This is topic Madstone Theaters Going out of Business? in forum Ground Level at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.


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Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 05-22-2004, 07:43 PM:
 
I've heard a rumor that Madstone Theaters will shut down all operations by the end of this coming week. They've gotten rid of most of their corporate staff and theaters have been told not to order any more inventory. Their website seems to have upcoming events listed, so perhaps this is pure speculation. But my source is within the corporate offices, so who knows?[av=e] Anyone know anything?
 

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Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 05-22-2004, 09:05 PM:
 
Dunno but is it possible a certain entrepeneur who already owns an art theatre chain and a sports franchise and whose name evokes a communist Carribean island be looking to expand his holdings with a strategic purchase? I've heard nothing but there have been some management changes over at that other chain.
 

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Posted by Nate Lehrke (Member # 1460) on 05-22-2004, 11:20 PM:
 
Joe, do you know if its just Madstone Theatres, or does it include Madstone Films?? Maybe this means that Madstone Films first movie, Rhinoceros Eyes isn’t doing so well.

From the website
“The Madstone family includes: Madstone Theaters LLC, Madstone Films LLC and New Yorker Films.”
I wonder how New Yorker Films would be affected??

I suppose this is still speculation though.

(I would be upset if I had paid for a membership, and it went under.)
 

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Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 05-22-2004, 11:29 PM:
 
Nate - not sure.
[av=c]
Steve - Please try to be more vague in future posts.
 

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Posted by Jon Miller (Member # 163) on 05-23-2004, 12:37 AM:
 
From what I just learned, it's business as usual at the Hazard Center (San Diego) house as the location remains profitable. Plans to proceed with special screening programs and to install a digital projector are still on track.

I would have been to see the San Diego location and crew go. They have been great hosts to both the San Diego Asian and San Diego Latino film festivals and I have great appreciation for the Madstone Hazard Center staff (and the Mann crew which preceded them) in supporting these festivals. As a booth veteran of three years with the two festivals, I can say that no other place could offer the same level of enthusiasm for these festivals as the Madstone Hazard Center has.
 

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Posted by Pravin Ratnam (Member # 1417) on 05-23-2004, 01:35 AM:
 
It better not!! I just renewed my membership.
 

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Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 05-23-2004, 08:47 AM:
 
They're still open here in SLC and I'm glad they are here as they have given us a decent art location. Most of the other SLC art houses are filthy with poor presentations and they suck big time.

Mark
 

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Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 05-23-2004, 09:55 AM:
 
Joe, that wasn't vague at all to anyone with any familiarity with art/specialty exhibition in the USA! For one thing there aren't a whole lot of national art house chains. Should I add that he was profiled on 60 Minutes?
 

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Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 05-23-2004, 06:14 PM:
 
Why don't you just say his name? Are you afraid of something?
[av=j]
Mark, all the Madstones I have seen have had poor presentations, unless they came with decent equipment already like the Hazard. The one in Denver has an extremely dim "big house" due to a consistently failing single-phase power supply and a broken focus mechanism that has not been replaced (but promised many times), other auditoriums have non-movable drapes that were hung by Madstone that creep into the sides of the image by about a foot, they have two auditoriums where the automation does not work at all and zero effort has been made to fix it. As a result the lamp stays on after the show drops and fries lenses (which were brand new a little over a year ago). They could shut off the projector when it drops, but I guess they don't. Analog sound only wheras the nearby Landmarks all have Dolby Digital. It doesn't seem to me like presentation is a high priority.

Hmmm... maybe it is just Denver that is shutting down?
 

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Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 05-23-2004, 06:28 PM:
 
Joe,
For once I agree with you! Steve has been this mysterious way for as long as I've known him...

As for Madstone here, it is an all new install with mainly Strong equipment, everything else is also new..... great seats too. We've run a few calls over there for minor problems but the presentation there is great and with very clean auditoriums . Unlike the remainder of the SLC Art Houses which are filthy and poorly run at best.

Mark
 

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Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 05-23-2004, 10:40 PM:
 
No, I was just being funny since obviously I hadn't said anything libelous in the first place with the joke being that I had worded it so transparently that it was blatantly apparent to anyone in this business who I was talking about. I guess not.

OK, (1) What is the biggest arthouse chain? (2) What entrepeneur (who is also famous for owning a major sports franchise) owns them? Hint: Said sports team is located in the same state as F-T.
 

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Posted by Pravin Ratnam (Member # 1417) on 05-24-2004, 12:35 AM:
 
I thought Joe was just kidding when he was ribbing Steve about being vague. I didn't realize he really meant Steve was being vague. Marc Cuban is the obvious answer.

In any case, the Madstone in Atlanta finally upgraded their sound. But presentation is not a high priority at the corporate office. One of their biggest screens had a broken something and the sound was mono and not very good mono either. Finally they upgraded the sound in the 4 of their halls.
 

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Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 05-24-2004, 01:10 AM:
 
Maybe obvious to you and Steve, but not to me. I guess Steve assumes that anyone who has ever worked in an art venue knows all about that side of the industry?
[av=d]
So they updraded the sound in 4 of their halls? Are their auditoriums literally hallways with screens (and a center aisle)? What type of upgrades did they receive?
 

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Posted by Ky Boyd (Member # 23) on 05-24-2004, 03:04 AM:
 
Steve, FWIW, I didn't think you were vague at all in your original post in this thread. I knew exactly who you were talking about, but then I'm an arthouse guy.

As for Madstone's San Diego location, it regularly gets its ass kicked by Landmark's Hillcrest both in bookings and $. This weekend Hillcrest pulled down over $30,000 at the box with SuperSize Me, Coffee & Cigs, Valentin, I'm Not Scared, Young Adam, and Robot Stories. Meanwhile Madstone pulled in just over $23,000 with Shrek, Troy, Van Helsing, Kill Bill v2, something called En La Puta Vita, and Madstone's previously mentioned own film Rhinoceros Eyes, which pulled in a whopping $650 in its first weekend. That don't pay the rent and since when are Shrek, Troy, and Van Helsing art films anyway? Landmark has real arthouse bookings. Madstone is just playing anything they can get their hands on and Landmarks leftovers. That ain't an arthouse. (I love Rentrak! Nothing like facts at a click of the mouse!)

But then going up against the largest and most successful arthouse operator in the country isn't the greatest business plan. Madstone does decently in markets where they don't compete head to head with Landmark and they actually have decent arthouse bookings in those markets. But why are they in Denver, San Diego, Atlanta, and soon to open in Baltimore? All are Landmark markets. It makes no sense whatsoever. If I were in Madstone's shoes, I'd concede those markets to Landmark and focus on the markets where they actually do well. But what do I know, I just run a single arthouse that makes money.
 

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Posted by Pravin Ratnam (Member # 1417) on 05-24-2004, 10:56 AM:
 
Joe, I would have thought the clues to Carribean commie island and sports franchise owner were enought to tip one off. Cuban has been in the news a lot.

