I once had, some 10 years and one owner later, I frequently had the subject come up. The other drive-in, which is still operating, switched back to mainstream fare and the community "re-embraced" it. They've done well and the new owner says the subject rarely comes up. In both cases however, the former owners believe they would never have survived those years without having taken that option, whether they were comfortable with it or not.  |  IP: Logged Frank Cox Film God Posts: 2234 From: Melville Saskatchewan Canada Registered: Apr 2011 posted 03-12-2017 02:31 PM                        When I first made my theatre I needed all of the equipment. It worked out that right around that time a theatre in BC went bust. They apparently opened as a mainstream theatre, nobody came to the shows, so they switched to being a porno house and nobody came to that either. I guess they had the worlds worst location. Anyway, it worked out well for me since I bought their projector, platter, sound system and seats for a good price. The Christie platter wasn't up to much and I replaced it with a Strong about a year later, and I got a complete new sound system when I had the digital projector installed, but I'm still using the seats and I used the Simplex projector and soundhead right up until I got my digital system.  |  IP: Logged Jay Glaus Expert Film Handler Posts: 123 From: Pittsburgh, PA USA Registered: Dec 2010 posted 03-12-2017 10:22 PM                        We played XXX for years only ended because 35mm was no longer available. Stopped in the 80's you be surprised how many people tell me they came here when we had the "bad movies". It never bothered me we did it to survive. Film rental was 25% or flat didn't matter what we played they came didn't matter the weather they came. We played an mainstream movie first then 2 x rated and I still made the bar before closing. Now 2 movies and I don't get out till 2:30 in the summer. Damn I miss those days  |  IP: Logged Donald Brown Expert Film Handler Posts: 131 From: Lincoln, DE Registered: Sep 2009 posted 03-13-2017 08:23 PM                     At one time, the Diamond State Drive-In Theatre had been an adult venue and, during that time, it was known as the Highway 13 Drive-In. Many years after acquiring the venue, the Vin Diesel vehicle, XXX, was featured. While I pondered how to herald the title on the roadside marquee, I settled with the method used on the one sheet. One night, after the opening reel had unspooled, and the feature was underway, a car with a lone occupant, a single gentleman, drove back to the ticket booth and politely inquired of a refund. He was expecting XXX fare and was quite disappointed by Vin Diesel! Although that made for a memorable moment, throughout the years, there were many other incidents with folks looking for adult entertainment!  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 03-13-2017 09:43 PM                        Of all the directions this thread could have gone, I would have never predicted this particular one!  |  IP: Logged Justin Hamaker Film God Posts: 2253 From: Lakeport, CA USA Registered: Jan 2004 posted 03-15-2017 02:13 AM                        I just watched Beauty and the Beast, and I have to say this whole controversy is going to amount to much ado about nothing. The "gay" moment was two male characters dancing and smiling, and it lasted about 2 seconds. Josh Gad portrays LeFou as somewhat flamboyant, but mostly he just has a giant man crush on Gaston, just like in the animated version.  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 03-21-2017 10:52 PM                        $170 million-plus opening weekend, and the best March opening ever.... I wonder if that guy is still feeling good about his decision? Their real Facebook page is still gone, but there are a couple of phony pages up now...one of which lists the place as being on "Gay Street" and another listing it as a "gay bar." And they're getting lots of negative reviews on those pages, sprinkled in with a few naive well meaning folks offering well wishes.  |  IP: Logged Mike Spaeth Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1129 From: Marietta, GA Registered: Jul 2000 posted 03-21-2017 11:12 PM                        I'm sure he had a killer weekend playing "Rock Dog" and "The Shack".  |  IP: Logged Marcel Birgelen Film God Posts: 3357 From: Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands Registered: Feb 2012 posted 04-12-2017 04:54 AM                     The irony in all of this is that one of the main characters, Gaston, the one who hunts after Belle practically the entire story, is a homosexual in real life.  |  IP: Logged Paul Linfesty Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1383 From: Bakersfield, CA, USA Registered: Nov 1999 posted 04-14-2017 10:24 PM                     And this is SO not new. I finally saw the movie today, and the blink and you miss it reminded me of this scene from the Hollywood musical WONDER BAR in 1934. Of course, it was done for a laugh back then...and a lot less subtle. Wonder Bar  |  IP: Logged Martin Brooks Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 900 From: Forest Hills, NY, USA Registered: May 2002 posted 04-17-2017 08:43 PM                        quote: That having been said, I have felt that Disney stuff over the last 2-3 years has become politicized to the point of crossing the line for movies aimed at an audience of young children: feminism in Cinderella, ecological issues in Zootopia, and now homosexuality in this movie. Just because a movie is about something doesn't mean it's political. People turn it into politics by defining as political as anything they don't like or believe in. By your definition, almost every movie ever made can be construed to be political. If a movie shows a strong man, it's "normal", but if it shows a strong woman, it's "feminism". One could argue that ecological issues have nothing to do with politics - that a truly religious person would feel it's their job to save God's earth and its creatures. And it's estimated that 10% of the world's population is gay. Get over it. The film didn't show people having sex, it showed an effeminate tea pot or whatever. IMO, this is like the nonsense that Barney was gay propaganda. I was seeing very mature films from the time I was seven. I really don't think I suffered any harm from it - quite the opposite. I find it incredulous that we think that trong women or ecology in children's films is political propaganda, but we take those same kids to see Star Wars or comic book movies where thousands of people are murdered and we don't think a thing about it.  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 04-17-2017 10:20 PM                        That drive-in is showing "The Case for Christ" this weekend, with the second movie "to be announced," and starting this past weekend, on the way INTO THE SUMMER, they've decided to be closed on Sundays. I suppose deep in the Bible Belt, being closed on Sundays might be a good thing, but around here that would be suicidal.  |  IP: Logged Justin Hamaker Film God Posts: 2253 From: Lakeport, CA USA Registered: Jan 2004 posted 04-17-2017 10:33 PM                        Mike, being closed Sundays this time of year is not really surprising for a drive-in, especially outside of major metro areas. Given that it's a work/school night for most people, there isn't much interest in going to see a double feature that likely won't exit until after midnight. Plus, any of the teenagers under 18 and still in school can't work past 10:00pm. I don't see this any differently than not showing movies in the 9:00 hour (or later) on Sunday night.  |  IP: Logged Dave Bird Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 777 From: Perth, Ontario, Canada Registered: Jun 2000 posted 04-18-2017 03:14 PM                        We'll generally open Sundays in the spring, especially since the indoor closed a few years ago, but mostly since fans are more eager now and we can train new staff when it's quiet. We close Sundays in the fall unless a studio demands it (or book a different film). We don't worry too much about "politics", we play it if it sells popcorn. Personally I'm a little weary of just about every "kids" movie being about saving the "environment" from "big evil", just because it's been done to death.  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 04-18-2017 05:26 PM                        quote: Justin Hamaker Mike, being closed Sundays this time of year is not really surprising for a drive-in, especially outside of major metro areas. Yes but they've been open on Sundays up till now -- they're closing on Sundays starting last week and going forward. You'd think it would be the opposite, what with school being out in about a month. Once school's out, they're going to Thur-Fri-Sat only. Maybe the owners have another job and don't want to stay up late Sundays.  |  IP: Logged

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