Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Regal Cinemas - Who Schedules the showtimes?

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Posted by Rob Geran (Member # 2305) on 03-17-2004, 09:34 PM:

I've been noticing this for a while now, mostly on Fandango.com. The Regal Cinemas by me does not spread out their showtimes when they have multiple prints of a movie. For instance:

Dawn of the Dead
12:10 | 12:35 | 2:40 | 3:10 | 5:05 | 5:35 | 7:30 | 8:00 | 9:55 | 10:25

and The Secret Window
12:25 | 12:55 | 2:50 | 3:25 | 5:20 | 5:50 | 7:45 | 8:20 | 10:15 | 10:45

Between one set of shows, they leave 25-35 minutes, with the next showing around 1 hour and 45 minutes later, as long as 3 hours later sometimes. Is there a reason why Regal does this, or is it just poor scheduling?

Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 03-17-2004, 10:43 PM:

There are pros and cons to keeping the showtimes together for double prints.

Keeping them together can get you more admissions if the show is frequently selling out an auditorium. It'll also cost you less in staff hours if you have a lot of downtime between rounds.

Spreading them out gives you the benefit of more distinct showtimes, but you lose much of the benefit of having to prints to handle sell outs as a lot of people will just see something else.

Posted by Mike Olpin (Member # 1115) on 03-18-2004, 03:46 AM:

Also, break periods are necessary in order to more easily allow staff members to take breaks, re-stock concessions, and sweep the lobby.

Posted by Christopher Duvall (Member # 284) on 03-18-2004, 03:52 AM:

That is not a company thing. It is either...
1. A GM thing or (most likely)
2. A DM thing for the district

The closest I wil go between prints is 30 minutes if I more that 2 prints. However, my preference is around 45 minutes between prints. There are many pros and cons as Daryl pointed out. Demographic, length of feature, other features in building, popularity of feature and many other reasons play a huge factor in spacing of shows.

Personal opinion...anything less that 30 minutes between features is just plain stupid.

Posted by Brian Michael Weidemann (Member # 2243) on 03-18-2004, 07:22 AM:

We're a Regal Edwards, and our showtimes tend to fall strictly on 10-minute marks, never at 15 or 45. The showtimes definitely do not come from our GM. I believe it's Edwards' corporate that has the department for showtime bookings.

Posted by Mike Williams (Member # 1140) on 03-18-2004, 08:04 AM:

As far as I know, for Regal/Edwards/UA theaters, showtimes are currently up to the theater manager and in some cases the DM. Once in a while, the film department will dictate showtimes usually on the first print but that is very rare.

Posted by Eric Hooper (Member # 1730) on 03-18-2004, 01:12 PM:

Well, someone at the Regal/UA Vogue (single screen) in SF is crack-pipe-in' in regard to showtimes this weekend for Eternal Sunshine. Running at about 1:55 with trailers, they scheduled their showtimes at 11:45, 2, 4:15, 7:00, 9:40.

Um, so the day staff has only about 20 minutes between shows (not even barely long enough to show The 20wenty) to clear the patrons, clean, prep, sell tix, etc., and then the evening staff have almost an hour before the 7, and then 45 minutes between the 7 and 9:40.

Why would you even need such bizarre showtimes for a single screen anyway? Why not just 11:30, 2, 4:30, 7, 9:30? Obviously someone toked up Monday morning, and then came out of this smoke filled room with these showtimes. I feel sorry for the staff...

Posted by Jason Black (Member # 684) on 03-18-2004, 03:43 PM:

Eric,

FWIW, matiness are traditionally much slower than evening shows, thus, the greater amount of downtime needed in the evening. On the wknds, when the matiness are busier, tere are normally more employees on staff to handle the cleanup/turnaround, so it all works out in the end.

Posted by Rob Geran (Member # 2305) on 03-18-2004, 03:48 PM:

Ok, thank you all for the info. I thought it was just poor planning on Regal's part with the showtimes, but failed to realize the other factors in determining the schedule.

Posted by Joshua Lee Peercy (Member # 2295) on 03-22-2004, 01:41 AM:

We have a big problem with this at our theater we have complete daily timed shift schedules like from 7:05 to 7:09 you will help get ice for concessions.Then from 7:09 to 7:11 you will stock napkins etc... My point is that the usher staff will go on break some time during the day and it is easy to overlook one movie to clean or one to start than all the movies letting out and the all the movies start back agian with in the next 45-50 min.

Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 03-22-2004, 03:05 AM:

That's so ridiculous it's hilarious Josh.

What happens if someone takes all of the napkins at 7:12?

Posted by Matthew Nock (Member # 1575) on 03-22-2004, 07:49 AM:

Daryl,

Isnt it obvious? if some customer takes all the napkins at 7:12, then there will be NO napkins for other customers until the next scheduled napkin restock.

Its simple. you cant possibly have some concessionist using initiative and restocking the napkins at the wrong time!

Posted by Chris Medley (Member # 2145) on 03-22-2004, 10:18 AM:

Come on Daryl...How dare you try to tellthem that their oppresive ultra-micro management has a flaw!!!! Someone wasted a good portion of time that they will never get back on that schedule....as I'm sure they do everyday making other equally oppresive micro-mgmt. decsions [Big Grin]

....Seriously, I've worked for companies that do that and you will be written up if you differ at all from that schedule...and what happens if say a popper breaks and two employees are taken out of the equation to fix it...can you adjust the schedule.....NO...the furher says we must stay on the schedule

Posted by Paul Linfesty (Member # 214) on 03-22-2004, 10:46 AM:

Eric

You should have seen how SF theatres scheduled films back in the 70's. LOGAN's RUN at the Alexandria (single screen then)had 5 shows a day with only 5 minutes between daytime showings, 15 minutes before the first evening show, and 10 minutes before the last showing (no previews, either).

The Northpoint theatre scheduled only 5 minutes between ALL shows of Nashville, and their engagement of 117 minute THE WAY WE WERE had showtimes scheduled for every two hours.

This seemed to be pretty typical for first-runs in LA NYC as well. Even when the Chinese Theatre ran STAR WARS in 1977 with every show sold out, there seemed to be no more than 10-15 minutes between shows.