As far as the upgrades, it was overdue. They theater already was an established General Cinemas mutiplex in the past, and nearly destroyed by EFW's management later. Then some Madstone manager thought he knew more than he actually did, and fiddled around with the speakers and messed something up in one of their two big halls. This hall used to be a THX auditorium under GC.
They upgraded two smaller auditoriums to digital sound. Compared to the Lefont Plaza or Regal UA Tara which I despise, Madstone has better projection. But I did get the impression that each Madstone needed strong local management to convince corporate mgmt to pony up a few dollars for even simple technical upgrades.

Ky, Atlanta can use a Madstone because Landmark serves the intown residents while Madstone serves the northern suburbs. And that reflects in their movies. A movie like Connie and Carla actually outlasted Kill Bill 2 and shaolin soccer in the Madstone here by a big margin because of the abundance of soccer moms in this area. But they do get audiences for certain indies. Pieces of April and Whalerider had decent runs. It's the Japanese/Korean stuff that don't seem to get as much response here.
 

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Posted by Mike Spaeth (Member # 524) on 05-24-2004, 11:11 AM:
 
Actually, Madstone opened in April 2003. Landmark did not buy their location from REG until August of 2003. So, Madstone was here first, however, most of the art product (at least the good art product) goes to Landmark or REG at their 4-screen art location.
 

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Posted by Ky Boyd (Member # 23) on 05-24-2004, 01:30 PM:
 
Jeez, 3 companies duking it out in the art market in Atlanta??? Sounds like Atlanta is the new Dallas! But I will readily admit to know nothing about the geography of Atlanta as I've only ever been to the airport. But I will say that it certainly looks like Regal and Landmark do much better in securing art product when you compare their theatres to Madstone's.
 

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Posted by Mike Spaeth (Member # 524) on 05-24-2004, 01:53 PM:
 
Make that 4 companies. Lefont Theaters is a local art-house chain with a single-screen and a twin (though the twin lately has played such titles as Shrek).
 

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Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 05-24-2004, 06:50 PM:
 
Toronto has 6 companies (2 of them major circuits) battling it out for many of the art titles
 

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Posted by Mike Olpin (Member # 1115) on 05-26-2004, 02:35 PM:
 
I also renewed my membeship! I hope they don't go! The San Diego has one of the nicest floor staffs around.

quote: Joe Redifer

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Mark, all the Madstones I have seen have had poor presentations, unless they came with decent equipment already like the Hazard.

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Unfortuanatly, Madstone Hazard uses opaque splicing tape, and often times the prints look a little tattered on screen. 2 of the screens, as of my last visit, were still dirty.

I do enjoy the festivals there, Jon. I'm confident that the Hazard Center would continue to play host to these events, no mater who winds up taking them over.
 

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Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 05-27-2004, 04:15 AM:
 
Well yelling and screaming at the projectionist who uses the opaque tape probably won't do much good, since he (more than likely) isn't the brightest star in the sky. You can't complain to the [av=k]management because they don't know about any of that stuff (though you could say that the clear tape is CHEAPER, which it is). I guess the next rung on the ladder would be to bitch at the dealers who sell the stuff. But they just go by the rule of supply and demand. So the ONLY thing to do is bitch at Bob Maar for making the stuff! Maybe I will delete his joke forum until he stops!

EDIT: Bob has been removed from Neumade! That'll teach him!
 

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Posted by Mike Olpin (Member # 1115) on 05-27-2004, 01:55 PM:
 
Just recieved the M*adstone M*embers Weekly eM*ail. Looks like its buisiness as usual. No sign of a sell of or closure this week.
 

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Posted by Jon Miller (Member # 163) on 05-27-2004, 08:22 PM:
 
Glad you enjoy the film festivals hosted at the Madstone Hazard Center, Mike. It's always a fun and rewarding experience for all the staffs involved in putting on these festivals, even though it's not without occasional challenges behind the scenes to keep us on our toes.

Regarding opaque splicing tape use over there: one of the crew members with print makeup and breakdown responsibilities (not the chief projectionist) insisted on the stuff. Fortunately, there is Zebra available whenever I am in the booth for festivals, the chief projectionist knows I prefer Zebra, and I bring a personal supply "just in case". (I could just use clear tape as advocated recently, but Zebra is not a problem with Dolby Digital or SDDS tracks in a DTS house.)

Opaque tape or no, given a choice between the Madstone or one of the AMCs in the Mission Valley to see the same feature, I'd pick the 'plex closest to Highway 163.
 

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Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 05-27-2004, 08:53 PM:
 
My question now would be "why is the person who isn't even in charge in the booth be allowed to choose the splicing tape? Why is he in the booth if he/she can't deal with the way it was?"[av=h]
 

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Posted by Nate Lehrke (Member # 1460) on 05-28-2004, 04:04 AM:
 
Ky Boyd wrote:

quote:

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Madstone's previously mentioned own film Rhinoceros Eyes, which pulled in a whopping $650 in its first weekend. That don't pay the rent and since when are Shrek, Troy, and Van Helsing art films anyway? Landmark has real arthouse bookings. Madstone is just playing anything they can get their hands on and Landmarks leftovers. That ain't an arthouse. (I love Rentrak! Nothing like facts at a click of the mouse!)

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How do you get that info from Rentrak? Is this a free service? How do you access it?
 

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Posted by Ky Boyd (Member # 23) on 05-28-2004, 08:26 PM:
 
Nate,

Rentrak collects grosses from theatres all over the country just like EDI does. I have access to their site because my theatre reports to Rentrak. With the chains access is probably restricted GM's, DM's and higher. Visit www.rentrak.com for more info on Rentrak's products and services.
 

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Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 05-29-2004, 02:03 AM:
 
Rino Eyez made $650? Well it sounds like at least they'll break even! [av=m] Hey Nate, we need to get Kate to register so she can post a review. I think Madstone made their employees watch it some weekday at midnight. Didn't she say it, ummm, wasn't very good... at all?
 

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Posted by Nate Lehrke (Member # 1460) on 05-29-2004, 03:52 AM:
 
Joe, Kate’s not in the industry anymore, so she wouldn't be allowed to comment on the film. I thought she loved it and can’t wait for the extended edition DVD

In case you all were wondering:

quote:

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a Madstone is a Hopi Indian term for a rock that, legend has it, can be used to remove the venom from a snakebite

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Now, I heard a possible alternative meaning: Apparently when the owner's pitched the idea of an independent theatre that had a lounge & sold memberships, there friends asked "are they mad or just stoned?"
 

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Posted by Jennifer Pan (Member # 2035) on 05-30-2004, 08:58 PM:
 
They're still in business in my area. Looks like they're showing some mainstream flicks.
 

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Posted by Pravin Ratnam (Member # 1417) on 06-02-2004, 12:25 AM:
 
OK, it's official. Madstone is closed in Atlanta. Joe, you are no KD when it comes to predicting things. (though I wish you were as offbase as he normally is in this one case).

Goddamit! I had three unused passes(though two of them were part of the new membership). I guess I will have to ask my credit card company to reverse charges.

This sucks. North Atlanta sucks. I should have known something was up when Connie And Carla was still playing while other movies were phased out. Madstone got a lot of free press in the local paper. It did that part right. What it failed to do was reach the local neighborhood. Even when it played the same mainstream movies as the Regal a couple of miles away, residents I know seemed to go to the Regal because they weren't too aware of what was playing at the Madstone. So mixing in mainstream product didnt' give the movie house as big a boost as it would have liked.

