This is topic How much does theaters get paid for running adds? in forum Ground Level at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.


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Posted by Kyle Watkins (Member # 986) on 09-22-2003, 02:36 AM:
 
I was wondering about this for some time. I don’t own a theater and more and likely never will. I heard it is big, but how much is big. I don’t know about all the finance a theater has to deal with. know some, but not all. If it that big as people say ( no one ever give figures not even “rough” figures). I no most if not about ALL of us rather not see it, but would most theaters still be alive it they stop running paid adds. And if is all that what they say it is why don’t they fix there problems in the theater with that money. But fixing problem is another topic.

Thanks Kyle
 

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Posted by Bill Enos (Member # 440) on 09-22-2003, 07:26 AM:
 
We charge $250. per month for each screen ad. We can design it, do assorted artwork, etc. extra. We could not survive without this revenue. There are 20 to 25 ads and each goes up a minimum of twice before every scheduled show. We start the slide presentation so that it is complete at the advertized show time.
 

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Posted by Jason Black (Member # 684) on 09-22-2003, 08:34 AM:
 
Kyle,

National ad accounts can add hundreds of thousands, if not a million or more, dollars to the bottom line. Theatres LOVE this. It's almost 100% PURE PROFIT.
 

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Posted by Erick Akers (Member # 875) on 09-22-2003, 09:53 AM:
 
How would one go about clenching a deal on a national ad contract,or even aproaching such a deal?
They don't always approach you.
 

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Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 09-22-2003, 11:17 AM:
 
Kodak is offering complete services and equipment for on-screen ads using the Digital Cinema Operating System, scalable to eventual use for feature presentation:

http://www.kodak.com/go/dcinema
 

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Posted by Dave Williams (Member # 299) on 09-22-2003, 12:04 PM:
 
So how much is this going to cost per screen John?

I know how much money the theaters take in IF and only IF they pay for the equipment themselves, and how much they get IF they do not pay for the equipement themselves.

There are also variables if content is scheduled by third party contributors, or if content is handled in house.

Whenever you have other hands dipping in your pocket, you lose money. Very often, NCN will rape indie or small theaters blind by promising them big returns and then they put in the equipment, run horrible slide shows or ads, and never really do much to sell content. The theater can be stuck with this 800 pound gorilla and only get a few hundred bucks a month, hardly worth the frustration.

Dave
 

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Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 09-22-2003, 12:46 PM:
 
You need to talk to the Kodak Digital Cinema team. They will be at ShowEast.
 

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Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 09-22-2003, 01:38 PM:
 
What about "rolling stock" ads? How much do they get for those? When I do my monthly paid advertising check for Regal, the ONLY thing they're interested in is rolling stock, and they're very picky about how you report it. If the theatre has "The 2wenty", they're REALLY picky, and they want a report on the plasma screens in the lobby too, including whether all of them are working.
 

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Posted by Lance C. McFetridge (Member # 95) on 09-22-2003, 05:55 PM:
 
While we rely on the additional income, the pre-show slides do cost some money. Given that the bulbs go for about 12 dollars and they last a week or so, and there is time spent marketing, drawing and having the slide imaged. The key is to have in excess of 20 to 25 all the time. It takes some work but is worth it.
lance
 

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Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 09-22-2003, 06:43 PM:
 
Bill, is that $250 per slide for the ad to be shown on all your screens? How many screens & how many seats? (to give an idea of how big a customer flow is needed to generate that money, with bigger theatres presumably getting more and smaller ones less) Is there some rule of thumb about how much a theatre can expect to make based on its size?
 

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Posted by Kyle Watkins (Member # 986) on 09-22-2003, 06:50 PM:
 
What about screen vison adds, coke adds, and moviefone. Not sure waht eles is out there but that what we run.

With screen vison adds, who picks what adds play. On the list that coem swith it I see a whole crap load of titles.

Kyle
 

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Posted by Jason Black (Member # 684) on 09-22-2003, 07:12 PM:
 
Lance,

If your slide projectors are blowing thru bulbs that fast, you really should have them cleaned and tested. Mine run (on average) 7-8 weeks before the filaments go out.
 

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Posted by Lance C. McFetridge (Member # 95) on 09-22-2003, 07:29 PM:
 
Jason that is interesting. What bulbs do you use and what are the projectors? What is the throw?
thanks
lance
 

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Posted by Mark Hajducki (Member # 1732) on 09-22-2003, 07:44 PM:
 
I don't know the exact amount that we receive for on screen ads, but Pearl and Dean are prepaired to send us ads for a single screening each week [although we have to splice the ads together ourselves (they just send us the changes for each week)
 

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Posted by Bill Enos (Member # 440) on 09-24-2003, 11:49 PM:
 
Steve, The screen count is one, 1392 seats, Monday thru. Thurs. the 7:15 averages 275, the 9:30 typically at few less. Friday around 350 each. Sat. & Sun. afternoon around 150. Sat. evening 500 to 600 with an occasional 800 to 1000. All our ads are local. We don't solicit national advertisers, The few we've done paid very slowly and required too much paper work, besides, we don't put the ad up at all without the first month paid in advance. Advertising can be very difficult to collect for after the fact and it can not be taken back or repossessed. At present there are 6 advertisers that have with us continuously for more than 5 years, they say it works for them.
 

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Posted by Tony Ratcliff (Member # 1196) on 09-25-2003, 10:38 AM:
 
Bill,

Those are amazing numbers for a single screen!

May I ask what theatre it is?
Are you first run?
And what are the demographics of your customers, your advertisers and the neighborhood?

I have an historic theatre ( 2 screens ) and have been also considering screen ads. I am just trying to scale your theatre to mine to see what I might be able to expect in number and type of advertisers and what price I could charge.

Tony Ratcliff
Ohio Theatre
Madison, Indiana
 

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Posted by Carl Martin (Member # 1146) on 09-25-2003, 01:51 PM:
 
don't do it! for the love of gad don't do it!
 

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Posted by Chris Hipp (Member # 1788) on 09-25-2003, 04:25 PM:
 

quote:

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While we rely on the additional income, the pre-show slides do cost some money. Given that the bulbs go for about 12 dollars and they last a week or so, and there is time spent marketing, drawing and having the slide imaged. The key is to have in excess of 20 to 25 all the time. It takes some work but is worth it.
lance

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