quote: Sam Graham

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girls

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quote: Karl Borowski

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the books, I hear they are well written

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I beg to differ. I've read all four, I did enjoy the basic storyline and the world that was created (and for the most part, most of the characters), but what took me out of the story in each book was Meyer's poor writing!
 

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Posted by Karl Borowski (Member # 5424) on 09-27-2009, 07:35 PM:
 
You beg to differ that *heard* they are well written?
 

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Posted by Jeremy Jorgenson (Member # 2989) on 09-27-2009, 09:07 PM:
 
Funny, I almost put a parenthetical thought explaining that I begged to differ with what you heard, not that you heard it, but then decided against it... oh well.
 

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Posted by Joe Elliott (Member # 4006) on 09-28-2009, 04:41 PM:
 
But will it rival the Dark Knight? I don't recall the Dark Knight being sold out THIS far in advance. It started selling out only 2 weeks before (except for IMAX). Tune in for the exciting conclusion.
 

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 09-28-2009, 10:04 PM:
 
The real question for me (and other single screeners, I'm guessing) is whether to book New Moon or Old Dogs, since they come out a week apart.

Old Dogs looks good for rural America because it's rated PG, is a Disney comedy, stars two popular guys (Travolta and Williams), was directed by the director of Wild Hogs, has cute kids and a dog, and is a reliable genre (kids vs. inexperienced dads). If it isn't a stupid film, it could be a big hit with good word of mouth.

On the other hand, Twilight is Twilight.
 

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Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 09-28-2009, 10:52 PM:
 
The Regal here has 3 midnight shows scheduled (so far), with 2 sold out.
 

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Posted by Michael Voiland (Member # 5386) on 09-29-2009, 12:04 AM:
 
yes
 

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Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 09-29-2009, 07:03 AM:
 

quote: Mike Blakesley

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On the other hand, Twilight is Twilight.

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quote: Mike Blakesley

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I do think the midnight shows take some of the crunch off the opening night crowd. Why anybody would want to watch a movie at that time of night is a mystery to me.

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quote: Mike Blakesley

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Why anybody would want to watch a movie at that time of night is a mystery to me.

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quote: Chad Souder

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New Moon will not beat Half Blood Prince's midnight gross. There will not be as many prints made available.

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quote: Jeremy Jorgenson

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Anybody else running Twilight at 9 PM before New Moon's midnight opening?

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quote: Jeremy Jorgenson

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Anybody else running Twilight at 9 PM before New Moon's midnight opening?

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We are.
 

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Posted by Caleb Johnstone-Cowan (Member # 3710) on 11-02-2009, 02:39 PM:
 
We have gone one better and are showing Twilight all this week once a day, with a few minutes of footage from New Moon in there as well. Cannot see us bothering with the double bill on the Thursday though.
 

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Posted by Jonathan Althaus (Member # 5042) on 11-04-2009, 06:16 PM:
 
One 9pm show of Twilight. 4 prints of New Moon for midnight, with the possibility to add 2 more through interlock. 8 tickets sold so far for Twilight, 146 for New Moon (15% full). We did 637 for Harry which filled (but did not sell out) 3 screens. Pre-sales for New Moon are surpassing Harry, but we'll see.
 

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Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 11-15-2009, 10:29 AM:
 
Regal 15 in Eugene, 15 midnight shows, all but a couple sold out:


 

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Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 11-15-2009, 05:24 PM:
 
We sold the last ticket for our midnight showing Friday. That means it's already beat HP6 midnight.

We are also showing Twilight, but limiting it to those going to the midnight of New Moon. That way we don't have to deal with clearing the auditoriums before the midnight show.
 

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Posted by Mark J. Marshall (Member # 1409) on 11-16-2009, 07:03 AM:
 
Cinemark Movies 10 here in New Castle has one time listed: 12:01 which is sold out. If that is an indication of them interlocking the hell out of it then that's awesome. If it's one show in one theater, that stinks.

One Regal down the street has 7 midnight times (12:01 - 12:07) and only one film and the DLP show is yet to sell out. That won't take long.

The other Regal UP the street has EIGHT show starts, including two DLPs, the latest start at 12:30 - all sold out. And they have added a 3:00 DLP show which is not sold out yet. Interesting that there's no film at 3:00 am. I guess they're too tired to thread up that late.

So what does everyone think NOW - will New Moon beat Half Blood Prince at midnight?
 

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Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 11-16-2009, 09:27 AM:
 
Current status here:




 

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Posted by Chad Souder (Member # 343) on 11-16-2009, 10:44 AM:
 

quote: Mark J. Marshall

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So what does everyone think NOW - will New Moon beat Half Blood Prince at midnight?

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quote:

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Monday Morning Update (6:28 a.m. PT): Fandango.com is now reporting that New Moon is the best advance seller in the company's history. The top five sellers are:

1. New Moon (2009)
2. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
3. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
4. The Dark Knight (2008)
5. Twilight (2008)

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Source: http://boxoffice.com/thenews/2009/11/16/new-moon-surges-online.php\

FYI. Harry Potter had 4,275 prints at opening.
Rentrak is reporting that New Moon will have 4,000 prints.