Even though Madstone could have done some things better, it does suck for indie movie lovers in northern atlanta. I guess I will have to trek all the way to Landmark. I guess the suburbs are really as bland as American Beauty portrays them to be. Man, and this multiplex just upgraded their sound too.

[ 06-02-2004, 01:05 PM: Message edited by: Pravin Ratnam ]
 

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Posted by Nate Lehrke (Member # 1460) on 06-02-2004, 03:55 AM:
 
From The Atlanta Journal-Constitution


Madstone also closed multiplexes in Chandler, Ariz., and Ann Arbor, Mich. That leaves the 30-month-old chain with six theaters, in Denver, Albuquerque, N.M., San Diego, Salt Lake City, Tampa and Cary, N.C.

quote:

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Metro Atlanta's burgeoning art film scene took a hit Tuesday as New York-based Madstone Theaters quietly closed its eight-screen theater in Sandy Springs.

Madstone also closed multiplexes in Chandler, Ariz., and Ann Arbor, Mich. That leaves the 30-month-old chain with six theaters, in Denver, Albuquerque, N.M., San Diego, Salt Lake City, Tampa and Cary, N.C.

Calls to Madstone's corporate offices in New York were not returned. But in an e-mail to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Madstone Acting Chief Executive Carol Seelig wrote that reorganization "is necessary for the future growth of Madstone."

It was unclear at press time whether additional Madstone theater closings would be forthcoming.

At least 20 employees lost their jobs locally. Madstone opened in Sandy Springs in April 2003 and had pledged a healthy mix of documentaries, art films and some foreign films, but its most recent offerings were dominated by more mainstream Hollywood fare such as "Shrek 2," "Troy," "Raising Helen" and "Man on Fire."

The chain's entry into the Atlanta market came roughly six months ahead of Los Angeles-based Landmark Theatres, the nation's largest art-house chain with 57 theaters in 14 states and the District of Columbia. Landmark turned the old United Artists Midtown into the eight-screen Midtown Art Cinema.

Brian Newman, outgoing executive director of Image Film and Video Center, said Madstone's closing here isn't "a sign about Atlanta but how Madstone picked location. It's a little bit far out. It was good for parts of the community but not for everyone."

Located just above I-285 off Roswell Road, Madstone was several miles from Atlanta's core of art houses, including the two Lefont theaters, the four-screen Tara and the Landmark.

Ray Price, vice president of marketing for Landmark, said Madstone "tried to build a circuit very quickly and in doing that they took on a lot of problem locations. You can't be off 10 miles away from your core audience."

Turner Classic Movies on Tuesday canceled its series of classic films such as Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "A Clockwork Orange" that was to have played across Madstone's chain. That series was to have begun at the Sandy Springs theater on Friday.

After Madstone renovated and reopened the old General Cinemas Parkside last year, it hosted a remarkable 16-week run of director Terrence Malick's 1978 film, "Days of Heaven."

The theater recently had a few sellout screenings involving the 48 Hour Film Project, in which more than 30 local film teams made film shorts in two days.

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quote:

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remarkable 16-week run

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Pffft! Madstone Denver had an even more remarkable 954,756 week run of My Big Fat Greek Wedding! This is a crappy picture of some frame near a reel change that I took during breakdown of the print. No dirt. No scratches. Amazing considering the orange ORC platters it usually ran on and of course Simplex projectors! It goes to show that a good staff is very important!


 

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Posted by Mike Williams (Member # 1140) on 06-02-2004, 01:29 PM:
 

quote: Joe Redifer

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No dirt. No scratches. Amazing

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But it is missing a frame.
 

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Posted by Ky Boyd (Member # 23) on 06-02-2004, 09:31 PM:
 
Well for the week through Tuesday, the Madstone in San Diego has grossed just over 1/2 of what Landmark's Hillcrest has grossed for the same period. And more than 80% of Madstone's gross is from Shrek 2 and Troy. I'd bet that Madstone San Diego isn't long for this world.
 

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Posted by Mike Olpin (Member # 1115) on 06-02-2004, 09:37 PM:
 
That may be, however, Landmark's Hillcrest is a monster! Everyone goes there! I'd be more interested to hear a comparison between Madstone SD and Landmark La Jolla.
 

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Posted by Will Kutler (Member # 770) on 06-02-2004, 10:47 PM:
 
I think Phoenix is now becomming Film-Tech Central! Brad and Joe are going to have to move their location!

Lets see know, Yours Truly, Floyd Newton, Mike Heenan, Mike Carro and Jennifer Pan are all here.

Jennifer...your in Tempe? Gimme a call...I'm at ASU-East...ph 480-884-1136.

Today's "East Valley Tribune" has a story about Madstone goin dark.

Its hard to keep track of all the screens in this little area! At the I-10 and I-60 is a Harkins multiplex and the IMAX. Drive 10-15 minutes east on the I-60 is an AMC 24plex. Then there is another Harkins multiplex about 10-15 minutes farther east on the I-60.

Furthermore, I believe Harkins also operates a Phoenix area arthouse... The ex-GKC chain (I believe) is now an independant privately owned second run outfit.

Kutler
 

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Posted by Ky Boyd (Member # 23) on 06-02-2004, 11:43 PM:
 
Mike,

I can do that. La Jolla Village 4 is right up there with Hillcrest. Both locations do really well and both do substantially more than Madstone. But then both Landmark properties are in great locations.
 

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Posted by Jon Miller (Member # 163) on 06-03-2004, 12:14 AM:
 
Well, the Landmark La Jolla Village 4 (as well as the AMC La Jolla twelve-plex across the street) is less than a mile away from the University of California, San Diego, with a fairly large student body (over 24,000 students). I wouldn't be surprised if UCSD students made up a very good proportion of patrons there. It's very easy for students in university housing to frequent these theatres as they can catch a shuttle bus for free to take them within a short walking distance of either the Landmark or the AMC. With the bus, what's the point of driving twelve miles or so to the Madstone (other than receiving a better moviegoing experience, IMHO )?
 

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Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 06-03-2004, 12:47 AM:
 

quote: Mike Heenane wrote:

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But it is missing a frame.

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Ummm nope! How do you figure? All frames are intact and accounted for (unless the print got diced up somewhere else later on. It is possible to take a picture of a frame without removing it.[av=l]
 

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Posted by Mike Olpin (Member # 1115) on 06-03-2004, 12:54 PM:
 
Uh-Oh. Ky, you certainly can call 'em!

I did not recieve a member update email for this week, and the website has no shows listed for tomorow.

I'm going to watch Zero Day today at 3:20.

Then again, perhaps they're just running behind on bookings.

{update}
Tomorow at Madstone:
San Diego: Empty
Denver: "Events and Showtimes have not yet been determined for this date."
Cary NC: Only one movie listed
Albuquerque: Full Schedule
Salt Lake City: Full Schedule
Baltimore: Madstone Theaters is coming to Baltimore!
Tampa: Only one show listed.
 

