Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Fall booking for a single screen.

This is topic Fall booking for a single screen. in forum Ground Level at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Adam Fraser (Member # 1074) on 10-10-2009, 06:26 PM:

We have a bit of a Dilemma coming up for fall booking.

Demographic: We have a single screen theatre in a tourist town, where it is currently the off season. Tourists still come for nice weekends and holidays. In the off season it is a lower middle class town, with many retirees. No 3D capability.

Should we play Where the Wild Things Are then Christmas Carol, Amelia then 2012, Or Where the Wild Things Are then 2012?

We typically play about 50% first run and 50% 2 weeks off the break this time of year. But all 4 of these films seem to be worth playing on the break. Sure would be nice to be allowed to split screens, but is almost never allowed here (maybe once every two years, and only on underperforming films).

Thanks

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 10-10-2009, 07:06 PM:

What's your population? We have about 2000 here.

My opinion is that none of those are worth playing on the break.

We plan to save Christmas Carol until closer to Christmas.

I doubt we'll play Amelia at all.

The other two seem like one-week pictures for us, so they'll need to wait. If you have a lot more people then I think WTWTA and 2012 are the best bets, saving Carol until closer to Christmas (unless the schedule is too logjammed with other product by then.) Decisions decisions!

Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 10-10-2009, 07:31 PM:

Amelia probably has retiree appeal, if you can get them to come to the movies. I'm pretty sure the commercial theatres will run it here, but if they don't, I'll try for January. We have the little ol broad audience locked in our basement;>

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 10-10-2009, 08:14 PM:

Don't you get the traffic from Michigan Tech almost all year around up there?

Unfort, the fall bookings is always bleak almost everywhere and sometimes, you have to adjust operating procedures to the seasons in smaller venues.

Things won't run up to the peak until "New Moon" hits on the 20th of November and continue until the 1st of the year when things begins to dry up again and rolls downward towards the valley - in which a lot of us are in right now...
-Monte

Posted by Adam Fraser (Member # 1074) on 10-10-2009, 09:08 PM:

Thanks for the info. We plan on breaking at least one of the films, simply because we haven't played a breaking film since Labor day. Still deciding though.

We are in a town of about 3200 or so, but this time of year it is mostly retirees and working poor. During the Summer there are an extra 10,000+ people in the area, mostly vacationing business owners or retired auto workers. There isn't a very strong middle class here.

The retirees may come to see Amelia, but I'm not sure they will be able to make two weeks worth of revenue. I'm also questioning the others on their ability to do it either.

Monte, Houghton Lake is in the Lower Peninsula, a tourist trap because it is the largest inland lake in MI (takes over an hour to drive around the lake at about 50mph). I sure do wish we were in a college town though.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 10-10-2009, 09:26 PM:

(Whoops, sorry - thought you were up at the top portion of the state in Houghton itself .. you're then almost right in the middle of the 'mitten' then ..Got a friend up there in Houghton attending M.T.)

Posted by Geoff Jones (Member # 3668) on 10-10-2009, 10:23 PM:

Does your cinema hold its own against a decent home set-up? (Sorry, but these days you have to ask.)

If so, I say run a Spielberg film festival.

Show JAWS before and around Halloween when folks are looking for a good scare.

Show E.T. around Thanksgiving, when folks are looking for a little heart-warming.

Show RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK in between, when folks just want to see a kick ass film for a change (vs all the crap this summer).

[Smile]

Posted by Adam Fraser (Member # 1074) on 10-12-2009, 02:09 PM:

We have all good quality equipment.

2 Simplex XL 1004's/SH1000's/Platter
DA 20/CP55
JBL Speakers
~40' wide scope screen.
Adjustable side masking.

We have tried classic films, they just don't tend to do well here. If a film is older than about 6 weeks there isn't any interest, even if we charge $1 admission.

I think there are pictures of my theatre in the picture section. Pines Theatre, Houghton Lake, MI. In my opinion one of the nicest theatres in the state.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 10-12-2009, 02:20 PM:

(That is a very nice looking cinema you have there in that town! My kudos to this small venue!)

Seeing by your population and the demographic description of "but this time of year it is mostly retirees and working poor", have you done any feedback research on what the regular townspeople would like to have to attend your theatre?

Like the old saying goes "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink."

Now, you gotta find ways to make the horse drink your water.

Good luck as always..-Monte

Posted by James Westbrook (Member # 3690) on 10-12-2009, 02:45 PM:

If Amelia has any potential for Academy Award nominations, you could probably book that one early next year.
Down here the Sandra Bullock movies draw the retirees, like All About Steve. The so-called "Chick flicks" also draw them in.