Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Anyone else working in a madhouse???

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Posted by Gracia L. Babbidge (Member # 582) on 11-19-2000, 03:20 AM:

Now, I was expecting "The Grinch" to do decent business, honestly, I was.
What I did not expect was the total insanity! @_@

Thus far, I think we have yet to have less than 100 people per show, but, most showings have been consequently interlocked, and we've filled both houses repeatedly. And of course, I've been the lucky one to thread this interlock for most of the shows - still no scratches! (WOOHOO! GO ME!)

Our competition in the next town over also has the film, and has been swamped (read: selling out shows) too - but I'm not sure if they've been interlocking it. (And if they have, they've probably scratched the hell out of their print! *evil smirk*)

We also did something yesterday that went over so well, we're doing it again today... We got our assistant manager dressed up as the Grinch. Which, yes, that did sorta scare some little kiddos, but for the most part, kids thought it was the coolest thing.
...Even the kids that went to see "Rugrats In Paris" liked seeing the Grinch walking around in the lobby! We've even been having big crowds & a few sold out shows for the Rugrats!

Looks like we're out of the lull in business for now!

Anyone else having as much *fun* as we are?

~GLB

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In some cultures, what I do is considered normal.

Posted by Aaron Mehocic (Member # 15) on 11-19-2000, 08:52 AM:

We're doing great with those two films as well. Over the weekend I came out of the booth a few times to help the ushers. Some projectionist probably hate that, and would say I have no business downstairs, but frankly, our people need the extra set of hands. Unlike past years, however, selling out two auditoriums of 260 seats each for most of the day would make the staff happy and work hard. This time around, though, I'm not so sure our folks are content. One of the assistant managers is at loggerheads with the general manager, and I think the general manager is perplexed that the owner showed up with consultants for our cinema last week. Me, I'm just happy to be finding money on the floor. That has brought back old memories of putting gas in my car with change I found when I was an usher (OK, gas was only 98 cents back then). Hey, on last observation: I found a lot of paper money this past weekend cleaning downstairs. Does that mean people are adjusting to inflation? Ten years ago, I was lucky to find one or two quarters per auditorium . . . and yes, that paper money went into the gas tank.

Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 11-19-2000, 11:32 AM:

I've got no problem with going downstairs to help out on "in-betweeners". I've don that many times. It's just that people start to EXPECT that.

Usually, I tore tickets so the other guys would have an extra body to go clean theatress. The podium is right near the booth door. If something happened I was just a short jump away.
On occasion I would clean theatres too, but that was only in real "emergencies".

Mostly it only happened when there was somebody else to cover the booth. If I was alone it was only if they REALLY needed help.

Thing is that if you do it too often, the managers start "going to the well" too often. That's a pain. I just tell them that I have to build up a film, or change trailers. If you really want to out them in a tizzy, you can tell them that you have to do those damn CHECKLISTS that all those pipsqueak, shave-ass managers are so fond of making us do.

Posted by Bill Enos (Member # 440) on 11-19-2000, 07:17 PM:

I regularly help with ticket taking an trash detail, it's just part of the what it takes for things to work smoothly on very busy nites.. It's just the 56 steps between the booth & lobby that are the killers.

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 11-20-2000, 08:04 AM:

Let's hope the drought is over, and the supply of really popular good movies continues! Be sure you continue to "Do Film Right", and maintain superior presentation quality, so audiences come back again and again to enjoy good movies.

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John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Eastman Kodak Company
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7419
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: 716-477-5325 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com

Posted by Ian Price (Member # 14) on 11-20-2000, 02:43 PM:

We at the Rialto have been quite busy these past few weeks. We have Billy Elliot, Best in Show and You Can Count on Me. This weekend we just reset our attendence record for the year.

Posted by Charles Everett (Member # 889) on 05-19-2002, 11:54 AM:

Reading Cinemas in Manville NJ was a madhouse yesterday -- their busiest day since they opened 3 years and 4 days earlier!

Spider-Man had a sizable kid/family audience. Star Wars Episode 2 drew mostly yuppies and adults -- the geeks around here saw it opening night. In fact, there was a small queue for Star Wars Episode 2 as I was on my way out of the 6 PM show of Spider-Man.

I was very lucky to find a parking space for the 6 PM show, otherwise I would have had to park a good distance away. (The theater is in the north end of a shopping center that takes up 2 city blocks.)