Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Operating from 8AM to 2AM! How?!

This is topic Operating from 8AM to 2AM! How?! 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=001198

Posted by Nate Lehrke (Member # 1460) on 07-06-2004, 05:46 AM:

I have been noticing a trend with theatres lately; they are starting to have shows as early as 9 AM & as late as 11:50 PM consistantly.

Do these really early & really late shows make money?
--Mainly seniors for the early shows?
--Does anyone buy concessions for a 9:10 am of 'film-title'?
How does that affect your afternoon shows?

I can't imagine staffing for 8am to 2am.
I now really appreciate my 11am to 1230am hours!

Posted by Mike Williams (Member # 1140) on 07-06-2004, 08:56 AM:

At some destination type locations or large urban markets, it is not uncommon to run midnight shows on weekends and also maybe have early matinees. I know the theater I worked at ran 10am or earlier matinees on the weekends throughout the summer. We also ran midnight shows all year on Friday and Saturday nights just like everybody else... but that was in a large market (Miami). They always did pretty well.
Here is Knoxville, there is only one theater I know of that runs midnights and it looks like they do decent business for them. Although I doubt that would be the case if everybody ran them since I doubt there is that much demand here. Pretty much the entire town closes at 10PM on the weekends. That is, unless you count Walmart.

Editted for spelling [Mad]

Posted by Thomas Procyk (Member # 1170) on 07-06-2004, 11:47 AM:

I once had an idea for a 24-hour theater: Regular first-run shows from noon until 10pm. Some cool cult favorites at midnight until 2am, start the hardcore porn at 3am and have the seats and walls cleaned before you run the kiddie matinee at 8am! [Big Grin]

=TMP=

Posted by Steve Scott (Member # 630) on 07-06-2004, 11:55 AM:

We did 24 hours of Spider Man 2 last week and it turned out to be horrible. We averaged about three people per show, and most of those people were late [Roll Eyes]

We did learn about one interesting demographic from it, Third Shift workers. These people don't get to see films except on their days off, usually, so it was a nice feature for them... albeit one movie. Plus we were charging matinee prices [thumbsup]

Posted by Thomas Dieter (Member # 2507) on 07-06-2004, 11:56 AM:

Thomas, I have to say, you and I have had some of the same ideas. Does anyone know if there actually is a 24 hour theatre that is actually in business? I have heard rumor about it, but could never confirm it. I would think that it would have to be in New York or LA for it to be a good investment. I know there is plenty of night life in those cities.

Posted by Bill Gabel (Member # 1105) on 07-06-2004, 12:25 PM:

There were theatres in Hollywood and Downtown Los Angeles and along 42nd Street in New York and most major cities. That ran from 9am to about 4 or 5am the next day. They were called Grind houses. They ran 4 features a day, so each feature would play twice and on the day they changed features. The patron got to see 8 features. The theatres were older single screen theatres and charged $1.50 in their day. The one problem with those types of theatres is they became cheap hotels and you got a whole different type of patron visiting your theatre.

There is a Great Night life here in NYC, but most people are going to clubs and bars during those wee hours. [beer]

Posted by Mark Ogden (Member # 43) on 07-06-2004, 04:39 PM:

. . . and let's not forget the Aero Theatre on Montanna Avenue in Santa Monica, CA. It was built by the Douglas Aircraft Corp. in the 1940s specifically so its second and third shift workers could catch a flick at whatever hour they chose (and consequently, it was open 24/7 until they gave that policy up in the 50s). This great old single closed its doors in 2002 after a rent dispute, but there are rumours that the American Cinematheque is refurbishing it, as they did the Egyptian on Hollywood Blvd. Here's hoping.

Posted by Emma Tomiak (Member # 1862) on 07-07-2004, 03:25 AM:

We're running shows from 10:00 am (we have to be there at 8:45 to 9:00 am) and opening the doors around 9:30 am.