*Post Edited to show print numbers*
 

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Posted by Mike Frese (Member # 4361) on 11-16-2009, 05:46 PM:
 
Kevin,

Those numbers are locations not prints. Prints will be much, much higher.
 

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 11-16-2009, 05:52 PM:
 
Not sure about that. "Much, much higher?" Are those USA numbers or worldwide? If worldwide, I'd agree with you, otherwise maybe not.

Anyway, I think New Moon is going to have one of the biggest 2nd weekend drops in history.
 

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Posted by Mike Frese (Member # 4361) on 11-16-2009, 06:55 PM:
 
I believe Rentrak's site only tracks U.S.

How many prints do you think the top 1000 locations will have? At least 2? Assume the 1000-2000 will average 1.5 at least prints, and you can easily get 5500+ prints.
 

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Posted by Mark J. Marshall (Member # 1409) on 11-17-2009, 07:14 AM:
 
Are "digital prints" included in that count?
 

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Posted by Burleigh Ibbott (Member # 3917) on 11-17-2009, 02:40 PM:
 
It has been said over here in the UK that pre order tickets has beaten HP6 which I never expected. Is the film scope or widescreen?
Burl
 

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Posted by Jonathan Althaus (Member # 5042) on 11-17-2009, 04:27 PM:
 
Pre-sales for our chain......

New Moon $1.7 mil (228 theatres)

HP6 $2 mil (231 theatres)
Dark Knight $1.8 mil (218 theatres)
Transformers 2 $1.7 mil (230 theatres)
Star Trek (2009) $800k (230 theatres)
 

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Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 11-18-2009, 12:14 AM:
 
Going nuts here...4.5 hours to go.

9.30pm Twilight
Interlocking 2 screens (one of them is 900 seats)

12.01am New Moon
2 prints - both interlocking (again, one of them is 900 seats)

They've been lining up since 2.30pm.

Haven't seen it this busy since the Anita Bryant concert.

Sure would have been nice to be able to pre-screen these prints.
 

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Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 11-18-2009, 05:32 PM:
 
So if you're keeping score (as I am apparently), there are now 21 midnight shows scheduled here: 15 @ Regal 15, 6 @ Cinemark 17 (Cinemark is up from 5 a couple days ago). All 21 are sold out.

Also a 9:00 "Twilight" show at Regal is now sold out and a 2nd show has been added.
 

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Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 11-18-2009, 05:39 PM:
 
We added a 3rd scree on Monday - a record for us - and we've already sold about half of it.
 

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Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 11-18-2009, 05:56 PM:
 
Say you're Cinemark 17 here with the all-Christie package from 1999 and the original booth setup doesn't have "native" interlock capability. Your newer crosstown competition Regal 15 has interlocking capability on all 14 of their 35mm screens. A "New Moon" comes along and Regal 15 sells every seat in the building, while Cinemark can only sell 6 of their 17 screens. Clearly Cinemark is leaving money on the table.

Is it really that big a deal to get interlocking going?
 

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Posted by Demetris Thoupis (Member # 833) on 11-18-2009, 06:03 PM:
 
Interlocking gives you the ability to sell seats when you have the public waiting which already you are sold out! Why avoid it. A good interlock system is always prefered although timer automation can replicate an interlock. The most important issue is that the safety and alarm is interconnected between the interlocked projectors otherwise you might end in a big mess with a LOT of unsatisfied clients.
Demetris
 

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Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 11-18-2009, 08:14 PM:
 

quote: Demetris Thoupis

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Interlocking gives you the ability to sell seats when you have the public waiting which already you are sold out! Why avoid it.

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Agreed. If you've seen Projection Room Journey...The Sequel you will see that anything is possible. Although the video is not an interlock, all these cinemas are capable.

We ran NM on 4 screens with one print interlocked to 3 of them. I saved one print as a stand-alone as it was a 900 seat house. The other three only added up to around 800.

We just kept selling and adding more screens as it became necessary.
 

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Posted by Mike Frese (Member # 4361) on 11-19-2009, 12:23 PM:
 
I have print #6818 (my lowest ever was #9). So much, much higher than 4000.
 

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Posted by Sam Graham (Member # 2889) on 11-19-2009, 01:17 PM:
 
There were apparently rumors going around Newberg that the Cameo had sold out its midnight show, when in fact Brian doesn't sell advance tickets.

So I ended up putting a notice on our website and in the showtimes e-mail this week that all seats are wide open when the box office opens tonight.
 

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Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 11-19-2009, 08:50 PM:
 
This is gonna be an insane event tonite...Got a call from one of our plexes (8screen) if I could suddenly set up an interlock for two more houses ... from scratch for tonite (already did a install from scratch on Monday for two houses-had a hunch that they would want more...) Told them, "have to use MUTS for guidance rollers to one of the houses..