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Posted by Dennis Benjamin (Member # 1137) on 06-03-2004, 02:44 PM:
 
Madstone Theaters is coming to Baltimore

??????

What?
 

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Posted by Mike Olpin (Member # 1115) on 06-03-2004, 02:48 PM:
 
That's what the website says!
 

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Posted by Ky Boyd (Member # 23) on 06-03-2004, 03:42 PM:
 
Yes the coming to Baltimore thing has been on their site for the past six months. Guess what, Landmark's Bethesda Row Cinema, a new (2 years ago) 8 screen artplex does really well according to what I hear. You'd think these clowns would learn something and quit trying to go up against Landmark, who are the biggest thing in the art film biz.
 

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Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 06-03-2004, 05:51 PM:
 
It appears today is Madstone Denver's last day.

Apparently Madstone doesn't like to let anyone know in advance (including employees). That's how much they love everyone. Madstone... what great people! (And yes, I'd say the same negative things about any employer who didn't let their emloyees know in advance so they could look for a job).[av=g]

[ 06-03-2004, 11:35 PM: Message edited by: Joe Redifer ]
 

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Posted by Mike Olpin (Member # 1115) on 06-03-2004, 07:47 PM:
 
The employee (opps ... "concierge") assured me that they were not closing next week. I'm still a bit skeptical.

BTW, the place looks awsome! They have really touched up the loby since my last visit. I snaped a few pictures. Also, allthough I give them a lot of flack on the splicing tape, generally showmanship is pretty good there.

Anyhow, If they are closing tonight, they haven't informed there staff yet!
 

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Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 06-04-2004, 01:13 AM:
 
???

Denver
Cary
Albuquerque
San Diego
Chandler
Ann Arbor
Atlanta
Salt Lake City
Tampa
[av=q]

This link was e-mailed to me. It is the LiveJournal of an Ann Arbor Madstone employee.
Clicky clicky
The lack of respect shown towards the doomed employees is amazing. Some warning should be given.
 

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Posted by Pravin Ratnam (Member # 1417) on 06-04-2004, 01:53 AM:
 
My comments on these closures is pure disgust. You know, I understand that the corporation may be afraid of disgruntled employees who act out if they let them know in advance. But how about having a strategy like this a couple of weeks before closing "Hey guys, we are trying to find ways to keep this open. There is a chance it might close, or we may incur some layoffs at many levels. If you want to find another job in the meantime, we will understand. But let's hope for the best."
Sure it's a lie, but a compromise that will give employees enough warning. And I wonder what kind of expectations Madstone had for each of these branches? The Madstone in Atlanta have very limited visiblity on the main road since it was in the back of a poorly performing complex with high turnover in stores despite the location being in a busy area. Does anyone here (Mike Spaeth?) have access to numbers in these theaters?
I thought the numbers in the theaters were kind of decent for movies like Pieces of April even if it was hardly encouraging for some of the Asian stuff.

Thanks for the link Joe. Like I said before, your predictions were not offbase.

The article below talks about alternative compensation for members(like what? - a free video of freaking Rhino Eyes?). I know what I am doing. I am getting my credit card to reverse the charges. F*** alternative compensation.

And what does that lady mean "the numbers were not high enough"?
High enough to break even or make a profit right off the bat? It seems like they expected to make more movies to show in their theaters and that plan didn't go well buying them less time for some theaters.

Article from Ann Arbor News

Here are some excerpts:

The Briarwood cinema, which offered an eclectic mix ..., closed Tuesday as part of a corporate restructuring plan, according to Erin Owens, manager of marketing and publicity at Madstone Theaters LLC in New York.

The announcement came as a surprise to Karl Kasischke, general manager of the local theater.
"I found out today," Kasischke said Tuesday afternoon. "It's closing immediately."

The theater employed about 25 people, according to Kasischke. Owens would not comment on what compensation, if any, would be offered to those workers.

"We're disappointed," said Ida Hendrix, general manager of Briarwood Mall ... "They've been doing pretty good here. Their sales were up."

But they were not up high enough, according to Owens.
"We have certain expectations that we expect each theater to meet," she said. "Ann Arbor was just underperforming."

Kasischke said the whole movie industry is suffering right now.
"There haven't been a lot of good films released," he said.

Russ Collins, executive director of the nonprofit Michigan Theater in downtown Ann Arbor, agreed that the industry is trending downward, but said Madstone may have been grappling with more challenges ...

Owens said the company now is concentrating solely on maintaining its remaining cinemas..
Hendrix said Madstone's departure will leave a big hole in the mall, ....

Madstone took over .. a United Artists cinema, in 2002.

The theater's closing is likely to prompt questions from customers who bought into Madstone's membership program. Owens said Madstone will offer some form of alternative compensation to those who took advantage of that offer, adding that members will be contacted by the end of the week with more details.

[ 06-08-2004, 04:38 PM: Message edited by: Pravin Ratnam ]
 

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Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 06-06-2004, 06:57 PM:
 
Damn I hate being right all the time! [av=j]
 

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Posted by Nate Lehrke (Member # 1460) on 06-07-2004, 01:36 AM:
 
So did the employees get any severance pay? Do the members get anything at all? Does this mean Madstone Films is gone now?
 

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Posted by Mike Olpin (Member # 1115) on 06-07-2004, 02:04 AM:
 
Nate, as far as I can tell, Madstone has just scaled back a bit. Joe was able to exploit an automated web script to create the official closing notices linked to above.

(just change the value of cityid in the url)
 

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Posted by Nate Lehrke (Member # 1460) on 06-07-2004, 02:16 AM:
 
So the company didn't shut down? Only Denver, Chandler, Ann Arbor & Atlanta have "closed effective June 1, 2004"
 

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Posted by Mike Olpin (Member # 1115) on 06-07-2004, 02:50 AM:
 
The company (and the Denver location) is still in buisiness.

As of right now, these locations are open.
Denver
Cary NC
Albuquerque
San Diego
Salt Lake City
Tampa

Whomever does the website did not post showtimes for several of the theatres last week, and did not send out the madstone e-newsletter, leaving us to draw conclusions.
 

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Posted by Nate Lehrke (Member # 1460) on 06-07-2004, 02:53 AM:
 
You're right about the webmaster not updating; the Denver location closed today.
 

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Posted by Mike Olpin (Member # 1115) on 06-07-2004, 02:57 AM:
 
Oh. Joe I'med me. I thought he was just pulling my leg and trying to get me to check the madstone site.
 

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Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 06-07-2004, 03:22 AM:
 
No Mike, I'm not trying to pull your leg. Also as I recall, you IM'd me! Supposedly all of the Madstones were supposed to close last Tuesday, but for some reason certain theaters were not informed. Probably because the corporate office barely has anyone there at all. On my way home tonight I passed by the Madstone marquee and snapped a pic. Here it is:

[av=m]

Anyway Nate, I have no clue about severance pay since obviously I don't work for the company. As for members, maybe Pravin could give us an update? I'm sure Madstone Films is no more. How can you spend 1 million making a movie that only makes $650 or so at the box office?
 

