Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Matrix starting on a Thursday

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Posted by Mark J. Marshall (Member # 1409) on 04-22-2003, 08:41 AM:

Anyone have any official word on what that means? Is it one of the 7pm Thursday starts? Or does it start Thursday morning? Or what? Maybe Wednesday night at midnight?

Posted by Darryl Spicer (Member # 711) on 04-22-2003, 08:54 AM:

Thursday is the official start day. As far as shows on wednesday I have not heard. They are pulling the Star Wars ep 2 move that Fox did last year.

Posted by Paul Konen (Member # 41) on 04-22-2003, 08:55 AM:

It's a Thurday AM start, so two changeovers that week.

Paul

Posted by Darryl Spicer (Member # 711) on 04-22-2003, 08:57 AM:

I guess I beat you on the draw there Paul. [Smile]

Posted by Mark J. Marshall (Member # 1409) on 04-22-2003, 09:57 AM:

I wonder if they will allow Wed midnight screenings.

Posted by Mike Perju (Member # 1482) on 04-22-2003, 10:55 AM:

Toronto will have 10pm Thursday night screenings.

Posted by Dave Hall (Member # 1589) on 04-22-2003, 11:46 AM:

we've been told we'll be allowed to run from 8.20pm the wednesday night (20 minutes after the premier kicks off).

The word came from high up but is yet to be confirmed by our film buyers...

Posted by Joshua Burnham (Member # 1640) on 04-22-2003, 03:54 PM:

We are showing our 1st show wednesday night at 7:00 and also at 11:00 and Opening it wide on thursday. Still unsure about 2 prints or 1, also the matrix revolutions trailer; i heard will run directly after the reloaded credits end. Thats the word for now. Joshua Burnham

Posted by Ray Bernardi (Member # 1615) on 04-23-2003, 07:34 AM:

We are still working on our schedule for the premiere. We are using Matrix as our grand re-opening show. We'll have our new sound system and screen installed by then. (he said with great hope....)

Posted by Patrick McDonough (Member # 1363) on 04-23-2003, 09:48 AM:

we are planning a midnight showing on wed/thurs.

Posted by Adam Martin (Member # 641) on 04-23-2003, 11:11 AM:

See also this thread regarding the repurposing of the sequels for IMAX theatres.

Posted by Jonathan M. Crist (Member # 413) on 04-23-2003, 12:31 PM:

WB has sent a letter with Additional Terms purporting to govern the first run Matrix 2 engagments (Sounds like someone has been reading the George Lucas playbook.......). These additional terms include:

1.) Minimum 4 shows per day for each screen
2.) Must exhibit certain WB trailers (T3 and one other I do not recall) with each show
3.) No moving to a different auditorium w/out WB approval
4.) Must post usher on door to prevent any persons without Matrix ticket from seeing show
5.) Must take precautions to prevent video taping both in the booth and from the auditorium
6.) May not sell containers at the concession stand which advertise or tie in any other movie than Matrix 2 [Roll Eyes]

7.) All additional terms are to apply through July 7th

According to the letter WB will be employing blind checkers to see that these additional terms (as well as the standard terms of the new WB master licencing agreement) are strictly complied with.

[ 04-23-2003, 02:01 PM: Message edited by: Jonathan M. Crist ]

Posted by Thomas Procyk (Member # 1170) on 04-23-2003, 12:40 PM:

How will the checkers see you are complying if they are blind? [Embarrassed]

=TMP=

Posted by Charles Everett (Member # 889) on 04-23-2003, 01:19 PM:

WB did read the Lucasfilm playbook. Those extra terms hint at an 8-week minimum. Then again Star Wars Episode 2 lasted only 4 weeks in the Hamptons. [Big Grin]

Thomas P: A "blind checker" would be a checker visiting the theater unannounced.

This thread really belongs in Ground Level, no?

Posted by Nicholas Roznovsky (Member # 861) on 04-23-2003, 03:55 PM:

Actually, given what's been going on in recent years, those conditions don't sound too different from what I expected. It's sad that they have to write things into contracts like "make sure no one's making bootlegs copies of our film" or "make sure everyone has a ticket to get in". These are things we should be doing any way just as a matter of normal policy.

