Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: The Return of the Roadshow (to NYC at least)

This is topic The Return of the Roadshow (to NYC at least) in forum Ground Level at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Mark Ogden (Member # 43) on 11-22-2005, 03:48 PM:

In a throwback to 40 years ago, the Clearview Ziegfeld, the largest of the dwindling number of single screen theatres in New York City, will open The Producers as an exclusive engagement on 12/16, and charge a higher ticket price. Seats will go for $12.50 until 12/25, when they will revert to the already barely worth-it regular price of $10.75.

Members who were around in the 1960s will remember this as a version of the old “roadshow” scheme, booking a film that's perceived to be a major epic at a single venue and creating an “event” around it with higher prices for the exclusiveness. Gonna be interesting to see who goes for it. Not me!

Posted by Eric Hooper (Member # 1730) on 11-22-2005, 03:50 PM:

Hmmmm....

I like the idea!

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 11-22-2005, 07:53 PM:

Gonna run it in 70mm? Hmmmmm? Now that would be a true Roadshow.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 11-22-2005, 10:21 PM:

It might look decent as a 70mm blowup -cinematography was true anamorphic.

Posted by Jonathan M. Crist (Member # 413) on 11-22-2005, 11:35 PM:

A "Roadshow Engagement' traditionally and historically meant reserved seats.

I don't believe the Zeigfeld is doing reserve seats for The Producers. All it seems to be is a limited first run exclusive engagement (for which they are charging a premium ticket price). In other words....just another excuse to jack up the ticket prices!

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 11-23-2005, 12:57 AM:

It's been awhile since I've looked at the NY Times stack ads, but in recent years the Ziegfeld listings in stack ads have noted "reserved seating."

IMHO, reserved seating in theaters sucks. I think it's only fair that those who get to the theater first get first dibs on the best seats. I'd be pissed to get to the theater 30 minutes early, well ahead of the crowd only to get a ticket that shoves me off to the side. And then some asshole who shows up when the movie is in the first act gets one of the "sweet spot" seats in the center of the room. Bah!

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 11-23-2005, 06:19 AM:

Bobby,

If the theatre advertised "General Seating" and you were treated that way, I'd agree...but if a theatre advertised "reserved seating" then that is just your own dumb fault. Large venues that have their seats numbered always have the option of "Hard Tickets" to denote where one sits...and even to charge by the location of the seat.

At the Uptown, we have the even numbered seats, odd numbered seats and the "100s" seats. The "100s" were the middle sections, the evens and odds were the left and right sections. Depending on the event, there were indeed hard tickets or general admission.

It is kinda like Southwest Airlines using general admission and it is first come, first served (sucks on a connecting flight where you have little to no control on your arrival time) versus assigned seats on most every other airline...where you know you have your seat and where you will be sitting. This is the chief reason I don't fly Southwest.

I would pay more for a hard ticket theatre. But, for the most part, unless the attraction was hot, you couldn't fill the theatre with hard tickets most of the time, thus general admission.

Posted by Paul Gordon (Member # 3320) on 11-23-2005, 07:16 AM:

Why the Producers? King Kong would be a better get for the roadshow scam. Maybe play the 30's version and the new one.

Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 11-23-2005, 09:54 AM:

When I was stationed in Bangkok Thailand in the early 70s, all the larger movie theaters (single screens) sold hard tickets. They also had multiple price levels, depending on the location of the seats. When you bought your tickets you pointed at a seating chart to select the exact seats you wanted and the price you'd be paying.

Posted by Paul Linfesty (Member # 214) on 11-23-2005, 12:23 PM:

Wonder if the Ziegfeld is actually going to use their curtains instead of on-screen advertising for the week?

Posted by Eric Hooper (Member # 1730) on 11-23-2005, 02:03 PM:

According to Filmjerk

quote:
Single screen exclusive engagements in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco and Toronto

Posted by Ben Wales (Member # 92) on 11-23-2005, 06:17 PM:

I hope the Ziegfeld will use the Tabs/Curtains and also better lighting as I watched a screening of "Star Wars EP1" in 2000 and was not impressed with the white Halo lighting and poor Presentation at this Theatre.