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Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 06-07-2004, 01:23 PM:
 
Madstone had high hopes to start, and bet (and evidently lost) on the promise of Digital Cinema:

http://millimeter.com/mag/video_alternate_showings/

quote:

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MADSTONE FILMS

Madstone Films

Madstone Films, the brainchild of film industry veteran Tom Gruenberg and investment banker Chip Selig, is described by its founders as an “incubator” for new digital cinema content. The concept is to put 15 novice filmmakers on the payroll for a two-year period with annual salaries of $50,000 and a full benefits package. How's that for a radical departure from independent filmmaking?

According to Gruenberg, Madstone will shoot and post all projects digitally, retrofit 50 movie theaters across the U.S. with digital cinema systems, and show its product in those theaters. While budgets for these features could support 35mm production (typically, $500,000 to $1.5 million each), the decision was to stay 100% digital and exploit this new form of cinema.

Madstone will provide a collaborative work environment for filmmakers at its Madison Avenue location, believing that the free exchange of ideas, opinions, and suggestions can only result in a better product. The first three filmmakers to come on board are Joan Stein (student Academy Award winner for One Day Crossing), Aaron Woodley (director of short films Bed and Breakfast and The Wager), and Lisa Siwe (director of Happy Birthday and Other Catastrophes).

Nathaniel Bonini, chief technical officer of Madstone, and Jon Thompson, vice-president of international markets, are responsible for implementing the projection end of the process. “We're following the logical demographics that would maximize revenue streams, and not necessarily going head to head with existing theater chains,” states Thompson. “Digital cinema makes sense because 35mm release print quality has gone up and down so much over the years.

“The random quality is a real problem with 35mm prints — even the best movie houses are not providing high-quality projection consistently,” he claims. “Technicolor was far superior to Eastmancolor, but studios cut back to Eastmancolor to save money. Release prints today are very inconsistent in quality. Digital cinema could get us back to the days of Technicolor quality.”

“We're looking at what TI has done with DLP Cinema and want to take it to another level,” says Bonini. “We're happy with the image quality, but feel we can improve on what they started with. If you look at the typical mall cinema image, there already is parity with e-cinema. As far as resolution is concerned, we consider contrast ratio and pixel depth a greater issue. Any system that does not reproduce the look of the director's finished digital product is inadequate in our minds.”

How about production formats? “We won't shoot in film at all. We'll probably use the Panavision/Sony 1080p24 system,” says Bonini. “We're also looking at other formats — after all, it's up to the filmmakers to choose a digital format best suited to expressing their ideas. Madstone will enable directors to use any equipment they want to produce their projects, as long as the format is digital.”

A major concern today, of course, is how theaters will be equipped with electronic cinema projection systems. “Right now, Madstone is looking to acquire a theater chain,” Bonini explains. “The fact is, wherever there is a high-speed data link, we can send the films. The telecommunications infrastructure has become faster and cheaper, so sending content to distributors electronically is better for everyone in terms of cost and quality control.”

“We can also work with competing exhibitors, provided they have e-cinema systems in place,” Thompson adds. “The business arrangements [buy, lease, or rent] will vary from theater chain to theater chain. Our responsibility is to develop the network and get the best looking images on screen. As for the cost of converting to e-cinema, the current buzz is that the studios may get stuck with the bill for upgrades. It's a trade-off — look at the savings in release print costs.”

Will electronic cinema really open up a new world of creativity? “One of the neat things about digital acquisition is the tools we've been seeing in music videos for years, with products like Discreet offerings,” says Bonini. “This is something that someone will really have a field day with. After all, DJs can sample music and don't need a whole band to record. With [similar sampling] technology, you could create amazing and compelling digital films.”

“Let's face it, a director's ideas may be good, or they may be crap,” says Thompson. “But e-cinema shows an idea can stand up on its own and is not limited by film production and projection methods. It comes down to this: If the director made a bad film, don't blame it on the projection system or server technology. We'll make sure those will be top-notch.”

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quote:

---

Fledgling exhibitor/distributor/producer Madstone, long a proponent of digital cinema, appears to be rethinking its digital-cinema efforts.

“It now seems that there will be a lack of digital content in the near term, so for the time being we are projector agnostic,” Madstone CEO Chip Seelig said in a Variety story published March 4.

Two years ago Madstone’s plans called for retrofitting plexes nationwide with digital projectors, and then supplying them with digital movies.

The company, which still plans to produce about one digitally-shot movie annually, currently operates conventional cinemas in San Diego, Phoenix, Denver, Cleveland, Albuquerque, N.M., Ann Arbor, Mich., and Raleigh-Durham, N.C.

Madstone has already announced plans to open six new multis this year, including sites in Atlanta and Salt Lake City. The firm also plans to build by 2004 a new multi in Baltimore.

---

quote:

---

Madstone Theater closes its doors
Dennis Domrzalski
NMBW Staff

Albuquerque's Madstone Theater closed Monday, the victim of financial problems that caused the New York-based chain to shutter its seven remaining theaters.

"They closed three last week, which left us with seven, and this week the remaining seven are closing," said Sophie Martin, director of marketing for Albuquerque's Madstone Theater.

Three of the shuttered theaters -- those in San Diego, Tampa and Cary, North Carolina -- are expected to reopen under different management. It was not clear Monday if the Albuquerque theater would eventually reopen under different management, Martin said.

The Albuquerque theater, which opened in June 2002, had eight screens and employed 15 people. It also served beer and wine.

The Madstone Theaters, which show independent and foreign films, apparently weren't meeting their financial goals in other cities. Martin added, however, that the Albuquerque theater was financially stable.

"What is disappointing about it is that the theater in Albuquerque was doing OK," Martin said. "Albuquerque was one of a handful of theaters that were meeting their goals. This is a good market for foreign and independent films. This has been an incredibly supportive community."

Last week, Madstone closed theaters in Atlanta, Ann Arbor, Mich., and Chandler, Ariz.

The Albuquerque theater did open on Monday and showed "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind." The theater closed after the first showing, Martin said.

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quote:

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It is with great sadness and regret that we inform you the Madstone Theaters
in San Diego has been closed effective June 7, 2004. The theater will reopen
on Friday June 11th under new management. We are currently working with the new
management and area businesses in order to honor your membership. We thank all
of our Madstone Members for their loyalty and support over the past years. We
will email you with details in the coming days. Thank you for your patience, as
it is greatly appreciated.

Warmest Regards,
Your friends at Madston

---

[ 06-07-2004, 04:04 PM: Message edited by: Mike Olpin ]
 

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Posted by Pravin Ratnam (Member # 1417) on 06-07-2004, 04:04 PM:
 
Remember all that crap about how Madstone was disappointed by the Atlanta and Ann Arbor numbers and were going to concentrate on the others. Hmmm, even if Joe didn't clue us into the other closed links in advance, it is pretty obvious this was their plan along. The question is what was the goal in keeping some of these other locations open for another week. Were they actively looking for a buyer in these 7 locations?

Joe, I will give an update later on what happens to my membership money. It sucks that I can't even use my passes even if I visit a city with a madstone theater.