Gotta play their trailers? Eh, we'll see. I get weekly faxes from Fox threatening to murder my children if I don't play their stupid trailers. I don't really sweat over trailer requests. It's easy enough to slap whatever they want on there.

Eight week engagments? No moving prints without their approval? Yeah, that sucks but Fox was willing to give in after four weeks with us on both The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. Hopefully, WB will be as understanding once Matrix Reloaded tapers off in June. Or, maybe they won't. In the end, we're all at the mercy of the distributors anyway.

I think the "blind checkers" statement by Thomas was a joke. [Wink]

Of course, most of the checkers I've dealt with in the past couldn't count anyway... [Big Grin]

Yeah, this is definitely Ground Level stuff.

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 04-23-2003, 05:45 PM:

How does #3 apply to interlocking? I assume that it wouldn't matter if the goal is to make sure that Matrix stays in the largest houses and as long as the print is interlocked between a big house and a smaller one.

I assume that #4 doesn't really apply to single-screen theatres.

How the hell are theatre owners supposed to follow #5? If Joe Blind Checker manages to sneak a Handycam into the theatre, does that mean that Warners can pull the print? Or does it just mean something like "don't let people carrying tripods and video cameras into the auditorium"?

The only one of those terms that seems completely unreasonable to me is the one about concession containers. That is not to say that I advocate the use of concession containers as advertising material, but rather that I don't see why film distributors feel the need to dictate the type of concession containers used.

Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 04-23-2003, 05:58 PM:

Seems like I often see popcorn bags being used that are promoting movies that tanked weeks or months earlier. If all you have are 50,000 bags promoting Pluto Nash", what the heck are you supposed to do? [Roll Eyes]

Posted by Bill Gabel (Member # 1105) on 04-23-2003, 06:01 PM:

If a movie is really bad [puke]

Just a idea for a use of those bags. [Big Grin]

Posted by Dennis Udovich (Member # 1066) on 04-23-2003, 07:22 PM:

Additional Terms ....... ?????????
1.) Minimum 4 shows per day for each screen
2.) Must exhibit certain WB trailers (T3 and one other I do not recall) with each show
3.) No moving to a different auditorium w/out WB approval
4.) Must post usher on door to prevent any persons without Matrix ticket from seeing show
5.) Must take precautions to prevent video taping both in the booth and from the auditorium
6.) May not sell containers at the concession stand which advertise or tie in any other movie than Matrix 2 [Roll Eyes]
7.) All additional terms are to apply through July 7th

This is interesting... no one's told me anything about this YET! [Smile]

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 04-23-2003, 09:03 PM:

I've read every single post here in this thread very carefully and I think that maybe WB is a bit nervous about the quality of their movie. Why be so strict? If the movie kicks ass then it will make a ton of money on its own. If it makes money then the print will not be moved until it slows down.

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 04-23-2003, 11:39 PM:

Joe, your post made me go back and re-read everyone's posts, but I guess I got it all the first time. Generally when a studio does this, they know the final product is less than spectacular and managers will want to move the print down quickly. I am still looking forward to Matrix 2, but will now watch it knowing it may not be as good as it should.

They probably also have a no interlocking policy to force people into getting more prints.

Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 04-24-2003, 12:01 AM:

I read everyone's posts and wasn't sure I got this. So I took a cue from Joe and read it all again. I still wasn't sure so I took Brad's advice and read it again like Joe did, then I read it again like Brad did. I'm still not sure about this... specifically...

1. Warner Bros. wants you to run it in your largest house... I got that -- it makes sense.

2. Warner Bros. doesn't want you to let people in without a ticket -- I think I'll start implementing that for all of my movies.

3. Warner Bros. doesn't want me to bootleg the film with a video camera. I guess I'll have to scan each frame in with my feed through negative scanner. Sure it takes quite a while and I need to negatize each frame again but what the hell, I get a better quality result anyway.

4. They don't want you to advertise on your popcorn bags. Well most theatres that advertise on their popcorn bags have popcorn that sucks! I guess they want you to advertise their movie in conjunction with your sucky popcorn. So be it.

