Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Seating Capacity and Print Allocation/Movement

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Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 02-13-2004, 11:36 AM:

What's the point of having theatres with similar seating capacities? Is there any sensible rationale behind having, say, a 100 seat auditorium and a 90 seat auditorium?

This kind of design irritates me because it creates a "need" to move prints whereas if both screens were 90 or 100 (or 95) seats there would be no reason to move a print. This all becomes especially annoying when neither movie is selling out -- which is often. Let's face it: when they move down to the tiny houses, they ain't exactly sellin' like hotcakes. So why move these prints? And why have the different (but similar) capacities?

And, while I have your attention, let me ask you this:

For an 8-plex, what would be sensible? Assume that the largest screen will have 250-300 seats.

I'm thinking:

1 & 2 -- 250 or 300
3 & 4 -- 150 or 200
5 & 6 -- 100
7 & 8 -- 50

Posted by Jeremy Fuentes (Member # 2135) on 02-13-2004, 11:44 AM:

I agree with you about moving prints to a theater with a 10-15 seat difference. Like it really matters with such a small gap. I like the difference in seats that you put for an 8 plex, though. It seems like just the right amount for each.

Posted by William T. Parr (Member # 677) on 02-13-2004, 01:05 PM:

The 10 I am at now has the following capacities:
1,3,8,and 10 186 seats
2 and 9 306 seats
4 and 7 258 seats
5 and 6 480 seats

Whe I was working at the Century 16 in Corpus we had the following capacities:

4,5,12 and 13 seated 124
8 and 9 seated 450
1 and 16 seated 180
2,3,14 and 15 seat 225
6 and and 11 seated 280
7 and 10 seated 301

Posted by Jeremy Fuentes (Member # 2135) on 02-13-2004, 01:23 PM:

Wow, Todd it looks like you worked everywhere in Corpus except Cinemark-Tinseltown and 5 Star, which I used to work at(Cinemark) and the one I work at now(5 Star). I know thats not everywhere, but that still covers most of the recent ones except the Cinemark discount and the Cine 4, or did you work there too. I mean, it looks like we pretty much got Corpus covered, when it comes to working in the booths here.

Posted by Ian Price (Member # 14) on 02-13-2004, 01:30 PM:

My 5-plex has:

#1 266
#2 174
#3 162
#4 124
#5 100

My perfect 8-plex would have:

2 @ 200 w/ 30’ screen
4 @ 150 w/ 25’ screen
2 @ 100 w/ 23’ screen

My perfect 12-plex would have

4 @ 200
4 @ 100
4 @ 75

Why so small you ask? It's very hard work to load 200 people in to a show. It's about my limit. The caveat would be that every one of those 200 seats would be usable. That means vast space in front of the front row, no seats next to the wall, and a nice cross isle in the middle with handicap seating.

Of course this would be an art cinema. I also like to have access to an over 500 seat house to view those blockbuster films. There is nothing quite like a film on a 60' wide screen. It's difficult and expensive to pull off.

Posted by Mike Spaeth (Member # 524) on 02-13-2004, 02:49 PM:

My 14 has as follows:

#1,5,6 - 285 (slope)
#10 - 219 (stadium)
#4 - 173 (slope)
#7 - 154 (stadium)
#9 - 144 (stadium)
#2 - 143 (slope)
#3 - 113 (slope)
#8,12,13 - 99 (stadium)
#11,14 - 75 (stadium)

My 8 has (all slope-floor)
#4 - 316
#5 - 298
#6 - 252
#3 - 243
#7 - 179
#1 - 178
#8 - 113
#2 - 101

Posted by Travis Hubrig (Member # 1745) on 02-13-2004, 03:33 PM:

Here's a 7:

1 and 2 234 seats
5 and 6 186 seats
3 115 seats
4 96 seats
7 105 seats

oh yeah, number 3 looks terrible in scope because of throw and
screen size.
numbers 3 and 5 are equipped with mini-winds, so nothing over 120 -130 minutes.
Numbers 1, 2, and 4 are the only ones with red led's, so if that ever comes out I will have to watch which prints go there.

I guess I will just kinda keep the prints where they are unless we are losing mucho $$$ to sell-outs.

Posted by William T. Parr (Member # 677) on 02-13-2004, 05:23 PM:

Yep I worked at Cinema 4 and Dollar Cinema as well. in fact I trained Andy Landa at Dollar Cinema in the Booth before I was unceremoniously terminated from Cinemark and he went on to be the manager in charge of the Booth and Ushers at Tinsletown.

Cinema 4:

Auditorium 1: 210
Auditorium 2: 220
Auditorium 3: 231
Auditorium 4: 475

Dollar Cinema:

Auditorium 1 156 seats
Aud 2,3 and 4 196 seats
Aud 5 225 seats
Aud 6 and 7 258 seats

Cine 6:

Auditorium 1 Original 738, After remodel 667
Auditorium 2 Original 576, After remodel 502
Auditorium 3 220
Auditorium 4 220
Aduitorium 5 Original 220 After remodel 200
Auditorium 6 220

Mann National Twin:

Auditorium 1 529 seats
Auditorium 2 703 seats

Movies Twin on Staples:

Auditorium 1 218 seats
Auditorium 2 356 seats

Centre Theatre:

1196 seats

Ayers Theatre:

962 seats

Cine West:

Both Auditoriums 278 seats

[ 02-13-2004, 09:59 PM: Message edited by: William T. Parr ]

Posted by R. Andrew Diercks (Member # 1725) on 02-13-2004, 06:32 PM:

My 5 has as follows:
#1 247
#2 123
#3 117
#4 106
#5 49

If we put 50 in #5 we had to cut a whole in the wall for another exit, so we figured one seat that house would never pay back that cost.