EDITED TO ADD:
DENVER POST LINK
http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~33~2198739,00.html

Hah, funny to read the madstone spokesman now talking about the company not reaching goals instead of scapegoating locations like atlanta and ann arbor.

[ 06-08-2004, 03:06 AM: Message edited by: Pravin Ratnam ]
 

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Posted by Jonathan M. Crist (Member # 413) on 06-07-2004, 04:21 PM:
 
Selling prepaid memberships and then filing bankruptcy or closing has been a source of several criminal lawsuits by various attorney generals across the country particularly in the healthclub arena.

If Madstone does not refund its prepaid commitments holders may want to file complaints with the consumer protection arm of their state attorney general. It might even make for a nice little civil class action suit as well.
 

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Posted by David M. Dorn (Member # 2298) on 06-07-2004, 04:49 PM:
 
Jonathan's point is well made.

If they took the membership money and used it to make a film without disclosing their intent to memebers, then it smells like an old fashioned Ponzi scheme to me!

If I had a membership, I would already be writing my state's attorney general pointing out the failed movie connection.
 

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Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 06-07-2004, 05:49 PM:
 
Only San Diego and Tampa were purchased, and I don't even know if they were purchased by the same entity or not.[av=c]
 

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Posted by Scott D. Neff (Member # 185) on 06-08-2004, 10:13 AM:
 
I was just in Salt Lake City and opted NOT to go take pictures of the Madstone there, thinking I'd have plenty of time to go take another peak.


 

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Posted by Mike Olpin (Member # 1115) on 06-08-2004, 01:11 PM:
 
Alternative Compensation:

Atlanta:

quote:

---

Although we are no longer able to honor your Membership to Madstone Theaters, we hope that you accept on behalf of us, these special offers.

We have arranged for Madstone Members to receive invitations to special advanced screenings from several studios. Madstone Members will be mailed screening passes throughout the year for a variety of special advanced film screenings in your area. Also, The High Museum of Art will offer $1 discounts on general admission to regularly scheduled fill screenings at the High for Madstone Members. The High Museum discount will be honored until the latest expiration date of your Madstone membership. To receive these special offers, please enter your membership number below. You will be asked to verify your mailing information and email. As promised when you first joined our Membership Program, we will not share your information with anyone else. By verifying your information, you will be giving us permission to pass along your information to these two organizations. You will be eligible to receive the advanced screening tickets only if you verify your information by June 16th, 2004.

Also, Gallop Jewelry (www.gallopjewelry.com) has extended their offer of 15% savings (online items) for all Madstone Members. To take advantage of this offer, simply type "Madstone" in the coupon code box and press "Validate" to receive the discount.

As an added bonus, The Loop Pizza Grill, 6017 Sandy Springs Circle, will continue to offer Madstone members, through the month of June, the following deal: Buy one specialty pizza, receive one of equal or lesser value free. Simply present your Madstone card to receive this offer at The Loop through June 30, 2004.

---

quote:

---

Although we are no longer able to honor your Membership to Madstone Theaters, we hope that you accept on behalf of us, these special offers.

We have arranged for Madstone Members to receive invitations to special advanced screenings from several studios. Madstone Members will be mailed screening passes throughout the year for a variety of special advanced film screenings in your area. To receive this special offer, please enter your member number and verify your mailing information and email. By verifying your information, you will be giving us permission to pass along your information to these organizations. You will be eligible to receive the advanced screening tickets only if you verify your information by June 16th, 2004.

Also, Gallop Jewelry (www.gallopjewelry.com) has extended their offer of 15% savings (online items) for all Madstone Members. To take advantage of this offer, simply type "Madstone" in the coupon code box and press "Validate" to receive the discount.

---

quote:

---

Although we are no longer able to honor your Membership to Madstone Theaters, we hope that you accept on behalf of us, these special offers:

The Michigan Theater will be honoring Madstone Memberships. Please visit the Michigan Theater between the hours of 7pm-11pm at 603 E. Liberty Street in Ann Arbor before July 31, 2004 for details. You must have your Madstone Membership card present at time of trade-in.

We have also arranged for Madstone Members to receive invitations to special advanced screenings from several studios. Madstone Members will be mailed screening passes throughout the year for a variety of special advanced film screenings in your area. To receive this offer, enter your member number and verify your mailing information. By verifying your information, you will be giving us permission to pass along your mailing address and name. You will only receive the tickets if you verify your information by June 16th, 2004.

As an added bonus, Gallop Jewelry (www.gallopjewelry.com) has extended their offer of 15% savings (online items) for all Madstone Members. To take advantage of this offer, simply type "Madstone" in the coupon code box and press "Validate" to receive the discount.

---

quote: Mike Olpin

---

We are currently working with the new management and area businesses in order to honor your membership. We thank all of our Madstone Members for their loyalty and support over the past years. We will email you with details in the coming days. Thank you for your patience, as it is greatly appreciated.

---

quote:

---

due to the overwhelming community support in Tampa, the theater will continue to operate under new, third party management, and fulfill its mission of showing first-run foreign, arthouse, and sophisticated studio films. Special events, such as BYOBaby, art shows, and guest speakers, will continue as planned. The local management team will stay in place to see the theater through this transition period and beyond. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Theater Manager Margaret Murray with any questions. Thank you for your continued support and patronage.

---

quote: Mike Olpin

---

The theater will reopen on Friday June 11th under new management.

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quote:

---

IndieWIRE
Madstone Films, the production arm, also closed its doors. Madstone Films started a unique initiative to fund first-time directors as they made digital features; the first three filmmakers selected for the program were Lisa Siwe, Joan Stein, and Aaron Woodley. Woodley's film, "Rhinoceros Eyes," which premiered at the 2003 Toronto International Film Festival, is the only completed film in the program; it debuted in theaters this spring. The program is also now shut down.

In 2002, Madstone Films acquired stalwart indie distributor New Yorker Films; however New Yorker had continued to be run by Dan Talbot since the acquisition. "The closing of Madstone in no way affects Dan Talbot or New Yorker Films," Madstone's Owens told indieWIRE.

Madstone's third business area was a distribution network of digital projection systems, which was also shut down.

---

quote:

---

The Denver Film Society on Tuesday said it will honor the memberships of approximately 390 Denver members of Madstone Theaters. Denver Post

---

quote:

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Show's over for Madstone Theaters

Sean P. Means
The Salt Lake Tribune

The Madstone Theaters chain shut down nationwide Monday, leaving 10 theaters dark -- including its renovated four-screen space in Salt Lake City's Trolley Square, which opened only 10 months ago.

"We were doing OK," said Rebecca McLoney, manager of the Madstone Trolley Square Theaters. "The audience that came loved us. We had a lot of repeat customers but it wasn't enough."

The New York-based Madstone announced Monday it was closing its theaters in Salt Lake City; Denver; Albuquerque, N.M.; Tampa, Fla.; San Diego; Baltimore; and Cary, N.C. -- after closing theaters in Atlanta; Ann Arbor, Mich.; and Chandler, Ariz., a week earlier. The Tampa theater will continue under new management, and theaters in San Diego and Cary will reopen under new management soon. Calls to Trolley Square management were not returned.

