Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Are you screening the "original" Matrix?

This is topic Are you screening the "original" Matrix? in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by John T. Hendrickson, Jr (Member # 849) on 04-30-2003, 07:31 PM:

I just got word today that we will be showing the original Matrix each day, four days prior to the opening of Matrix Reloaded. Anyone else heard about this? Details are sketchy. I don't know what day the print will arrive for buildup, or what house we will be playing it in. Hope the print will be in decent shape!

Posted by Darryl Spicer (Member # 711) on 05-01-2003, 12:17 AM:

interesting, since our booking department informed one of our other theaters that the distributers were pulling all the original films from release do to there sequals coming out. The other theater was going to do midnight shows of each of the original films the weekend prior to the sequals release. If you all get to play this film then that just blows because someones lieing out there asses. [Mad]

Posted by Per Hauberg (Member # 529) on 05-01-2003, 03:55 AM:

In Denmark, only 3 prints survived their first tour, and they are of course reserved for the 3 biggest cities for reissue.
Would have been fun, though. [Frown]

Per

Posted by Patrick McDonough (Member # 1363) on 05-01-2003, 07:47 AM:

That would be very cool, I had asked the owner of our place but he didnt think it would sell.?

Posted by John Carpenter (Member # 1488) on 05-01-2003, 11:45 AM:

We requested to get the original film to show prior to "Reloaded" coming out... and the word I got was it is no longer available?

Posted by Mike Olpin (Member # 1115) on 05-01-2003, 08:32 PM:

Grossmont College in San Diego is holding a DVD screening this Sunday night in Room 220 (a small theatre room)

It will be presented in Dolby Digital through a 6000 watt JBL speaker system.

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 05-01-2003, 09:06 PM:

quote:
Grossmont College in San Diego is holding a DVD screening this Sunday night in Room 220 (a small theatre room)

Hope they licensed this public screening! [Roll Eyes]

Posted by Mike Olpin (Member # 1115) on 05-01-2003, 09:18 PM:

pssst: John:

SHHHHHHHH!!!

[Roll Eyes]

----

I'm sure it is.

Posted by Aldo Baez (Member # 790) on 05-01-2003, 09:25 PM:

The Rialto in Pasadena is having a midnight showing this saturday.

Posted by Carl Martin (Member # 1146) on 05-02-2003, 03:01 AM:

pulling a film from distribution right before the sequel comes out sounds like one of the dumbest ideas ever. what an opportunity to make a little extra $ on the original while promoting the sequel at the same time. it's a win-win. it sounds like the real problem is that most of those original prints were junked so there aren't enough to go around now. whoops!

carl

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 05-02-2003, 08:45 AM:

Distributors can always make NEW prints if they think there is a market for a re-release, especially to help promote a sequel.

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 05-02-2003, 09:34 AM:

Pulling the original film before releasing its sequel is farily common practice. UA has always done this with the Bond titles, for example. I agree that it doesn't make sense, but perhaps the distributors are afraid that some theatres might book the original title at a flat rate or low per centage instead of the new title, possibly causing loss of revenue.

Perhaps the original is available in either the theatrical market (only) or the non-theatrical market (only), but not both, which is why some venues are able to show it.

I seriously doubt that there aren't at least few dozen prints of the original Matrix in the distributor's inventory somewhere (though I have no way of knowing).

Posted by John Walsh (Member # 168) on 05-03-2003, 09:48 AM:

We are running it in our two large format houses (in Fl. and CT.) Both prints are only in fair shape; we've tried to get better reels, but we are told there just isn't any avaible.

Posted by Michael Brown (Member # 890) on 05-03-2003, 05:38 PM:

Here in the UK I believe that it has been pulled from distribution.

Posted by John T. Hendrickson, Jr (Member # 849) on 05-07-2003, 09:09 AM:

It's official. We will be showing the original Matrix each evening Sunday through Wednesday at 9:15PM. We are "sharing" the print with another theater that is playing it through Thursday. It is to be shipped to us and arrive on Saturday. We are to have it ready for shipment back to California on Thursday 5/15. Looks like I'm going to be spending some time doing a foot by foot bench inspection on Saturday. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it is in good shape and that I will not have to do a post in "Outing Bad Film Handlers". [Eek!]

Posted by Charles Everett (Member # 889) on 05-07-2003, 02:12 PM:

In the US the Fox network televises The Matrix (the first one) this Friday night. Perhaps Warner Bros. doesn't want to jeopardize a potentially big audience for the over-the-air telecast -- and May is a sweeps month in US TV.

Posted by David Woodrow (Member # 1571) on 05-08-2003, 01:18 AM:

The original is showing at Cineworld Stevenage with an offer to see both films at a discounted price!

Posted by Michael Brown (Member # 890) on 05-08-2003, 03:42 PM:

Same with Cineworld Bradford.

I'll ring up and find out what auditorium it's in. I'm not going to bother if it's only running in SR.