Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Fity Cents and Dollar movies at the Kailua

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Posted by Claude S. Ayakawa (Member # 1401) on 06-21-2003, 06:14 PM:

I recall seeing many movies for less than a dollar when I was growing up in the forties but never imagined any theatres charging that amount today and remain in business but Wallace's Theatre's Kailua I & II here in Hawaii is now charging fifty cents for all shows up to 6:00 and all day on Tuesdays and a dollar after 6:00 every night. The theatre is located on the other side of the island of Oahu from me but there is no advantage for me to take in a movie there at their 'almost free' admission prices when the cost of gas and the wear and tear on my car will cost me about the same as if I saw a movie near me at my senior citizen discount admission price . The current attractions at the Kailua right now is "AGENT CODY BANKS", "DOWN WITH LOVE", "BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE and "PHONE BOOTH". I have never been to this Wallace theatre complex before but if their prime Restaurant Row Theatres in Honolulu looks run down with their "Film done Wrong" presentations, I can just imaging how worse these theatres are. Both theatres feature DTS digital sound by the way but it does not matter because I was never impressed with their digital sound presentations at their Honolulu theatres.

-Claude

Posted by William Leland III (Member # 1400) on 06-21-2003, 06:31 PM:

Claude, my first theatre I worked for was Regal's North Charleston Cinema 10, which was a 2nd run dollar theatre. The only theatre in Charleston that was a dollar. We did a killing on the weekends. I remember we had Doctor Doolittle, and it sold out all shows in about 45 minutes. Titanic did extremely well also.

I remember looking at a report of Regal's theatres first run and second, we where 120 in the county. Out of 2nd run theatre's i think we where 2nd. This was is in 98 or 99.

Dollar theatres can do great business, if the theatre is well maintained and presentation is kept up.

Posted by Paul G. Thompson (Member # 655) on 06-23-2003, 11:23 PM:

We lost Cinema 5 in Mount vernon after Plitt ran it into the ground. When we got it back, we tried the "bargin runs" but we still could not save it.

At that time, the product offered was so terrible that none of the movies were even worth a buck to see...even if they were "First run."

We could not get first run products there anyway. We could not compete with Cinemaorgazmaplex 14 that was 2 miles down the road. [Frown]

They had state-of-the-art in everything....including self flushing toilets, as I understand.

At least, I found a good home for the Pro-35's when we stripped the theatre. Some of the old BGW amplifiers were given to me, and I gave them to Josh. The electrical raceway that was in House No. 3 is now in Josh's booth at his home, along with some other crap that was too good to throw away - yet not good enough to keep. I still have some lamps and power supplies that will eventually wind up in Josh's booth when he decides to dump the carbon arc lamps.

Posted by Bill Gabel (Member # 1105) on 06-25-2003, 12:30 PM:

During the early 80's in Los Angeles. There was a small chain that ran 3-4 single screen theatres. They ran double features of second & third run films for .49 cents.Those theatres were packed on the weekends.

Criterion Theatre (1200 seat) in Santa Monica
Meralta Theatre (700 seats) in Culver City

Posted by Jack Ondracek (Member # 1466) on 06-25-2003, 01:47 PM:

Tom Moyer (Luxury Theatres/OreWash) tried it in Bremerton for awhile. The theatre was located in a local motel and had no readerboard, though it was visible from our "major" highway. First-run business had been declining after GCC added 6 screens nearby (Paul... you probably remember the "Holiday Twin").

When they went to a buck, business went through the roof... for awhile. Eventually though, it dropped like a rock. Many of the new customers were "bottom feeders", who were offensive enough to chase away a lot of the more middle class customers. The theatre closed with pretty much the same head count going through the turnstiles that it had before changing format... though at much reduced final income.

Now, we have so many first-run screens in our market that by the time a print shakes out for the sub-runners, it's pretty much dead. The two houses that are left are constantly struggling to keep their doors open.