"The company was not able to achieve its business goals," a statement from Madstone said.

Those goals -- outlined by Madstone Chief Executive Chip Seelig when the Trolley Square theaters opened last August -- involved bringing "child-free couples" who had "given up Friday night at the movies" back to the multiplex. The Madstone formula included a mix of art-house films, sandwiches and smoothies, alcohol in the lobby lounge and special events for film buffs.

Madstone Trolley Square opened strong with some acclaimed movies, including the Sundance Film Festival award-winning documentary "Capturing the Friedmans." It also became a second Salt Lake City home for the independent Slamdance Film Festival's documentary programs in January. "They had a great staff there -- everyone from Rebecca on down, they had a truly friendly staff," Peter Baxter, president and co-founder of Slamdance, said Monday from his Santa Monica, Calif., office. "They worked really hard, and we did well."

The chain ran into controversy in January, when Madstone executives in New York backed out of plans to show "Latter Days," a romantic comedy centering on a gay LDS missionary, saying it was "lacking in artistic merit." The cancellation drew protests from gay-rights advocates, and the Broadway Centre Cinemas later screened the movie to great success.

Madstone's top-down management structure contributed to its downfall, said Brooke Harper, executive director of the Salt Lake Film Society, the nonprofit organization that runs the city's other art-house theaters, the Broadway and Tower Theatre. Madstone, she said, "entered markets in which their competitors were entrenched, excellent exhibitors like Landmark [Theatres] and local film societies like ours. The audience for art film was already fully served by existing theaters."

Ultimately, McLoney said, Madstone Trolley Square was caught in a pinch between downtown theaters, losing first-run films to Larry Miller's Megaplex 12 at The Gateway and the best art-house titles to the Tower and Broadway.

"We weren't competing with the Broadway or Larry," McLoney said. "We were competing with both."

Madstone's announcement follows Thursday's closure of the neighboring Trolley Corners Theatres, built in 1977 and run since 2001 by Salt Lake City's Westates Theatres. A fitness club is planned for that space.

For fans and makers of independent film, Baxter said, Madstone's departure is "a double hit. The audiences don't get to see some of the films made by independent filmmakers, and the filmmakers lose an exhibition opportunity. And that's got to be counted as a pity."

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quote:

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Theater chain ends run

Independent-film firm owned a Denver site

By Kristi Arellano
Denver Post Staff Writer

Denver's independent-film scene lost a player Monday when New York-based Madstone Theaters LLC closed down nationwide.

The privately owned company operated a six-screen art-house theater at Tamarac Square on East Hampden Avenue in Denver. It also closed theaters in Albuquerque; Baltimore; Cary, N.C.; San Diego; Salt Lake City; and Tampa, Fla.


Madstone Theaters' Mark Bowes, right,
and Joseph Marchione stand in the
Denver theater around the time of its
grand opening in May 2002.

Company officials were unavailable for comment Monday. In an e-mail, Madstone's marketing manager, Erin Owens, said the theaters were closing because "the company was not able to meet its business goals."

Madstone Theaters formed as an offshoot of Madstone Films, an independent film production company. Madstone Theaters operated in 10 markets. Last week, the company closed its theaters in Ann Arbor, Mich.; Atlanta; and Chandler, Ariz.

"It comes as a surprise for the Denver market," said Eric Beteille, a spokesman for the Starz FilmCenter, which is operated by the Denver Film Society. "We do have a really good core of independent filmgoers. I'm surprised they couldn't make a go of it."

Madstone Theaters opened its Denver theater in May 2002, taking over space occupied by the former Mann Tamarac 6. The opening of the theaters was met with enthusiasm as it nearly doubled the number of independent film screens in the Denver area.

Since then, the Starz FilmCenter opened up with six theaters devoted to daily features. Shortly after Madstone announced it was opening a theater in Denver, Austin, Texas-based Magnolia Pictures Co. said it was opening a six-screen art-house theater in Boulder.

Landmark Theatre Co., which operates the Chez Artiste, Esquire and Mayan theaters in Denver, took over the The Magnolia in September.

A Landmark spokesman said Madstone's closing isn't a reflection of the independent film scene.

"They tried to grow very quickly; they were not as selective in their locations as they could have been," said Ray Price, vice president of marketing for Landmark. "This is a fragile business. You have to be careful where you go and what kind of rent deals you make. They were anxious to build a national circuit, and they ignored a lot."

A woman who identified herself as the manager of Madstone's Denver theater said the venue employed 18 people.

She did not know whether the company planned to give refunds to people who bought memberships to the theater. A one-year adult membership to Madstone Theaters cost $45.

Scott Schroeder, a spokesman for Developers Diversified Realty, which owns Tamarac Square, said the company is trying lease the 22,000-square-foot theater space.

---

[av=n]
I doubt the Denver Tamarac location will open as a theater again... at least I hope not. There are so many problems with that building. First off you have tiny theaters and poor equipment. Then you have lots of mall problems like sewage CONSTANTLY leaking into the auditoriums and projection booth. They should knock down the entire mall and put up a Chick Fil-A.
 

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Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 06-11-2004, 10:54 AM:
 
Having visited the Denver Madstone location a couple years ago, about the only positive thing I could say for the chain is they designed a nice looking lobby. I mean it looked like they spent some serious bucks on the lobby. Those fine hard wood floors, wall coverings and contemporary shi-shi design doesn't exactly some cheap.

But you don't watch the movie in the lobby. You're only in the lobby for maybe 5 minutes at the most. Many patrons are merely rushing through it since they arrived late for the movie and are trying to find a seat during the previews.

Having taken the dime tour of the theater (as conducted by Joe R.) it is easy to understand Joe's complaints are not exaggerated at all. The booth was unbelievably cramped, all the projection and sound system hardware was old and the auditoriums were unimpressive at best.

Madstone might still be in business if they concentrated more of that money in the place where customers spend most of their time: inside the screening room. Spend the money making that part of the operation work great first. Then spend money on the glitzy stuff.
 

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Posted by Ky Boyd (Member # 23) on 06-11-2004, 10:33 PM:
 
I gotta comment a little here. We took over an existing 5 plex in Santa Rosa and put a great deal of work into the projection equipment, sound, screens and redecorated the lobby to make it warmer and more inviting. We don't have the nicest auditoriums on the planet, but the pictures are clear and bright and the sound is pretty good. Our lobby certainly isn't glitzy, but it is warm and welcoming and I can't tell you how many customers have told us that having a nice lobby is a big deal to them. Our projection and sound aren't perfect and they never will be given the limitations of the building (a former ice arena). But we gain a great deal of goodwill by having a nice lobby, friendly staff, comfortable seats, good movies, and decent presentation. All of our efforts tell our customers that we care about them and their experience here. Our booth may be less than ideal, but we work with it. Having a nice lobby and having improved the projection, sound, presentation and seats makes up for the fact that the walls still have the same ugly teal drape on them.
 

