Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Question for Carl Martin, Eric Hooper; Others

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Posted by Mike Croaro (Member # 3123) on 03-22-2006, 04:38 PM:

Hi Carl, Eric, others:

Just curious - How is it that the Oaks Theatre in Berkeley, CA has only three showings a day on first run movies? For example: "Don't Come Knocking" opens Friday with a 2:00, 5:00, 8:00 showings. They also did this with "Aquamarine". Don't the studios require at least 4 shows a day (except maybe when a movie is very long like 2 hours 45 min).

Just curious,

Mike

Posted by Jack Ondracek (Member # 1466) on 03-22-2006, 08:37 PM:

Competition may drive scheduling, depending on the market. At our indoor, we were only "required" to have two shows... one of which had to be after "matinee hours".

Posted by Richard C. Wolfe (Member # 431) on 03-23-2006, 12:00 AM:

I've been in this business for 40 years now. I've run first run, subrun and discount theatres. Distributors have often told me that a picture must be played "clean", not split with another picture, or must have at least one evening show or at least one matinee show... but have NEVER ever suggested that I must play any certain number of shows per day.

Back in the good old days I had several large, 1200 to 1800 seat, downtown first run movie palaces that ran continuous all day long. In the early 70s when the suburban plexes started popping up and business went down the tubes at those large old houses, I often cut back to only one show a night on weeknights. No one ever said a word about it.

Although I no longer own or operate any first run houses, I still book several, and we schedule showings however we want, again often with only one show on weeknights. Who cares how many shows there are as long as the grosses are there.

Posted by Carl Martin (Member # 1146) on 03-23-2006, 05:20 AM:

when metropolitan took over the oaks, they started dropping the last set of shows, and generally having the same schedule all week long. actually this coming week is an exception. stay alive will have a late show over the weekend and all the showtimes will shift a bit after the weekend (bad idea, guys!).

i don't know if you've ever been on solano ave. late at night, but if you have, you were probably the only one. the neighborhood shuts down early. maybe it's some stupid zoning issue, i don't know.

actually it's not at all unusual for a 2- or 3-screener not to have a full day's worth of shows even when a film opens (that's not expected to be a hit). the acts (4 more days until shutdown) only had evening shows monday-friday with very rare exceptions, for the last 5 years or so. at the cal, we tend to vacillate between having 3 or 4 showings a weekday.

anyways, it's odd you should ask me about the oaks; i've actually been working there (in addition) the last few weeks. if you come by sunday night or monday, say hi.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 03-23-2006, 12:18 PM:

I believe it was the last Harry Potter movie, there was a clause in the contract that you had to have at least 2 shows per day. But, our booker got permission from WB for us to run our usual schedule of 1 show on weeknights.

Posted by Matt Fields (Member # 3211) on 03-23-2006, 12:54 PM:

I also ran Harry Potter for one show through the week...but I didn't have to get special permission or anything. - Matt

Posted by Eric Hooper (Member # 1730) on 03-23-2006, 02:12 PM:

THE ACTS ARE CLOSING?????????

Posted by Carl Martin (Member # 1146) on 03-23-2006, 04:16 PM:

yup, 'fraid so. sunday's the last day.