They're going to do the 2:30a showings instead...."whew!"

-Monte
 

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Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 11-19-2009, 10:26 PM:
 

quote: Monte L Fullmer

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Got a call from one of our plexes (8screen) if I could suddenly set up an interlock for two more houses ... from scratch for tonite

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Nothing like 'planning ahead'.
 

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Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 11-19-2009, 10:41 PM:
 
Cinemark 17 here apparently just can't do any more than the 6 midnight shows currently scheduled, but someone had a bright idea to sell more tickets for something to people who show up for "New Moon" at the last minute: They scheduled a midnight show of "2012".
 

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Posted by Caleb Johnstone-Cowan (Member # 3710) on 11-19-2009, 11:33 PM:
 
We did incredibly well tonight, at least three times what we'd normally do for a midnight opening but nowhere near what seems to have happened in the USA. More importantly we stocked up for tomorrow which could be really, really horrible going on our advanced sales.
 

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Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 11-20-2009, 12:48 AM:
 
A report from the field is that the midnight moviegoers (apparently the entire crowd being 12 year old girls) are taking pictures off the screen during the show with their camera phones. When they were approached to make sure they had no sort of video recording device, it was so they can post the image on their facebook later tonight "to prove we saw it before everyone else".

This gets high points toward the "lame act of the year award".
 

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Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 11-20-2009, 01:41 AM:
 
I wonder how many billions of dollars the industry is losing to this rampant piracy!
 

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Posted by Jonathan Althaus (Member # 5042) on 11-20-2009, 04:26 AM:
 
4 prints, 6 screens, sold out by 430 pm. We never do this kind of business. If I had known it would be this big, I would have added some extra interlocking capability.
 

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Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 11-20-2009, 04:41 AM:
 
We sold out 3 screens - all interlocked. We never do that kind of business. What's more, we probably could have sold out the other 2 screens if we could have interlocked them.

Generally, I wouldn't have run 3 screens for a midnight showing because I wouldn't want to kill the gross for the weekend. But with New Moon, I know there will be lots of repeat business. Talking to people as they left the auditorium, it sounded like everyone was happy with the movie.
 

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Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 11-20-2009, 05:04 AM:
 
...just the ending.....
 

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Posted by Steven J Hart (Member # 2340) on 11-20-2009, 07:39 AM:
 
We didn't show it. They only offered 3 week deals and with only one screen and a film that will be dead after the first week, I couldn't justify tying up the theater for three weeks. If we play it off the break I'm sure there will be no business left even though we are 60 miles from the next theater. All those little girls will scam someone into driving them to another town.
 

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Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 11-20-2009, 07:53 AM:
 
Dear Twilight:

Please go away, and take your obsessed fans with you. Thanks.
 

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Posted by Jim Cassedy (Member # 4115) on 11-20-2009, 08:55 AM:
 
The theater I'm at did very well at the midnite show.
Funny thing is that 99% of the ticket sales were sold
in advance online. I think the box office only had
a couple of "walk up" ticket sales. People started
lining up around 8pm for our midnite screening.

I didn't see anyone taking pictures of the screen,
but I did see quite a few of the mostly young &
female crowd taking pictures of themselves and
their friends before the show. I got the feeling
it was for the previously stated "we were here"
bragging rights on facebook or wherever.

I sat in the back and watched good chunk of
the film. It's actually pretty funny in spots,
although often in places I'm not really sure
they intended it to be so.

A couple of random thoughts:
>I guess they spent so much money on the CGI
scenes that the wardrobe department had to cut
back on their shirt budget for the male stars.

>Anybody know when "Face Punch" will be out
in general release?

I had a problem with reel 4. The cyan from the
optical sound track bleeds into the picture area
on the left side of the screen.
Fortunately it falls totally onto the black
masking, and I wouldn't be surprised if I was
the only one in the auditorium who noticed it.
I'm going to show it to "the boss" today and
see if he wants me to get a replacement reel.

(No ! ! !- - It's not my aperture plate!
I'm well within specs. It's a lab error)

The agency that takes care of the theater
advertising mucked up and has listed a 2nd
midnite showing in the paper on 2nite (friday)

Management is waiting to decide if we will go
ahead had have a show to accomodate people
who show up for the non-existant show. I guess
they'll see how many people call the theater
or ask at the box office about it during the
day today. They can't buy tickets online for
it since the show is not programmed into our
online ticket server. So at this point I don't
know if I'm looking at another 2:30am closing
time tonight. (or actually- -tomorrow morning!)
 

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Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 11-20-2009, 10:44 AM:
 
Anything that brings out droves of enthusiastic young people to see a movie in a real movie theater is good for the business. Wish for more of that, not less.
 