Our last shows are usually aound 10:40 pm or so, but we've been having a midnight show for almost every new movie that opens (with midnight shows on Friday and Saturday as well).

People actually buy LOTS of concessions at 9:30 in the morning. I don't understand how you can eat a tub of popcorn with layered butter, a hot dog and drink a large coke at 9:30 in the freaking morning! I think I would throw up if I ate anything that greasy that early (or at all). [puke]

That said, I think we make money during the early shows. But there is no way the midnight shows make money. Barely anyone buys food. Heck, barely anyone comes to the shows!

Posted by Michael Schaffer (Member # 1204) on 07-07-2004, 05:01 AM:

There is no real late-night life in CA. The whole state shuts completely down at 2AM. Many restaurants are closed long before that.

Posted by Alan Dallas (Member # 2537) on 07-07-2004, 07:37 AM:

Hi all, my first post here. [Big Grin]

Harkins extends their operating hours in the Summer. Kids out of school and all that.
Currently we open the doors at 9am, first show time is 9:30am, last show time is 10:35pm. Working a double in the Booth this time of year is ummm interesting. Arrive around 8:45am leave at 1am the next morning. Ya, fun stuff there. [puke]

Last year in the summer we had shows start as late as 11pm. But in Prescott Valley, AZ the sidewalks are usually rolled up by that time anyway so it's pretty dead around here.

Posted by Paul Konen (Member # 41) on 07-07-2004, 12:51 PM:

For the Spiderman opening, First show @ 8:30 am, last show 1:00 am. Other features were also started up until 1:00 am. Theatre is finally empty around 3:30 am. Janitor staff leaves shortly before the morning crew shows up.

Normal summer hours are 9:00 am until somewhere around 11:30 pm weekdays, 1:00 AM weekends.

Non-summer hours are 11:00 am until around 10:45 weekdays, 11:15 weekends.

Posted by Robert E. Allen (Member # 1351) on 07-07-2004, 01:25 PM:

I worked as projectionist in an all-day house in Sacramento back in the 60s. We ran three features (sub-run) and started at 9am and ran until about 3am. It was, of course, a changeover house and we didn't have much make-up time so many of the features were run out of the can (this was before the heads and tails started getting pulled off).

The one thing I remember most about that job was the bats in the attic. I went home after every shift smelling like guano.

I think a grind house would work in large metro areas and perhaps as a special feature elsewhere once of twice a year.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 07-07-2004, 03:38 PM:

I could almost see the need for expanded hours of operation in places with a good number of manufacturing jobs. Here in Lawton, the Goodyear plant (the world's largest tire factory) has much of its workforce doing variable shift work. The schedule is too complicated to describe. Basically you work a few 12 hour shifts in the daytime, you're off a few days and then you do some 12 hour shifts through the night.

Our business culture is growing into more and more of a 24 hour type of situation. So there are more and more people working really odd hours and only able to see movies at odd hours.

Still, this city isn't large enough and doesn't have enough shift workers to justify a movie theater having very early morning shows or lots of late late shows. I could see the 24 hour multiplex becoming a reality in large cities though. If New York City doesn't already have something a little like this in a couple places I would be kind of surprised.

Posted by Adam Wilbert (Member # 1184) on 07-07-2004, 05:02 PM:

I would also nominate Las Vegas as a good candidate for a 24/7 theatre, maybe even more so than New York / LA.

When I was at Harkins, We had an entire midnight set starting after 12:00 on Fri/Sat. With a 5 minute spread between starts, that meant that the last show at our 11 screen didin't even start until 12:50. Most days, I wish i got out at 2am.

-Adam

Posted by Mike Williams (Member # 1140) on 07-07-2004, 07:09 PM:

For 2 entire summer I worked 6-close on Saturday night and open - 6 on a Sunday. That meant leaving Saturday at 3am or so and being back at 9am to open up [sleep]

. Luckily, I lived near the theater and was young... wait, I still am young. [Cool]