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Topic: Dreamgirls Ticket $25.00

Bob Maar
(Maar stands for Maartini)

Posts: 28608
From: New York City & Newport, RI
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 12-17-2006 06:16 PM

Amen Frank...AMEN.

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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 12-17-2006 07:44 PM

quote: Frank Angel
I sure don't want to pay $25 and wind up with some big doofus plopped in front of me blocking half my view of the screen. I still would want to pick my own seat if all the other aspects of a Roadshow presentation are there. What advantage does reserved seats give the theatre anyway?

I agree, reserved seating really sucks ass.

The motive behind reserved seating only seems to be about crowd control and avoiding groups of people standing around in the aisles trying to find a seat in the dark theater while the movie is already playing. But I'll bet that shit happens anyway.

I believe the best movie theater seats need to go strictly in a first come first serve basis. If I get to the show before everyone else, I get dibs on the seat I want the most. The people who can't be bothered to show up to the theater until the movie is nearly done with previews should be stuck finding seats off on the sides or down in the front row.

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Frank Angel
Film God

Posts: 5305
From: Brooklyn NY USA
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 12-18-2006 09:27 AM

If they made me Cinema King and I were running a REAL roadshow engagement and charging $25 a seat, NO ONE would have a chance in hell of getting seated after the posted start time. And that would be clearly posted at every ticket POS, be it the box office, the internet site, newspaper ads or whatever. It would be well known. It would be printed on the ticket as well too.

We don't let late comers into our live shows after they start -- that's a rule most every performing arts venue holds strictly to and it's insisted on by the artists themselves. Of course for live shows the artist will designate a point in the performance where late seating can happen at some natural pause in the performance were the artists and patrons will not be disturbed by late seating. These points are between numbers or act or sometimes even as long as to the first intermission. Late comers get coralled in front of monitors in the lobby where they can watch the show until the pause.

For a Roadshow movie where the only break would be the intermission....hey, to bad -- they wait until then or learn to get their sorry asses into the theatre on time. People paying $25 who got to the theatre on time shouldn't have to have slackers climbing all over them during the show.

This is why slackers are happy I am not Cinema King.

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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 12-18-2006 01:02 PM

I think most viewers find it annoying when others arrive to the movie late and are stumbling around blocking the view of the screen while they try to find a seat.

The one that takes the cake is when a big group of people arrives late to the theater. We've all seen this. It might be a family with several relatives coming along. Or it's some other kind of group. Here's a head scratcher: they couldn't get their shit together enough to get to the theater early but the assholes expect to sit all together in the same row!

As Murphy's Law always tries to screw anyone who plans ahead, that extended group of late comers often winds up wanting to sit in the same row where I'm seated. There's not enough seats on either side for that group to sit together in one row single file. So they start asking people to move over a few places, myself included.

Sorry, but I'm not moving.

I'm keeping the seat I picked. They can sit on either side of me if they like, but I'm still not moving. Sure, call me an asshole. Summon the manager. I'm still not moving.

Through simple planning involving a little invention known as a clock, I managed to get to the theater about 15 to 30 minutes early so I could pick a seat facing the center of the screen and in a proper relationship to the auditorium's sound system.

Frankly that group of late comers can move to a different row or something instead of making me move. They arrived at the theater late which translates to them not giving a damn about having a seat in the theater's sweet spot anyway. I'm not going to reward their tardiness by giving up the seat I earned by arriving early.
[fu]

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Ron Curran
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 504
From: Springwood NSW Australia
Registered: Feb 2006

posted 12-18-2006 05:53 PM

We have been operating a seat reservation service for 38 years. You can choose your seat on the internet, at the ticket window or (with staff guidance) over the phone.

At the cinema, you are ushered to your seat.

If you are late, your reservation is cancelled and you take pot luck. If you are early and you haven’t chosen well, the cashier can re-allocate the best available seat/s for you.

For some shows, we prominantly advertise that latecomers will not be admitted.

The only people who object to our booking system are latecomers and those who want to stage a military coup at the ticket window and change our policies.

Of course, all seats are not allocated for all sessions. Even ata reasonably busy session you could find a good unreserved seat, as long as you arrive 15-20 minutes before start time. We don’t show commercials, so there is no reaso to want to arrive late.

Unfortunately, the local authorities forced a new design on our little auditorium (despite public opposition) and we now have across aisle where the best seats used to be. So we are in the process of re-thinking the whole procedure.

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Michael Coate
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1904
From: Los Angeles, California
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 12-19-2006 03:11 AM

From Box Office Mojo:

quote:
Reporting sell-outs for 21 shows at three theaters in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York City, Paramount and DreamWorks' musical Dreamgirls grossed $378,950, averaging $126,316 per site. The opening was pitched as a premium movie-going event with a $25 ticket price, and the movie will hold at three theaters until Christmas day, when it rolls out to over 800.

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Richard P. May
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 243
From: Los Angeles, CA
Registered: Jan 2006

posted 12-19-2006 01:31 PM

According to published figures, all shows in all theaters over the past weekend sold out. Per-theater average was about $120,000.