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 11-20-2009, 11:07 AM:
 
I think this movie is going to have a historically big 2nd week drop. I wish it would have good legs because we are in the same boat as Steven above...didn't want to do it for 3 weeks, so we'll have to wait until January. The same thing happened with the last one and we wound up doing about 60% of our normal average gross when we did play it.
 

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Posted by Ron Funderburg (Member # 4561) on 11-20-2009, 11:11 AM:
 
I agree with David, when did it become part of the job requirement to like what you play? Why would you care if they are obsessed with the film or the books. They are kids and kids are what they are I assume at one point we are were all kids!

I cheer any product that gets people in here. With that said I don't play NC-17. But any main stream movie that brings people in to this theater is alright for those seeing it in my book.

Mike twilight actually held very well for us we let it go just before Christmas.
 

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Posted by Mike Frese (Member # 4361) on 11-20-2009, 11:52 AM:
 
I am happy we have a Twilight-New Moon to play as well. It is not often you get so many people excited to come to the movie theater.

Plus, how many of you sold the New Moon popcorn tubs and soda Cups? Our per cap last night was the highest we have ever had for a midnight show because of the souvenir cups/tubs.
 

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Posted by Mark J. Marshall (Member # 1409) on 11-20-2009, 02:07 PM:
 
Well, I took my cousin to see it last night, and she was very excited to be the first person in her class to see it, and I was happy to be the one to help her out with that. We went to the Regal Brandywine in Delaware. I approached one of the managers on duty and asked how many theaters they were running it in...

"TEN! - Fifteen hundred people!"

Then I asked how many prints they were using...

"Four. We have to interlock - you know what that is?"

"Yep." And then he walked away to help someone. So... ten theaters, two are DLP I think. Which means four prints - eight theaters? Wimpy - as Joe Redifer would say.

This show has been sold out for a while now. Bad planning. Maybe all of the theaters weren't empty at midnight - so interlock four houses on each of two prints and save the other two to start at 12:30 or 1:00. What a wasted opportunity. I don't get these places sometimes. I don't understand why theaters don't maximize everything they possibly can when presented with golden opportunities like this.
 

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Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 11-20-2009, 03:59 PM:
 
I haven't seen a number yet for the midnight show, but Twilight did $1.3 million, so I'm sure New Moon is probably much higher than that - maybe in the $3-$4 million range.

BoxOfficeMojo Thursday chart

EDIT
Apparently Summit is saying $26.3 million for the midnight shows.
 

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Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 11-20-2009, 05:24 PM:
 
From
the-numbers.com

New Moon Sets New Record for Midnight Screenings
Everyone in the industry was expecting the opening of The Twilight Saga: New Moon to be big, but few would have predicted that it would top the performances of The Dark Knight and Harry Potter to record the biggest midnight opening in movie history. But that's exactly what it did, as it earned a massive $26.27 million in 3,514 theaters to beat the previous record of $22.2 million, held by Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Fans are already counting the number of times they've seen the movie on message boards around the web, and clearly a phenomenal weekend is in prospect. While The Dark Knight's $158 million all-time weekend mark seems unlikely to fall (not least because New Moon is playing in 300 fewer theaters), a place in the all-time top 10 looks increasingly likely. Even more remarkably, the midnight shows alone put the movie in the top 100 single days of all time, and a top 10 showing there is inevitable.
 

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 11-20-2009, 06:52 PM:
 
Once again, the industry's smart people underestimate the female audience.
 

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Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 11-20-2009, 07:04 PM:
 

quote: Mark J. Marshall

---

Which means four prints - eight theaters? Wimpy

---

I agree wholeheartedly. It should be one print, all auditoriums. Nothing else is impressive. Even if I had four prints, I'd only run one for the midnight show.
 

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Posted by Karl Borowski (Member # 5424) on 11-20-2009, 07:34 PM:
 
And once again (as it pertains to this being the second Twilight movie), the female audience, of this age group, underestimates the value of a good story and quality acting.

I only saw pieces, some of them multiple times, as we had a 4-screen, 3-screen, and 2-screen interlock plus a DLP show last night, but there were far too many instances of male toplessness in this film. Sometimes three out of the four shows had it at once, despite the staggered start times

Favorite part that I saw, thusfar, involved half-unbottoned female lead, apparantly not wearing any "support," running towards topless male character, in what I took to be a Hindu ritual of some type. Funny how many white hindu extras there were in the crowd.

I don't get it. . . Obviously there is a marketing MASTER at work here, but this is akin to people coming back for more after already being fed a pile of shit in the first installment, and LIKING IT!

As for the picture thing, and the CRAZY Twi-tards I saw last night, and the things they did, here's my list:

I was watching one of our prints of "2012" as it was about to drop so I could move it in preparation for the Twilight interlock, and I saw someone (mind you while "2012" was still playing, not the credits, watching (I hope!) Twilight I on a fucking flat-screen TV IN THE THEATRE! Nothing beats paying $9.00 of Mommy & Daddy's money (except spending your own) to go to a movie you don't pay the least bit of attention to!