I usually place 2, 3 and 4 based on the film, not attendance. #2 has a very large screen so films that need that, such as Last Samurai etc. Go there, and #3 is smaller so a teen flick can go there.

Posted by Darryl Spicer (Member # 711) on 02-13-2004, 06:37 PM:

Years ago back in the early 80's Mid-States theaters sent out a memo wich I have a copy of that had the seat allocations for all of its screens. I think the seat quanity issue at that time was so they could meet the requirements the film companies put on them. You see at that time they told use where to put the movies based on what the film companies wanted. A lot of there theaters maintained exact or near the same number of seats.
Example
#1 252
#2 352
#3 474
#4 473
#5 351
#6 252

Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 02-13-2004, 07:10 PM:

quote:
What's the point of having theatres with similar seating capacities? Is there any sensible rationale behind having, say, a 100 seat auditorium and a 90 seat auditorium? This kind of design irritates me because it creates a "need" to move prints

You're asking about the theatres when you should be asking about why anyone is ordering prints moved. The explanation of the theatre capacity may be something as simple as how the architecture worked out. For all intents and purposes a 90 and a 100 are the same size. Unless a show is going to sell out and those ten extra tickets (or ten more empties to give folks some breathing room) are going to matter then whoever is swapping auditoria has a screw loose. If you and I know they are (essentially) the same size why doesn't management?

Posted by Darryl Spicer (Member # 711) on 02-14-2004, 12:05 AM:

I agree with Steve. We have that situation here were we have 4 auditoriums that run with a 3 to 10 seat differance. Normaly when we get a film down to those houses it never moves again. Only time they would is two reasons. THey split with something else or I want to keep a certain film in digital since our smallest two are only stereo.

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 02-14-2004, 01:52 AM:

I suppose I can understand your rationale there Darryl. Nothing wrong with wanting to put on a great show and -- Lord knows -- I've been known to place prints based (at least partially) on presentation issues.

Having said all of that...I do sometimes wonder if people who wait that long to see a movie are "serious" about seeing it in the first place.

Posted by Carl Martin (Member # 1146) on 02-14-2004, 03:28 AM:

used to be our #2 house seated 180 and #3 185. now it's the other way around. and all that changed was our ticketing software.

we rotate films so that everything gets to be downstairs 2 or 3 days in the week (ada). since we publicize when something will be downstairs, we stick to that except in exceptional circumstances.

carl

Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 02-14-2004, 01:57 PM:

quote:
Having said all of that...I do sometimes wonder if people who wait that long to see a movie are "serious" about seeing it in the first place.

Whoa there, Manny! Are you saying everyone needs to turn out in the first few weeks? There is nothing inherently "wrong" with seeing a film at anytime, even months or a year later if it's still playing. It becomes something of a self fulfilling prophecy because the film by then will very likely be in crappy condition and playing in an auditorium that may not be as well equipped technically as the one used when it opened. But that's not how things ought to be. A smaller room, sure if attendance is tapering off. But otherwise things should be just as top notch.

Posted by Chris Hipp (Member # 1788) on 02-14-2004, 02:02 PM:

Print moves at my work can be very hectic. We have some houses that are 93 and 94 seats and they will move a print to get one extra seat if they think they can sell it.

I dont think it would be a good idea to have every house the exact same size. I think you should have classes, such as large medium and small houses and each in the class is the same size.

Posted by Jeremy Fuentes (Member # 2135) on 02-14-2004, 05:41 PM:

We have a 5 screen-
Theater 1-240
2-190
3-105
4-111
5-122
Hey, Todd, I know Andy Landa. He is one of the ones that I go to if I have a question, if I happened to be there at Tinseltown. Him and John Cuevas. Do you know John. How about Stefanie Nessman? I used to work with all of them.

Posted by Chad Lindsey (Member # 2212) on 02-15-2004, 07:35 PM:

Get this! Our theatre was bult on the cheap:

Movies 8 Paris, TX:
#1 = 172
#2-5 = 136
#6-8 = 142

now if you only knew the other ways they saved money on the building!

Posted by William T. Parr (Member # 677) on 02-15-2004, 09:28 PM:

Jeremy,

Andy Landa is the only one I knew from Dollar Cinema. As far as I know he was the only person that was taken for the existing theatre to open Tinseltown up. The only other person I knew that worked that was a now ex friend of mine that worked at UA the Movies with me. I put in a good word with Andy to get her hired there then she turned around and stabbed me pretty much in the back after getting the job. Last I had heard she was not working there any more.

Posted by Chris Mosel (Member # 1451) on 02-16-2004, 03:34 PM:

Print moving is not always based on seat count, If it is a kid show I will move it closer to the satelite concession stand, if it attracts a senior crowd I try to keep it close to the entrance/exit area to make the trip a little shorter. I try to have some logical reason for print placement besides just seat count.
Sometimes I just like to piss off the projectionist though. [Smile]

Posted by Jeremy Fuentes (Member # 2135) on 02-17-2004, 02:14 PM:

Todd, sorry to hear about that x-friend of yours. Dont suppose you want to give her name, do you.

Posted by Blake Zaugg (Member # 1455) on 02-17-2004, 11:29 PM:

Sometimes, a print move is needed so we can split it with something else. Sometimes we will also move a 18A/R show closer to the usher station to keep an eye that kids don't get in there.