RPM

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Ron Curran
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 504
From: Springwood NSW Australia
Registered: Feb 2006

posted 12-19-2006 05:58 PM

There have been several strands discussing the EVENT strategy for our business.

The 70 vs DC posts called for a re-birth of 70mm exhibition and, hopefully, 65mm filming.

The $25 Showgirls posts discuss roadshow presentations.

There are too few people in our industry who have any concept of what elements are necessary for a special event.

They are:
The film. It must be a feature that takes you beyond the tv soap or the teen exploitation marketing exercise. It should be an epic story.

The process. It has to be at least 4/35 scope. “The Bridge on the River Kwai” fulfilled these minimum criteria. 65/70 would be great but one step at a time.

The release. In today’s market, exclusivity could be wider than the original roadshow concept. Platform release could work, with a selection of suitable venues – 30 rather than 3 throughout the US. This is the tricky bit. The film distributors would need to have some knowledge of the markets and the individual venues.

The presentation. The selection process would have to include immaculate auditoriums and presentation. If you look at the criteria of decades ago, the requirements would be mild.

The extras. Special tickets, programmes and themed décor would actually be easier today than back in the era of hot metal, etc.

It can work. Perhaps it has to work.

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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 12-19-2006 08:46 PM

I have to say the venues are there.

Here in the United States most every major market has at least one or two (or more) auditoriums more than large enough to justify the use of 5/70mm prints.

My current complaint is so many of these movie theater auditoriums are being built without regard to what 35mm or digital projection is capable of showing to an audience. 5/70mm or larger is the only logical means in many of those cases but is overlooked regardless.

But hey!? Let's just make the movie screen gigantic and DIM at the same time.

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Michael Coate
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1904
From: Los Angeles, California
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 12-20-2006 12:21 AM

About a day ago, a passage was quoted from a Box Office Mojo article.

quote:
Reporting sell-outs for 21 shows at three theaters in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York City, Paramount and DreamWorks' musical Dreamgirls grossed $378,950, averaging $126,316 per site. The opening was pitched as a premium movie-going event with a $25 ticket price, and the movie will hold at three theaters until Christmas day, when it rolls out to over 800.

Later that day, Dick May posted what amounted to the same information.

quote: Richard P. May
According to published figures, all shows in all theaters over the past weekend sold out. Per-theater average was about $120,000.

Jesus fucking christ, people!!! Doesn't ANYBODY pay attention anymore??!!

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Anslem Rayburn
Master Film Handler

Posts: 476
From: Yuma, AZ, USA
Registered: May 2002

posted 12-20-2006 04:49 AM

[ 12-20-2006, 11:02 AM: Message edited by: Anslem Rayburn ]

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Mike Heenan
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1896
From: Scottsdale, AZ, USA
Registered: Mar 2000

posted 12-20-2006 11:12 AM

Everyone want to chip in and get Coate some chill pills?

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Martin Brooks
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 900
From: Forest Hills, NY, USA
Registered: May 2002

posted 12-24-2006 10:35 PM

I think everyone is missing one more point about the $25 road show. Part of the appeal is that there is a perception that you'll be going to the movies with a better crowd. While richer doesn't always translate to better, I'm sure that the Ziegfeld performances got a different crowd than usual. There was probably a much higher percentage of couples at these showings.

Having said that, it will never again be like the roadshows of the 60s. I remember seeing West Side Story at the Rivoli as a kid and everyone was dressed up. That makes for a different experience. People don't even get dressed to go to legit theatre anymore. I had to take some clients to a show a few weeks ago and most of the audience was wearing jeans and track shoes (or the equivalent.)

I agree with those who feel that the novelty will wear off fast unless the presentation is superior to other theaters. But if they can get $25 a ticket (regardless of how they allocate the funds between the ticket sale and the program), I think there is a chance for special presentation, especially if theaters like the Ziegfeld only do roadshows, as was done in the 60s. The problem is that the studios and exhibitors probably think 2K digital already is a special presentation.

The other nice thing about this is that it probably expanded the theatrical exhibition window a bit, since the reserved seat run added a few weeks before the film opens in other theaters, rather than the constant compression of windows.

As for the Ziegfeld, it's the last single screen and largest movie theater in New York; it seems luxurious to be in it and while it doesn't have the biggest screen anymore, it's still my favorite place to see a movie. I don't know how anyone can complain about it considering the alternatives. In the heyday of Dolby 70mm though, the Ziegfeld frequently installed extra equipment, like extra bass bins for the original run of Close Encounters and they showed Apocalypse Now in split surround. Those shows used to blow me away.

However, that doesn't mean I'm seeing Dreamgirls. It just doesn't appeal to me. And that's what killed the first go-around of 70mm production in the early 60s: The studios made these big boring spectacles that no one cared about anymore. The rock and roll audience was beginning to grow up and they didn't have a lot of interest in show music, especially BAD show music (Paint Your Wagon, anyone?) and people wanted more intimate pictures.

So as was posted earlier by others, everything needs to come together: it has to be the right film, a better quality presentation, an "event" atmosphere and special benefits for those willing to pay that price. I was actually surprised at how successful this was in New York. For at least the first week, all the shows seem to have sold out. (The Ziegfeld has about 1150 seats and they ran two shows per day.)

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