As I was threading up an interlock, someone TOOK *MY* picture through the port glass! Too bad I didn't have my "full dress uniform:" my focusing binoculars, a pair of gloves, and a bottle of FilmGuard in hand. But seriously, WTF? I gave the Twi-Tard a look that said the same, and took at least thirty seconds to remember what I had been doing prior.

Some girl, probably the same Twi-Tard that took the image of me, made one of the poor ushers take her picture, and proceeded to flirt with him whenever he came in to check her theatre before the show. ?????

In any case the interlocks ran smoothly, despite any actual interlocking equipment. This was my first opportunity to see DLP and 35mm side-by-side. I liked the colors on the film print a lot better, but DLP was definitely a lot cleaner in terms of grain. I'd like to say the 35mm was sharper, but I don't know how that could be when both are coming from the same 2K file and the poor film version was duped at least twice after being burned back out to film.

For as big a following as this series has, you'd think they'd shoot it in Scope instead of doing a S35 blowup; at least they shot it on film.

Prints were all over the place color-wise too. One of our prints looks to have a distinctly green cast. I've almost never seen a print (except for intentinoally moody movies) that was timed on the cool side in a release print; guess they were up to their necks in print production at the labs though, especially if they churned out six THOUSAND of these things.
 

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Posted by Mark J. Marshall (Member # 1409) on 11-21-2009, 01:07 AM:
 
All right, guys.... let's knock it off with the insults.

Just because you don't get the appeal of the movie doesn't mean you get to cast arrogant insults at the thousands of patrons that are coming to your theater to watch a movie and not to mention pay your salary while they're at it.

All of these people are there to have FUN, which is what going to a movie theater is supposed to be. But most of the time it's just not fun anymore. Now a movie comes along that gets millions of people to show up at midnight - some wearing costumes or otherwise acting silly because of how happy they are to be there, and you speak of them like they're somehow beneath you because their taste in movies is different than yours. Yes, some of them are silly. Yes, some of them dress up. I dressed up for Star Wars. Am I silly? You may think so. I don't care. It's fun. If you're a fan, you get into it. And they're into it.

Remember that your job is to be a part of putting on the show that they are paying to see. What you do is part of the experience for them. And they have been waiting for over a YEAR to pay to have that experience. If you're going to make comments that the fans are retarded for showing up at your theater to see a movie that they want to see, and are doing things like dressing up like characters, or wearing home made t-shirts, or taking pictures of the projectionist threading the movie that they're dying to see, or whatever, then I submit that maybe you don't understand what this business is all about. And maybe you should consider staying home that day so your negative attitude doesn't drag down any of the people that are there to have a good time. Because that's one thing that will make people not come back to your theater.

So instead of insulting them, do something REALLY cool... find a way to make their experience MORE FUN. You have a captive audience. It's pretty easy to get their attention and have fun with them instead of at their expense. And if you play your cards right, you can make it a night they'll never forget.

Try having fun with your customers instead of insulting them. It's much more rewarding.
 

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Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 11-21-2009, 01:39 AM:
 
Mark, you're right on the money. And I thank you for the reminder. Sometimes it's easy to forget that what we see as routine work - or possibly an inconvenience, is meant to be about fun for our patrons.

Although I have zero interest in the movie, I'm more than happy to create the experience for those who can't wait to see it. When we do midnight shows, I always try to do give aways. Last night I even went so far as to show off the poster for the next Twilight Saga movie which comes out next summer. This got a huge reaction from the crowd.

The only negative thing I will say is that the fan obsession with Twilight has been rather overwhelming from an operations standpoint. Our phone has been ringing off the hook for the past two days with people asking if we are sold out for this show or that one. And tonight we wound up having a crowded lobby for much longer than we're used to because people were showing up earlier than normal to wait for the next show.
 

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Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 11-21-2009, 02:00 AM:
 
I don't understand the phenomenon with this particular movie. I can only guess it is a generational thing.

Here locally, the Carmike 8 sold out at least 5 or more screens for the midnight show. Our local ABC affiliate covered the story and showed a line of customers spanning from the box office to a couple hundred yards back to the end of the parking lot. This movie isn't Star Wars.
 

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Posted by Mark J. Marshall (Member # 1409) on 11-21-2009, 09:56 AM:
 
But it is to them. It's partially a generational thing, it's also a gender thing. Star Wars is a guy's movie. Twilight is a girl's movie all the way. If in doubt, check the trailers in front of it!

That's awesome, Justin, and what you did is great. Imagine all of the people that will remember being at your theater and seeing the poster. And yes, it is extra work and stress on the staff, so you need to make sure their expectations are set. You may need to provide extra incentive for them too. Because if they're not having fun, no one is! Schedule a staff show of the movie. Buy pizza if it's at night - or donuts if its in the morning. Make them feel good about working there.