5. 4 Shows a day... no problem... I'll run it four times a day. In fact since it is about 140 minutes long I'll show it 1,612,800 times. Unless we are only open for half the day in which case I'll show it 806,400 times. Of course I'll do this on each screen that I have a print for.

6. Warner Bros. doesn't want me to move the print without their permission. But, again, they also want me to show it 4 times a day. I've already said I'm willing to show it upwards of 1,612,800 times a day, but what happens if the nylon gearbox blows up in one of me ol' Vic 5's at 9:00pm. If I can't get a hold of Warner Bros. before my 9:05pm start time am I not allowed to move it... of course not, I don't have their permission. But wait, I'm not allowed to not show it 4 times a day... so basically I'm never allowed to have an equipment failure. This sure doesn't sound reasonable to me. Luckily I've never lost a show and don't have to worry about this, but gee... what if!

7. Warner Bros. is sending out an army of blind checkers. Well in my neck of the woods, most of the blind people have their own seeing eye dog. This causes me even more confusion, does the dog now require a ticket? What if the checkers aren't really blind but are just the normal stupid &%#@#% idiots that usually get sent out. Am I supposed to tell them which theatre the Matrix is playing in, what a concession is, whether or not I am bootlegging the film and supply them with a calculator so they can count past the first eleven customers that they encounter?

Posted by Ray Bernardi (Member # 1615) on 04-24-2003, 08:29 AM:

I can't find anything that says I need to show it 4 times a day. There's no way that's going to happen in my sleepy little town. If I try to show during the day I wont get a soul. I can get maybe two shows in if I run the first about 4PM.

It would do a lot better in this area if it didn't have an R rating I can tell you that.

Posted by Darryl Spicer (Member # 711) on 04-24-2003, 09:15 AM:

so far we have not gotten or heard about any of these requirements. I can handle the 4 shows a day that's what I was probably going to do. The concession thing is just plain idiotic. Who gives a crap. If thats the case on that one then I guess we will only be running two trailers on the prints that are only warner brothers and taking down everything in the lobby that does not have warner bros. listed on it. The payroll here is not going to allow an usher to waste his time checking ticket stubs as people go in to see this movie. That means you have an usher for each print. The problem with assinging auditoriums is that the bookers are going to do what ever they can do to keep those prints from dominating the larger auditoriums. Thus if the movie has huge crowds the smaller auditoriums will sell out quick losing money on the first week. I say let the theater have controle on that they will put it in the big ones for the opening week. It will suck all the money in and prints can be moved where needed for other incoming films. We will see in three weeks.

Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 04-24-2003, 10:44 AM:

Ray, in most cases a distributor's demand for four show a day just means that they don't want you splitting the screen with something else.

I forgot about the R rating you guys got for it down there. Just think, you won't have to put up with an auditorium full of noisy little 14 year olds like some of us here will. I don't think I'll be stepping out of the booth for the entire 14 hours each day. [Smile]

Posted by Jonathan M. Crist (Member # 413) on 04-24-2003, 10:48 AM:

From what I understand WB has been trolling for dates for Matrix 2 and seems willing to take almost any venue with a working projector and a screen. This is usually not a good sign.

However in this case it may be due to the fact that AOL-Time Warner is desperate for the positive jolt to its stock price that a massive record setting weekend opening box gross will surely produce. (AOL Time Warner stock has dropped nearly an additional 37% since the beginning of this year and now trading at about $14.00 per share.)

Posted by Thomas Procyk (Member # 1170) on 04-24-2003, 10:58 AM:

Yes, blind checkers was an intentional pun! I've seen trailer checkers who just ask us, "What's on this movie?" without watching it, I've seen perfect scores on secret shopper reports for places who clearly have problems... they might as well be blind. [Smile]

As for the terms, not allowing the print to move auditoriums is actually good in a way. You can stifle those crazy managers who just HAVE to move prints at least twice a week, whether they're going to the same sized house or not. They have their reasons, and they're always dumb, but they do it anyway. Most of the time, this requires changing or removing the digital sound snipes, too. [Frown]

=TMP=

Posted by Darryl Spicer (Member # 711) on 04-24-2003, 11:00 AM:

In hollywoods eyes it all boils down to getting the bulk of the money within the first three weeks. In the summer they know that screen space will be limited. I have noticed that June looks to be a bit heftyer with released this year. Iwonder if that will stay the case as the weeks approach.

