This is topic Two-tiered auditorium pricing? in forum Ground Level at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.


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Posted by David E. Nedrow (Member # 4981) on 08-12-2010, 09:06 PM:
 
I was visiting a local theatre today and took a look at their smallest screen. I think it was 50 seats, screen was maybe 11' wide and only sat in front of the first row about 5'. I couldn't believe how small it was.

That got me thinking about my only option for expansion here. There are two attached storefronts that are virtually identically sized to the auditorium I saw today. If one of the tenants were to leave, I could probably convince the landlady to merge one of the store front with the theatre, at least as far as rent and renovation was concerned.

I can solve all of the technical problems re: projection and sound, but I would feel really shabby charging people full price for watching a show in it. I could use it as a move-over and then drop the ticket price a bit. Advertise it as the "Director's Screening Room Special" or something like that.

Have anyone seen this -- reduced pricing for reduced auditoria -- elsewhere?

I really, really, wouldn't want to charge full price for something like that.

-David
 

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Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 08-12-2010, 09:33 PM:
 
If you can really fix it up like a real screening room (look a Brad's) you can charge MORE to go there.
 

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Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 08-12-2010, 09:49 PM:
 
I'm with Martin; make it a premium experience.

Deck it out with Hitchcock mementos (chair, megaphone, clapper) and call it a "Studio Screening Room." Louis
 

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Posted by Jake Spell (Member # 5294) on 08-12-2010, 10:51 PM:
 
The local art house here has three screens. One of which is a converted dressing room. It has no slope and echoes dues to a metal roof and no sound absorbent anywhere. It is small (~50seats) and gets the same pricing as the other screens.
 

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Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 08-12-2010, 11:02 PM:
 
Put in a cocktail bar and make it a VIP room.
 

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Posted by Mike Frese (Member # 4361) on 08-12-2010, 11:54 PM:
 
David,

We have 2 smaller rooms that seat 40-60 people. The throw is 32'. We still have 20' width screens and people like the rooms just fine (probably because we have couches and loveseats in them which people like). Can be hard to find lens though.

Can you put a pretty good size screen in there?
 

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Posted by Adam Fraser (Member # 1074) on 08-13-2010, 08:55 AM:
 
Mike,

Do you have any problems booking films for the smaller screens or with the studios allowing you to move films from the larger screens after only 1 or 2 weeks?
 

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Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 08-13-2010, 10:58 AM:
 
David - we had the exact same idea here. The bar next door went out of business because their building was condemned. But then the owner wanted too much for the space than we were willing to pay, considering we would have to basically tear-down and rebuild. So eventually some local guys bought it, fixed the problems and reopened it as a bar, which is now thriving (damn it).
 

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Posted by Mark Lensenmayer (Member # 134) on 08-13-2010, 12:36 PM:
 
David -- Arena Grand or Gateway? Both have small rooms.

Anyway, I agree with making it a premium experience with an enhanced price. Put in very nice chairs and tables...maybe even a love seat or two for couples. Maybe you could hook up with Chef Hubert at Spagio and bring over food from there. Offer Jeni's Ice Cream...that's just up the street. Put the emphasis on the quality of the environment and you will have something no one else in town can offer. On off nights, you could set up a movie and dinner special,matching the movie to food. The Wexner very quietly offered a dinner/movie package with Trattoria Roma this summer and I think they did pretty well with that. You could offer something like that without having to move from a restaurant to a theatre.
 

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Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 08-13-2010, 12:59 PM:
 
Don't forget "private screensings" & birthday parties in there on off nights. One price for all seats as a whole. Louis
 

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Posted by Mike Frese (Member # 4361) on 08-13-2010, 01:32 PM:
 
Mike,

Do you have any problems booking films for the smaller screens or with the studios allowing you to move films from the larger screens after only 1 or 2 weeks?

No, rarely does a movie play in these rooms on their second week. If one does, usually not much of a problem as we are a low grossing theater (seasonal first-run plus-meaning not full-time first run but we do get first-run most of the time). 30 tickets sold to a show would be rare and usually only happens around the holiday times.
 

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Posted by John Joseph Fink (Member # 3619) on 08-13-2010, 11:59 PM:
 
Hell IFC Center has a tiny 30 seat theater they have no shame about charging $13 for, with bad digital slide show projection and a BluRay player. I know Bow Tie Cinemas also has what were intended as private screening rooms in New Haven, that are now digital auditoriums (mostly used for independent films), I believe they also charge full price. Generous your considering thinking about charging less.
 

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Posted by Michael Brown (Member # 890) on 08-15-2010, 02:06 PM:
 
I've seen it done in London. Where some of the cinemas in Leicester square charge one price for their 1600 seater main auditorium, and a lower price for the minis.
 

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Posted by Caleb Johnstone-Cowan (Member # 3710) on 08-15-2010, 08:19 PM:
 
www.princecharlescinema.com

This Cinema had to twin recently, it is the only independent second-run house in the UK that doesn't get funding, and they have 'rep' and 'move-over' prices for their auditoria.
 

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Posted by Scott Jentsch (Member # 1681) on 08-16-2010, 04:08 PM:
 
If you put in half the effort that hard-core home theater enthusiasts put into their setups, you could charge a premium!

An auditorium doesn't have to be big in size, but it should be well-proportioned. The picture should be perfect, and so should the sound. I would imagine that there is a low-water mark for the size of the room, as anyone going into a commercial location would expect something larger than a 20x30 room.

An 11-foot screen in a commercial location is too small, IMO. It's one thing if it's a theater located in a hotel, where it would be treated as an amenity for guests, but it's another for a movie theater application.

The auditoriums at the Gold Class Cinemas in South Barrington, Illinois only seat about 40-50 people, but the seats are very luxurious and widely spaced. I can't recall how wide the screen was, but I'm going to guess that it was around 25 feet. I would have no hesitation about attending another movie there, but I would be very willing to do without the waiter service in exchange for a more reasonable ticket price. That is fine for an occasional movie, but too expensive when you just want to watch something like The Expendables.

Once digital cinema equipment gets more economical, I'm hoping that smaller auditoriums will become more popular. Show a greater variety of movies in a better environment to smaller groups of people, with the emphasis on the "better environment" aspect. UltraScreens and XD screens are great and all, but give me a kick-ass presentation in a smaller environment, and I'll be just as happy!
 

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Posted by David Buckley (Member # 2600) on 09-23-2010, 10:48 PM:
 

quote: John Joseph Fink

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Hell IFC Center has a tiny 30 seat theater...

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