As for the customers, play some games, have some giveaways, tie in with other local businesses and barter some stuff back and forth, decorate your theater, get the staff involved... chances are you have some fans there somewhere. Then they will tell their friends, and they will tell their friends, etc... Then make sure your interlock is working!
 

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Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 11-21-2009, 03:46 PM:
 
New Moon set a new single day and opening day record at $72.3 million. It should tie The Dark Knight's record for the fastest to $100 million at 2 days - although it will probably be there faster than Dark Knight.

BoxOfficeMojo daily grosses
 

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Posted by Mike Frese (Member # 4361) on 11-21-2009, 05:40 PM:
 
Great posts Mark.

I could care less what gets people excited to see a movie, as long helps to pay my mortgage and keep me from having to work for someone else.
 

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Posted by Karl Borowski (Member # 5424) on 11-21-2009, 05:46 PM:
 
Mark, you didn't criticize me for roasting the person watching Twilight in the middle of a print of 2012, despite our playing an actual print of the first Twilight that night.

Weren't they having "fun" there too?

Yeah, I am bitter about no-good movies killing sales for some of the better titles playing right now.

I love the enthusiasm, but this isn't just a teen-aged girl's movie, it's a BAD teen-aged girl's movie. It's getting a rating of between 4- and 5- out of ten on IMDB and RottenTomatoes. The former may be biased towards a male perspective, but the latter certainly isn't.

Have as much fun as you want, I am criticizing this whole-hearted support of poor work.
 

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Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 11-21-2009, 06:05 PM:
 
Mark is definitely right on this one. If I let every movie that bothers me get in the way of my job, I'd never be able to work at a movie theater because 99.9% of ALL movies are complete crap and definitely "poor work".
 

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Posted by Karl Borowski (Member # 5424) on 11-21-2009, 06:25 PM:
 
How did I say it got in the way of my job, because I stopped what I was doing, bewildered for half a minute at having my picture taken, a half an hour before an interlock?

My personal feelings and thoughts on certain movies don't discourage me from doing a thorough job in projecting them.

And, there's crap, and then there's crap. 4.2 stars out of 10 is an F.
 

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 11-21-2009, 08:40 PM:
 

quote: Karl Borowski

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Yeah, I am bitter about no-good movies killing sales for some of the better titles playing right now.

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Who cares what they are seeing, as long as they're in your building and not some other building?
 

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Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 11-21-2009, 09:35 PM:
 
..and you know that those who were there that Thurs night, some of them JUST might have arrived for the Fri night's showings..

I had fun with my midnight showings - did an old fashioned "Oooo..Ahhh..Horray!" opening .... dimming the lights down before the film hit the screen. You should have seen the masses rush for their seats when the lights begin to come down...

I love doing that on big openings like this. Even did the same opening on the 7p showing...and like before: they suddenly rushed to their seats and quieted down some..

It's fun "playing" with the audience at times .. makes the night more exciting.

-Monte
 

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Posted by Mark J. Marshall (Member # 1409) on 11-21-2009, 10:06 PM:
 

 

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Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 11-21-2009, 10:08 PM:
 
I am amazed by some of the posts in this thread.

We have here a film which is demonstrably not very good (Rotten Tomatoes gives it 30% positive, which is pathetic), is opening very wide, and is thus likely to have only one big weekend, during which 90%+ of the ticket gross goes to its distributor.

And people are saying that this is somehow a good thing for the exhibition industry when it does, in fact, represent all that is wrong with this industry today.

I'm all in favor of getting people to go to more movies, but would prefer that this happen because the films are actually good and have enough "legs" that the exhibitors can benefit from them over the long term, and not because lame films are being oversold by the press, but will eventually disappoint the patrons (who may then think twice before going to see another movie).

I'm glad that some people here are making money with this film, but releases like this do not represent a healthy industry. Wouldn't we all be better off with more films like "Wall-E," or the "Lord of the Rings" series, which appeal to adults as well, and which can sell tickets for months instead of days?

[disclaimer: I have not seen either Twilight film, nor do I have any interest in doing so, but I have yet to hear anything positive about them from anyone who is over the age of eighteen]
 

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Posted by Mike Frese (Member # 4361) on 11-21-2009, 11:26 PM:
 
I too am surpised by the posts in this thread.

A healthy movie industry gets people to happily spend money to go legally see a movie.

The poeple leaving my theater after seeing New Moon are happy. They like the movie. They like the experience enough to sit in packed theaters, wait in lines, etc. They are seeing it more than once.

Who am I to decide what movies are good. Why should only rotten tomatos and there critics decide what is good.

BTW, have you actually looked at the breakdown of votes for New Moon on IMDB? 50% more men have voted. 43% have given it a 1 out of ten. Anyone think these might be people who did not see the movie? 29% have given it a 10 out of 10.

I am glad that all of my staff have been enthusiatic about this weekend. I am glad no one has the elitist attitudes that a couple of you have espoused.

BTW, I am not sure that most of us would have jobs if we had to rely on the movies that the critics love.

Can't wait for the next one.
 