Posted by John Carpenter (Member # 1488) on 04-24-2003, 07:38 PM:

We found out tonight that we are starting our shows Wednesday night at 10pm. Of course now come all the people wanting refunds because that thought they had bought the first show time already... Has anyone actually gotten word from WB about the "rules"? I also heard one about theatre staff not being able to preview it - just one projectionist or manager can be in there to screen it?

Posted by Nicholas Roznovsky (Member # 861) on 04-24-2003, 09:12 PM:

There was a brief blurb in USA Today's Entertainment section (or the "Life" section as they prefer to call it) stating that The Matrix Reloaded will be shown in theaters starting at 10 p.m. on Wednesday, March 14th. I guess this means WB has given the go ahead for Wednesday night shows. Or someone at USA Today has been trolling the internet for news.

I wish our booker would read USA Today. We're still scheduled for a 12:01 a.m. show. I'm sure my managers would much rather get the whole thing rolling two hours earlier on a school night.

Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 04-24-2003, 09:48 PM:

Blind checkers:

(That's Helen Keller on the left)

Posted by Alex Grasic (Member # 1371) on 04-25-2003, 02:29 AM:

Last I heard, Toronto will be opening Matrix Reloaded on a normal schedule for Thursday with possible midnight screenings the night before.

Scott, the whole deal with the concession containers; the distributors just want to clench the fist little by little, hopefully taking down the competition in the process (which is probably going through their minds) [Wink]

Daryl, with the new rating system in Ontario now, if we're all lucky, they'll rate this Matrix at 18A keeping those pain-in-the-ass 14 year olds out of the theatre.

How can WB make having an usher at each door realistic? By my guess, we will receive 4 or 5 copies of the print. Do they honestly expect us to have 4 or 5 ushers working on a Monday matinee (on top of normal staffing) just because of this demand?

They have to be less like Lucas and just have some faith in the fact that theatre operators can do exactly that, operate their theatres. I can't remember too far back but when Harry Potter (the first one) came out, did they have all these restrictions for it as well?

Posted by Ron Lacheur (Member # 1126) on 04-25-2003, 04:09 AM:

Alex, 18A for the matrix will kill the box office figures. It'll be 14A for sure.

Posted by Don E. Nelson (Member # 1049) on 04-25-2003, 03:23 PM:

I read every one of the posts and then I re-read them again backwards, and then I re-re-read them again with my eyes closed and I can conclude unequivically (sp?) that the "Warner Brothers Blind Matrix Re-Loaded Authentic Ticket Holders Verification Checkers " ( from here on refered to as the WBBMRLATHVC's) is really going to happen, but the small print on the inside of the film can of reel no 5 states that all the WBBMRLATHVC's must be related to Helen Keller, either directly or indirectly,and the contract goes on to state that all the WBBMRLATHVC's must not give any outward indication that they are legally blind, .......and if asked what the dog with the harness is doing next to them, they are to say that the dog, a big fan of the Matrix series, was caught switching theaters without a ticket and is now in protective custody ,wearing a special harness rig. And if asked what the dogs name is, they are to say, "How should I know, I have never seen this dog before in my life". I hope this clears up any confusion that may have resulted from these contractural demands that must always be taken seriously and complied with.

By the way, my dogs name is NEO , in case you were wondering.
[Cool]

Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 04-25-2003, 04:02 PM:

So the dog has to be at least 2 years, 7 months old and pay for a ticket to get in, right?

Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 04-25-2003, 04:18 PM:

Youknow... If you would have taken the damn BLUE PILL all this bullshit never would have happened!

Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 04-25-2003, 05:16 PM:

...and if my mother would have taken the damn PINK PILL I never would have happened!

Posted by Charles Everett (Member # 889) on 05-09-2003, 08:10 AM:

Our Film-Techers from the Great White North are in luck! The Matrix Reloaded is rated 13+ in Quebec, 14A in Ontario and 14A in B.C.

Warner Bros. is allowing Wednesday-night previews beginning at 10 PM local time. At least one Manhattan theater may have already sold out a Wednesday-night preview. Has your theater?