Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Kites

This is topic Kites in forum Ground Level at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Mike Spaeth (Member # 524) on 05-19-2010, 12:22 AM:

Anyone playing?

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 05-19-2010, 12:33 AM:

Me on Friday.

Attached trailer on the head of reel 4.

Posted by Edward Havens (Member # 4715) on 05-19-2010, 02:49 PM:

I'll be playing both versions: the original version this Friday, and then the Brett Ratner-destroyed "remix" next Friday. Can't wait.

Posted by Caleb Johnstone-Cowan (Member # 3710) on 05-19-2010, 05:12 PM:

We're playing it, should be good. The Bollywood lineup has been atrocious recently, Housefull did OK but apart from that nothing since My Name Is Khan brought people in.

I read about the Brett Ratner edit on Monday, the BBFC ratings info suggest the UK is getting the original version as the language is stated as Hindi with subtitles. Fair play to the distributor for trying something different but I'd want the original cut given the choice.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 05-19-2010, 05:19 PM:

So what the hell is with theaters that break down Bollywood movies and then remove the cores from the reels? What the hell is wrong with you people?

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 05-19-2010, 05:56 PM:

Cores are EXPENSIVE Joe!!!

Posted by Mike Croaro (Member # 3123) on 05-19-2010, 06:06 PM:

Folks:

I used to run Bollywood films in Berkley, CA for about 7 months at the former Fine Arts Cinema. The films almost always came on cores - and not the big kind - the type they use for trailers. Sometimes the cores would be pulled out. A real nighmare.

The films, if older, would also contain 100 + splices throughout the entire film and often with colored tape.

I was sure glad when this gig ended.

For those interested...the booth contained:

Phillips FP-20S projector
Lume-Ex Lamphouse (1600W)
"Tinney table" transport system with 15,000 reels.

Mike

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 05-19-2010, 07:37 PM:

When people break down Indian prints, they seem to like to arbitrarily cut at random places. "Oh, the reel's full, I guess I'll cut here. Next!" I've had Indian movies arrive where the can for reel 1 is empty because they did this. I've also had Indian prints arrive in trash bags... big brute trash bags! Appropriate, but still annoying. Perhaps most amusing is when they arrive on 6K reels. Did someone give up their 6K reels just to ship out an Indian print?

There needs to be a depot for Indian movies.

Posted by Edward Havens (Member # 4715) on 05-19-2010, 09:17 PM:

Thanks for volunteering for the job, Joe. I look forward to getting my future Bollywood prints from Redifer Cinema Depot. Maybe the prints will come on actual reels! What a hoot that would be.

Posted by Mike Spaeth (Member # 524) on 05-20-2010, 10:43 AM:

I've had to pick an Indian print up at the airport ... in a duffel bag at baggage claim...

Posted by Caleb Johnstone-Cowan (Member # 3710) on 05-20-2010, 08:32 PM:

You get someone elses Bollywood print? My first shift in Projection was spent throwing out the prints the distributors couldn't be bothered to pick up because it was too expensive.

I had a Tamil film come in a shopping trolley once. The day we move to a reliable digital distribution system for Indian films is going to be a happy one.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 05-20-2010, 11:39 PM:

Don't get your hopes up. Most of the time when Bollywood movies are run, it's just some random guy renting the auditorium, getting the movie from the distributor and selling his own tickets. It used to be when I got Bollywood films, they would be brand new, never cut, VERY loosely wound onto cores straight from the lab. But since we deal with different people now, they come in all shapes and sizes. Amazingly, this same guy is doing Kites all week, and it was a brand new print. Usually the ones that are in DTS and not subtitled are the ones in the worst condition, yet they somehow always include the discs. The ones in Dolby Digital are usually subtitled and 95% of the time are brand new, for me at least.

This guy does have a bunch of movies in our booth that he doesn't seem to be in a hurry to take away. I'll have to ask him to take them unless he wants us to throw them out. I will steal the goddamned cores first.

Posted by Mike Spaeth (Member # 524) on 05-21-2010, 01:10 AM:

Hindi movies = Dolby Digital & Subtitled
Tamil, Telugu movies = DTS, not Subtitled, and prints bicycled all acrosss the country

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 05-21-2010, 12:28 PM:

Sure! It's all moon language to me.

Posted by Michael Brown (Member # 890) on 05-21-2010, 01:18 PM:

We're running it. We have one print, managment must be expecting it to do something since it's gone into our largest house.

I notice the other multiplx in town has it in about 3 screens, (one in digital!)

We'll see what it does, Housefull did good business when we opened that 2 weeks, but Badmarsh Company the week after did naff all.

I don't know what this is going to do, I not sure how much of a big pull Hrithik Roshan is. I know if you get a bollywood with Sharrukh Khan, Akshay Kumar or Salman Khan, they usually are the ones that do well.

Posted by Edward Havens (Member # 4715) on 05-21-2010, 02:25 PM:

Our print of Kites has a pair of DTS discs included with the movie... and a trailer for a movie called Raavan, buried deep in to the sixth reel (the film has seven reels).

Posted by Caleb Johnstone-Cowan (Member # 3710) on 05-21-2010, 08:16 PM:

Joe, the Bollywood distributors have got a lot more professional in the UK, they've had to. Indian films make more money than British titles per year at the box office. I'm sure for the Tamil films though it is just some video shop in NW London doing it!

I would nip the print storage issue in the bud asap otherwise you'll have a room full of them.

Hrithik Roshan is big news, and the trailer for Kites got a good reception from the audiences for My Name Is Khan which did monster business. Really hope it does well for us as a good Bollywood is great for business.

Michael is it the Cineworld in Bradford that has three screens of Kites? The Cineworld near-ish to us in Feltham has four screens, which I assume is two prints being bicycled. Our company is playing it wider than we normally do for Bollwyood. Do you know if we have it in digital anywhere?

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 05-22-2010, 12:55 AM:

We did poorly with this during the day, but pretty well during the night. Almost sold out, but not quite. We have the 130-minute extendo edition, not the 90 minute ADD edition.

Posted by Michael Brown (Member # 890) on 05-22-2010, 06:36 PM:

Didn't do much for us tonight. Not worth putting it in a 450 seater audirorium.

quote: Caleb Johnstone-Cowan
Michael is it the Cineworld in Bradford that has three screens of Kites? The Cineworld near-ish to us in Feltham has four screens, which I assume is two prints being bicycled.

Yeah, I assume it's one print bicycled one one digital. We had a privte screen hire for some Pakistani movie this morning, which did quite well, and the guy might use us again.

Posted by Caleb Johnstone-Cowan (Member # 3710) on 05-22-2010, 08:47 PM:

Was the concessions stand busy for the Pakistani film screening?

Posted by Jonathan Althaus (Member # 5042) on 05-26-2010, 08:36 PM:

Just got our "remix" version today. (5 reels) Didn't notice any trailers attached or intermissions. Anyone else handled this version?

Posted by Edward Havens (Member # 4715) on 05-27-2010, 01:30 AM:

Our remix print won't show up until tomorrow morning.