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Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 11-22-2009, 12:09 AM:
 

quote: Mike Frese

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BTW, have you actually looked at the breakdown of votes for New Moon on IMDB? 50% more men have voted. 43% have given it a 1 out of ten. Anyone think these might be people who did not see the movie? 29% have given it a 10 out of 10.

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quote: Scott Norwood

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I'm all in favor of getting people to go to more movies, but would prefer that this happen because the films are actually good and have enough "legs" that the exhibitors can benefit from them over the long term, and not because lame films are being oversold by the press, but will eventually disappoint the patrons (who may then think twice before going to see another movie).

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quote: Scott Norwood

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only one big weekend, during which 90%+ of the ticket gross goes to its distributor

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quote: Mike Frese

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Why should only rotten tomatos and there critics decide what is good

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Walt Disney used to have a saying, "If critics hates any of my movies, I then know that I have a hit on my side."

Sometimes, you'd love to ask them what they really would like to find that would make them happy... It's all of a matter of "gaining attention on themselves and getting people to believe in them..." or, "my boss hired me as a critic and need to prove to him that I am so his publication can stay on the newspaper stands.."
-Monte
 

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Posted by Mark J. Marshall (Member # 1409) on 11-22-2009, 04:02 PM:
 
Thank you for the concession comment, Monte. I was thinking that all of the folks on here who were complaining about WHY those hoards of hungry people were in their buildings should just send all of their extra cash from their concession sales to me so I can dispose of it for them.

Also consider that a big opening like New Moon will also bring overflow crowds to the other movies which do have a higher percentage cut for the theater.
 

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Posted by Karl Borowski (Member # 5424) on 11-22-2009, 04:09 PM:
 
I have it on good authority that a lot of the studios have averaged out the percentages (so that it doesn't go "90%-80%-70%-60%). I think there is still a mechanism in there where studios get more money based on openings, but I also was under the impression that exhibitors were more protected from movies with terrible legs now too, as opposed to before.

I agree with Monte though. I saw the aftermath of the "Twilight" midnights, and the concession stand was absolutely TRASHED afterwards there was so much activity going on.

What bothers me about big openings that don't have good legs is the needless amount of activity up front followed by a huge nose-dive. Competition is good, but it seems like movie theatres have gotten themselves into the same position with multi-screen midnights that burger chains have gotten themselves into with dollar menus.

Don't get me wrong: Big opening nights are fun, and they can be good, but not when the same sales could have been achieved spaced out a little more. A movie selling out the first two nights and then dropping down to 50% of capacity doesn't strike me as a good attendance pattern.

I know that critics can be blow-hards, Monte, but I think sites like Rotten Tomatoes can even that out. I was reading one guy on there who was bashing "There Will Be Blood" mostly because he found exception to the musical accompaniment. The music wasn't perfect in that film, but I could really feel the writer just pulling at threads trying to rip the movie apart. Rotten Tomatoes isn't perfect, but the "consensus" feature is right about 95% of the time IMHO. It is even customizable so you can listen to all critics, respected critics (i.e. not the guy with the blog), or just fans.

Anyway, I am far more inclined to believe a 4.8/10 than a "10/10" rating that I keep seeing for this movie from fans. Come on. . . 10/10? I'm a huge Trek fan and I don't think I'd give my favorite Star Trek movie that rating.
 

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Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 11-22-2009, 04:53 PM:
 

quote: Jack Ondracek

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It doesn't do any good if you shuffle all your patrons into one or two 70% rooms, while you're playing your other 40% & 50% films for 10 or 12 people.

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quote:

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Theatergoers were evenly split between those under 21-years-old and over, and they were clearly satisfied, giving New Moon a solid “A-” CinemaScore rating.

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quote: Scott Norwood

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Regarding concessions--wouldn't you eventually sell just as much stuff if the attendance pattern were less heavily weighted toward opening weekend?

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quote: Mike Blakesley

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I would say yes you would, because if the lobby isn't so crowded with hoards of people, the folks are less likely to bypass the concession.

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quote: Jack Ondracek

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And... what about all the other titles playing

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Well, Sandra Bullock scored her highest opening weekend ever.
 

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Posted by Kurt Zupin (Member # 2751) on 11-22-2009, 11:15 PM:
 
I have to agree here, not enough love is being given to 'The Blind Side' This movie opened against a huge movie and made 34 million. This movie will do well for the next two weeks as its a good family movie.
 

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Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 11-23-2009, 03:32 PM:
 


Also, this movie did NOT beat out the Dark Night. It ended up number three on the opening weekends list.
 

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Posted by Caleb Johnstone-Cowan (Member # 3710) on 11-23-2009, 10:51 PM:
 

quote: Monte L Fullmer

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is that the conc personnel/manager organizes a 'staggered' selling procedure with one person takes the order, does some of the fills and can begin on the next order while the other finishes the one sale and then works on the other.

