Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Since when does two theaters in the same zone = day and date if D-Cinema is involved?

This is topic Since when does two theaters in the same zone = day and date if D-Cinema is involved? in forum Digital Cinema Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 12-27-2007, 12:10 AM:

I am hearing from a small independent that he feels if he goes up against one of the "big 5" chains in the same zone that as long as he has D-cinema that he can play day and date with the big boy chain theater running film. According to him, the studios are telling him that if he can play the movie in digital that he can have anything he wants even if the big boy next door is running it on film. Personally I don't buy it. Any comments?

Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 12-27-2007, 12:33 AM:

Theoretically digital would make it easier for multiple theaters nearby each other doing that but the fact remains that deals are struck as to which theater gets which movie and in the end, the big chain theaters tend to do better with regard to those deals.

So I would be shocked if what this guy is being told is correct. In fact, I think some marketing person is telling him what they know he wants to hear so that he feels better with his investment.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 12-27-2007, 01:23 AM:

How big is the "zone?" If it's more than about a 20 minute drive from one theatre to the other, I would think it'd just be a matter of terms...same as with film. If the little guy is willing to pay the same rentals and play for the same numbers of weeks, and he's far enough away from the big chain, he should be able to play anything -- digital or not. Of course there are the usual print availability issues...that's not going away until satellite delivery is in place.

Posted by Dustin Mitchell (Member # 372) on 12-27-2007, 01:59 AM:

Our competition five minutes away is still running film while we are all digital. If such terms existed I'm sure Carmike would take advantage of them and play everything....unless perhaps they would then have to give the competition the opportunity to play everything, in which case they would of course be playing film.

I do know that if two theatres in the same zone agree to go day and date the studios will allow it, at least under certain circumstances.

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 12-27-2007, 10:50 AM:

This is assuming the big boy competition theater uses their push to not allow day and date. I am not sure of the distance, but I am under the impression it is only a few miles away.

Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 12-27-2007, 11:59 AM:

"Print availability" is now and always has been a smoke screen for: "We don't want you to have it." There are always the number of prints the distrib wants to make; i.e. he CHOOSES to include/exclude you.

Posted by David Zylstra (Member # 4230) on 12-27-2007, 12:40 PM:

Allocation rules still applied to us after we went 100% digital almost 2 years ago . . . . . we fought to play day and date with our competition for other reasons, the point was moot at one since the competition closed; but the other we are playing day and date with ONLY because the competition agreed to it.

In both markets we argued that the customer should be allowed a choice where to go - a 20+ yr old theatre or a newer all digital theatre with full bar.

It's possible that their competition is known to not fight for allocation if their competition requests to play day and date and their booker knows there won't be a fight (we've reconsidered a few locations we passed on because the potential competition changed ownership to a chain that is known for not always fighting for allocation)

FYI - we've been hit a few times with "we don't have enough digital prints, we have to give you film" - we've always ended up with digital, but there have been a few cases where they have been behind on HD duping and tried to slip a film to us.

Posted by Brad Allen (Member # 470) on 12-27-2007, 03:11 PM:

I really doubt it Brad.