The (Premire/Roadhouse) cinemas in the West End at London were at the time far better than the Ziegfeld, Shame, I expect this Theatre was qute a place in it's hey days.

Posted by Martin Brooks (Member # 1269) on 11-23-2005, 06:34 PM:

Your comments on the Ziegfeld puzzle me. While I didn't see Star Wars there, I have NEVER been to a presentation at the Ziegfeld where they didn't use the curtains. Even when they show ads, they close the curtains after the ads and trailers, even if it's only for a few seconds, then open them again for the main attractions.

I have NEVER been to a bad presentation at the Ziegfeld. It was certainly better in the old days, when they always played films exclusively and they frequently brought in special equipment for a given film, but it's never been bad.

Posted by Mark Ogden (Member # 43) on 11-24-2005, 10:02 PM:

quote: Ben Wales
the white Halo lighting and poor Presentation at this Theatre.

Clearly, Ben, you've mistaken another theatre for the Ziegfeld. There is no white halo lighting present in the auditorium.

I was just there this afternoon to see Rent. They still use the curtains as noted above, after the slide ads they close both the title curtain and the main traveller, then reopen them again after about 15 seconds for the rolling stock ads and the trailers. The trailer for The Producers, by the way, was met with stone silence from the audience of about 800. Not a good sign. The presentation was very good, but their scope lens either needs to be collimated or replaced, there was a very slight but still noticiable fall-off in sharpness screen right, for about the last 10' of a 54' screen.

I've got a feeling that they won't be giving up the ads for the Producers engagement. My understanding is that they claim a weekly house nut of nearly $60,000. Lotta scratch for a single.

Posted by William Hooper (Member # 71) on 11-25-2005, 06:40 AM:

On the other hand, he does correctly mention that SW EP1 was running at the Zeigfeld in 2000 (in murky lo-res digital). I was there for the last show, & also seem to recall that curtains were not used.

Posted by Mark Ogden (Member # 43) on 11-25-2005, 07:57 AM:

quote: William Hooper
On the other hand, he does correctly mention that SW EP1 was running at the Zeigfeld in 2000 (in murky lo-res digital).

Actually, no, it wasn't. In the first place, Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace was released in 1999, not 2000. Also, the film was projected digitally in only two theatres in the entire New York City area, at the Loews Meadowlands 6 in DLP, and at the Cineplex Route Four in the abandonded CinnComm/JVC format. The Zeigfeld run was 35mm. The first DLP screening there was Monsters, Inc. in 2001, for which they leased a Barco system.

Posted by Paul Linfesty (Member # 214) on 11-25-2005, 11:17 AM:

I saw STAR WARS: episode 2 at the theatre in 2002 in DLP. Slides were being shown on the screen. The red front curtains only closed at the end of the slides for approx. 2 minutes before showtime The sheer curtains were never used). They reopened for rolling stock ads that were on 35mm film. Then the screen stayed blank for about 30 seconds until the previews (digital) started up and hit the screen. After the previews and logos for the DLP system and server started, the presentation went straight to the main feature, with no curtains being used. The timings seemed to be off for this presentations.

Posted by William Hooper (Member # 71) on 11-28-2005, 02:07 AM:

I stand corrected, it was July 2002, so it must have been the last show of SW EP2 at the Zeigfeld. I still recall the grand curtain not being used, grotty picture, & remember many other bizarre things like cheers & applause from the mostly young male audience at the start of the movie when a card came up at the top of the show identifying it as Lucasfim Digital Projection or something. It was like a religious or political meeting.

I also recall struggling to keep from nodding off after about 20 minutes in, & getting truly murderous glares when I laughed aloud at the little cartoon Yoda flying around Christopher Lee in the swordfight & poor Christopher Lee looking silly flying on some very unlikely flying razor scooter at the end. Not a full house, maybe 50% if that.

Put me in the camp with the other folks who really can't differentiate between SW movies after the first 3.