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quote: Deseret News

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Utahns prove love for 'New Moon'

The Twilight saga began with books that sparked a national cultural phenomenon and more than 350 Internet fan sites. Over the weekend, the second movie in the series set box office records that reconfirmed Utah Twilight fans are the most devoted in the nation.

Megaplex Theatres in South Jordan, Sandy and The Gateway in Salt Lake City ranked first, second and fifth in the nation for total revenue from the opening of "The Twilight Saga: New Moon."

The fact those rankings are based on total revenue when movie tickets in Utah cost significantly less than in New York and Los Angeles makes the performance of the Salt Lake-area theaters particularly impressive, said Blake Anderson, general manager of Mexaplex Theatres.

In all five Utah Megaplex Theatres locations, close to 190,000 movie-goers saw "New Moon" this past weekend.

More than 2,000 of those fans attended VIP events hosted by the theater, including "Fangs or Fur" parties inspired by the Edward versus Jacob face-off in the film.

Nationwide, "New Moon" raked in $72.7 million on Friday to break the single-day domestic box office record previously held by "The Dark Knight," which had a $67.2 million opening day last year.

The Friday haul for the "Twilight" sequel included a record $26.3 million from midnight screenings alone.

Those records prove the appetite for the series is only growing.

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Posted by Anslem Rayburn (Member # 1267) on 11-29-2009, 01:14 PM:
 
70% drop from last weekend. The Blind Side increased by 17%.
 

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Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 11-29-2009, 06:54 PM:
 
I'm not surprised by either. After those huge midnight shows and that huge weekend, a major drop for New Moon was inevitable. On the other hand, almost every person I've talked to has loved The Blind Side. In fact, I keep having people in public ask me if it's really as good as they are hearing. With that kind of word of mouth, I would still expect it to be strong next weekend - maybe even the #1 film.
 

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Posted by Alex Edwards (Member # 5413) on 11-30-2009, 11:42 PM:
 
Thats what happened to our theater over Thanksgiving break. The Blind Side is a great family movie that apparantly everyone enjoys. That was by far our busiest movie. With the suburban area my theater is in I could see it doing well into the next wave of holidays. There will always be some grandpa or aunt that hasnt seen it yet and drags everyone else with them.

As for me, I almost saw it but I was busy getting my face punched in.
 

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Posted by Mark J. Marshall (Member # 1409) on 11-30-2009, 11:52 PM:
 
The Blind Side is a great movie. I'd pay to see it again for sure. It has a really good chance of hanging on for a while.
 

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Posted by Dustin Mitchell (Member # 372) on 12-01-2009, 12:05 AM:
 
My theatre is in a competitive zone; our competition got Ninja Assasin and Sherlock Holmes and we got Blind Side and Invictus. Originally I was a little peeved, thinking Holmes would blow all three of them away, I've decided we got the much better end of the deal though.
 

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Posted by James Westbrook (Member # 3690) on 12-01-2009, 05:01 AM:
 
In 1986 our film booker told us he let Children of a Lesser God go to a competitor and instead booked us Crocodile Dundee. We said "WHAT?!!!"
We later thanked our booker for his wise decision.
 

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Posted by John Wilson (Member # 269) on 12-01-2009, 05:17 AM:
 
Hope you kept that guy.
 

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Posted by James Westbrook (Member # 3690) on 12-01-2009, 05:19 AM:
 
He retired.
 

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Posted by Alex Edwards (Member # 5413) on 12-01-2009, 11:17 AM:
 
I really don't like those grossing lists. With the way ticket prices are rising there will always be new movies that make so much more money then previous ones. How can you compare the popularity of a modern movie to an old classic when all your doing is looking at income? With ticket prices so low years back, there is no way to compare unless you adjust for inflation.
 

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Posted by Jonathan Althaus (Member # 5042) on 12-01-2009, 03:44 PM:
 
Our holiday bookings.....
New Moon, Blind Side, Invictus, Chipmunks 2-Yes
2012, Xmas Carol, Princess Frog, Ninja Assassin, Holmes, Avatar-No
 

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Posted by James Westbrook (Member # 3690) on 12-02-2009, 02:01 AM:
 
I keep forgetting about that Regal near you.
 

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Posted by Jonathan Althaus (Member # 5042) on 12-02-2009, 11:18 AM:
 
Yeah, its starting to get extremely annoying. We have customers tell us they would rather not go to a movie rather than go to the regal. And when we get films, we're very busy. Plus our new Barco, yet no 3D films yet.
 

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Posted by Mark J. Marshall (Member # 1409) on 12-02-2009, 11:56 AM:
 
I always thought splitting the product was stupid. Give the movie to everyone and may the best man win.
 

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Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 12-02-2009, 01:35 PM:
 

quote:

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In 1986 our film booker told us he let Children of a Lesser God go to a competitor and instead booked us Crocodile Dundee. We said "WHAT?!!!"

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Holy crap, buy that booker a pitcher of beer!
 

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