Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: FWD: Coming to a theater near you: Praying

This is topic FWD: Coming to a theater near you: Praying in forum Ground Level at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

To visit this topic, use this URL:
https://ft-forum.com/ft/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=5;t=000840

Posted by William Hooper (Member # 71) on 07-02-2003, 12:58 AM:

From another list:

===========================

--------------------
Coming to a theater near you: Praying
--------------------

By David Cho
The Washington Post

June 26, 2003

The marquee outside the Regal Countryside Cinemas in Sterling, Va., reads "X2:
X-Men United." But inside, rock music blares and the big screen in Theater 14
is displaying not action-figure heroes but lyrics about Jesus. For an hour or
so each Sunday morning, the sound of worship displaces the soundtracks of
Hollywood in this unlikely setting.

From their cushioned stadium seating, members of New Life Christian Church call
on God, lifting their hands in prayer while a live band leads them in song.

From the sticky floors to the buckets used to collect monetary offerings, New
Life is bringing God to the box office.

And soon He could be coming to a theater near you. Regal Entertainment Group,
owner of the largest theater chain in the country, started the year with 10
churches meeting in its auditoriums. Now it has 50.

The venture has shown so much potential that Regal officials are looking to
attract more congregations, said Ray Nutt, executive vice president of Regal's
marketing division.

In the past, churches might rent theater space but only until they could afford
a building of their own. But now there's a trend of congregations moving into
cinema multiplexes because the locations are well-known in their communities
and the atmosphere is more appealing to people who consider traditional
churches intimidating -- or boring, leaders say.

Church at the Mall, for instance, moved into Crown Theaters in Annapolis, Md.,
in April, leaving behind the red-brick, white-steeple church it built in 1965.
Attendance had been dipping for two decades, said senior pastor Bill
Chamberlin, but it started picking up again just two weeks after the mall move.

"Our motto is, `Change the way you think about church,"' he said. "It was
evident to us that people that we want to reach out to feel very uncomfortable
about coming into a traditional building."

Many theater churches have been successful in drawing young adults by
emphasizing a spiritual experience over religious rituals. To that end,
traditional hymns have been replaced by Christian rock, and sermons dip into
pop culture.

"We try to bridge a cultural gap that a lot of people have with the church
today," said David Drake, an associate pastor of New Life, a non-denominational
church. Holding services in a traditional church setting "doesn't fit a
casual-dress, rock 'n' roll church," he said. "We don't want people to have
preconceived notions . . . that church is stuffy."

For multiplex owners, hosting churches makes financial sense.

"On Sunday mornings when movies aren't playing, why not? It's just more money
for theaters," said Lynn Marschke, who heads the special events division for
Loews Cineplex, adding that he has been fielding lots of inquiries from pastors.

Copyright (c) 2003, Chicago Tribune

--------------------
Improved archives!

Searching Chicagotribune.com archives back to 1985 is cheaper and easier than
ever. New prices for multiple articles can bring your cost down to as low as 30
cents an article: http://www.chicagotribune.com/archives

Posted by Don Bruechert (Member # 1538) on 07-02-2003, 08:55 AM:

Hell, I can go there....

One of our near-downtown theaters was purchased and converted by the Triumphant Christion Church, and was operated for several years as their church - they are one of those "jump, holler and clap" groups. That ran for several years until they bailed out of it and it was purchased by someone else and turned into a budget house with a full "bar food" menu (in addition to the usual theater fare).

They used to advertise all their sermons on the marquee.... It was a "different" concept, that's for sure.

Posted by Scott Jentsch (Member # 1681) on 07-02-2003, 11:21 AM:

Marcus Ridge Cinema in New Berlin, WI does this with a Presbyterian church, I believe. Each weekend, there are lawn signs near the theater publicizing the services on Sunday.

The Paradise Theater in West Allis is currently being used by a church group as well. The Paradise was a classics house that couldn't make a go of it by the operator and his volunteers.

Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 07-02-2003, 12:05 PM:

This actually sounds like a good way for theatres to generate additional revenue at little expense or risk to the facility (not like hosting, say, a screening of a rock concert or sporting event).

Posted by Rachel Gilardi (Member # 1016) on 07-02-2003, 12:43 PM:

Hollywood Hits in MA, the theater I used to work at rents out space (4 theaters) every Sunday morning to a church group. They've been there quite a while. They don't advertise or anything for it, its just a rental of space that they do. I only had to work it once...fun fun! [Smile]

Posted by Aaron Mehocic (Member # 15) on 07-02-2003, 06:05 PM:

NO! Churches are churches and theatres are theatres! I can understand maybe the local church burns down and the pastor needs a quick fix for the following Sunday, but this . . . no way. I'm not overly religious, but when I do go to church I expect certain traditions, relics, and accustics that cannot be reproduced inside a theatre auditorium.

Posted by Mark Lensenmayer (Member # 134) on 07-02-2003, 06:47 PM:

AMC Lennox 24, near The Ohio State University campus (for some reason, they are VERY picky there about capitalizing the "THE") has a church group in every Sunday. I've run into them a few times as we like to go to early shows. Looks like they use 3-4 auditoriums there, and set up a table to sell tapes and shirts. Looks like they are trying to attract a young crowd, which is a good idea since it is just across the river from OSU. They have had a few hundred people there the times I have been there.

Posted by John Spooner (Member # 1565) on 07-03-2003, 01:25 PM:

In one of our smaller theatres which we only run 3 nights, a group from a local Church hold services on Sundays.
All works very well.
John Spooner.

Posted by Dennis Benjamin (Member # 1137) on 07-03-2003, 05:08 PM:

It's all about the almighty dollar. The film companies have forced exhibitors to get revenue elsewhere.

Posted by William T. Parr (Member # 677) on 07-06-2003, 10:20 PM:

The Highland 10 used to rent out several auditoriums for Church on Sunday Morning. This of course was back in the General Cinema days. So far we have not been approached about renting out for this, however we have been approached about renting out an auditorium Sat Mornings early for showing Indian Films.

Posted by R. Andrew Diercks (Member # 1725) on 07-07-2003, 12:05 AM:

This is an interesting concept and a couple of our theatres do this on Sunday mornings. I love to hear the words Church and Revenue together. It SCREAMS American Values. I would be all for it, especially if we retain a percentage of parishoners as patrons. I would ask the pastor to run until about 30 minutes to showtime and at least sell popcorn on their way out. My theatre is in a very religious Dutch community and it may help business on Sunday. Until a few years ago even Wal-Mart wouldn't open on Sunday. We just opened in April and I got calls asking why I was running a rated R movie in this town. We opened Identity.

Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 07-07-2003, 09:40 AM:

A theater I used to service in Chessapeake, VA does this same thing. I have no problem with it at all. Anybody can come and rent/buy-out a theater for their group. Why not a church group?

If some rich guy can come in and buy a four-wall for his kid's birthday party what's the difference? Actually, it's even better! They come in before opening so you don't have to "put out" any other customers.

I don't care what people want to do. (As long as it's legal and doesn't hurt anything.) Once I have the money in my hand they can go inside the hall and close the doors. Nobody will be bothered, nor should they care.

Posted by Christopher Duvall (Member # 284) on 07-08-2003, 03:19 AM:

Randy, where in Chesapeake? I used to be an assistant at a couple of theatres in that area
1. Greenbier 13 (Cheasapeake)
2. Pembroke Mall 8 (Virginia Beach)

Posted by William Leland III (Member # 1400) on 07-08-2003, 10:37 AM:

A theatre in Charleston had a church group also. Thought it was an odd idea, but maybe if a church is doing some remodeling or construction it's not a bad idea. As for a peminant, i wouldn't like it but of people are fine with it, it doesn't bother me.

Posted by Aldo Baez (Member # 790) on 07-09-2003, 02:13 AM:

We have one of these groups every Sunday morning. They setup drums and stuff and a projector and rock out to different songs. Better than doing drugs I guess...