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Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 06-13-2004, 09:13 AM:
 
"the non-profit Salt Lake Film Society"
This is SLC's schlocko art house operation. Best known for filthy seats, poor sound, broken masking et all. Unfortunately there are no good places to go see art stuff in this town any longer. Many will most likely wait for a DVD release of what ever it might be... I have to laugh out loud because if they ran it properly it could be a for profit group with first class screening facilities like Ky and Ian have done.

On another note Westates Trolley Corners Theatre a three screen location directly across the street from Trolley Square is being dismantled as I type this. The upstairs theatre was a 780 seat house that was SLC's last classy 70mm C/O house. The space will be turned into an exercise gym.

Mark
 

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Posted by Dave Williams (Member # 299) on 06-14-2004, 12:16 AM:
 
I have visited the salt lake film society version of broadway cinemas, and was not too happy. My ass still hurts, and that was three months ago. The staff seemed more pissed that I would dare come to the show. They are definatly the artsy type that would be referred to as "the far left", as in left for outer space. Not a single brain cell in the lot of them.

Too bad about madstone. Fine theater. Just poorly executed.

Ciao

Dave
 

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Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 06-14-2004, 12:19 AM:
 
Since Madstone Denver is gone, it's time to walk down memory lane and revisit the people and things of Madstone!

[av=m]

Good ol' Jason. Was a grunt for awhile, then an assistant manager, then back to a grunt again! Cool guy to work with.


Nate was always entertaining. He would join with me and make fun of everybody else. That helped give us a false sense of superiority!


Assistant manager Omer was always a bit too happy.


We tested the Platter Safety Rings before anyone.


Typical print quality at the Madstone. We made sure only to get CRAPPY prints.


The projection equipment was over 300 years old. Much maitenance was needed on a regular basis, and having poor quality prints running through the stuff didn't help.

More on the next page.....
 

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Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 06-14-2004, 12:20 AM:
 
Here is some more:


A cool 3D picture of the main concession stand in the lobby.
[av=m]

The manager liked to play French music CDs ad nauseum. Fortunately I did not have to listen to them much. But it drive the staff and assistant managers absolutely NUTS! The music was piped not only into all of the auditoriums, but the lobby, lounge, bathrooms, and even the phone line! There was a little hole in the wall near the CD player. Here you see a CD that one of the assistant managers tossed down because he was sick of it. Fortunately it was only a CD-R and not a store bought CD. I think in the end there had been at least 3 CDs tossed down there by the assistants.


I asked for new platters to replace the crappy orange ORCs we had. This is very typical of what I was sent. Yes, I was loved.


Yet another shot of a random Strong platter that I was sent to install. Great times!


We had a power supply that would burn up diodes about once a month or so. Here are the diode leads. This happened all the time, and the power supply was never replaced. The entire lamphouse was, in my qualified opinion, very unsafe.


I was finally able to get all of the Strong platters running good as new. Here a movie is running in theater #C.

Also be sure to check out the Madstone Tamarac Square Picture Page here on Film-Tech.
 

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Posted by Nate Lehrke (Member # 1460) on 06-14-2004, 03:25 AM:
 
I do love the "we must be different" policy of Madstone. I mean the lettering of the auditoriums opposed to numbering them. Makes it simple to find your auditorium when you have to say “that will in theatre C, as in Crap. Enjoy your show”

Thanks for the great picture Joe!
 

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Posted by Pravin Ratnam (Member # 1417) on 06-16-2004, 04:07 PM:
 
I heard this story about one of the Madstones that closed down. I am sure you can guess which one. Looks like there were 3 quick thinkers who made the best of a bad situation.

The night before shutting the doors, the projectionists were told to break down the films as they were shutting down the next day(looks like they had at least overnight notice). The three projectionists/asst managers said "Fine , pay us $200 each to do the job". The powers that be said "f*** no" or something that implied that. They took a break and asked them to think about it. When they came back, the powers that be relented and our guys got paid.
 

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Posted by Pravin Ratnam (Member # 1417) on 06-18-2004, 03:23 PM:
 
Well, it looks like business could not have been that bad for Lefont to take over the Atlanta location so quickly. On the upside, Lefont has a good reputation locally with a passion for independent cinema. He is also seems to be guy more into European movies and unfortunately, less into asian flicks. However, this is not out of line with the taste of the suburbanites. On the downside, his theaters suck in terms of projection and sound quality. I do not see any improvement in technical quality at the madstone location.

FROM THE ATLANTA JOURNAL(www.ajc.com):
Lefont takes over, renames Madstone

Less than three weeks after the eight-screen Madstone Theaters Parkside in Sandy Springs went bust, longtime Atlanta art house guru George Lefont is picking up the pieces.

He has taken over the theater's lease, and in the coming weeks will reopen it as Lefont Sandy Springs Theaters.

"The papers were inked today," Lefont said Thursday. "I've got more screens now, and I feel like I'm back."

Lefont also operates the single-screen Garden Hills Cinema and the two-screen Plaza. With Sandy Springs, he'll now control 11 art house screens in metro Atlanta, outpacing both the eight-screen Landmark Midtown Art and Regal's four-screen Tara.

The Sandy Springs location will honor all current Madstone memberships, Lefont said.

"We're at least a couple of weeks out from reopening," he said.

While there will be no major renovation, Lefont expects there will be changes in the concessions and some tweaking in the film programming. The theater will continue to have some mainstream commercial films.

"I would say the movies will be similar to those being shown at my other theaters and maybe like those showing at Landmark and the Tara," Lefont said.

Stacy Ferdinands, vice president of Atlanta's Peachtree Film Society, said she was "thrilled" by the news of the Lefont takeover.

"George has been bringing quality films to Atlanta for 20 years, and I know he's going to bring more good stuff to Sandy Springs and expand his audience," she said. "And I know so many people who love that theater. This is great for movie lovers in Atlanta."
 

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Posted by Todd L Bauerle (Member # 2508) on 06-29-2004, 12:37 AM:
 
As a former GM of Madstone in Chandler, I can't say I'm surprised they went completely bust. These guys didn't know a think about the theater business and greatly underestimated the counter-culture minority as a profitable audience.

Can't say I'll miss 'em.

-Todd
 

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Posted by Pravin Ratnam (Member # 1417) on 07-09-2004, 12:11 PM:
 
I called the Madstone number on my credit card statement and it has been busy for days. So I just asked my credit card company to cancel the charge which they did.

I did see F911 at this complex under the new Lefont management. I could smell urine in their biggest and best auditorium. Geez, it has been only a month since Madstone closed their doors. The crowd was sparse even for Spidey and F911 which does not bode well for the future of the theater. Maybe people still are not aware of the new opening. Lefont's website is a joke. The picture itself was bleeding on ALL FOUR EDGES of the frame. I have seen pictures not fit vertically or horizontally, not both ways. it's a good thing the movie was just a documentary not dependent on beautiful visuals. I am not going to watch any blockbusters in this theater. Let's just hope it's opening week adjustments. Knowing Lefont's local rep, he does cultivate a loyal art house audience base. But he is not exactly a marketing whiz(which makes me skeptical if he can grow the indie base in the suburbs), nor someone known to value top quality projection judging by his other theaters.

They need to improve their terrible website.
 

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