Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Anyone work for Carmike theatres?

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Posted by Allison Parsons (Member # 2728) on 04-13-2005, 12:00 AM:

So, It's basically official that GKC is now being bought by Carmike and the changes are going to happen in May. So, my question is, does anyone work for Carmike and what should I expect? I've already been told that our new uniforms will be a bow tie/vest/white shirt [Mad]

(good god..) I'm sure you can't compare Carmike's policy's to GKC's if you haven't worked at both theaters, but I thought I'd still ask. Thanks!

Posted by Dustin Mitchell (Member # 372) on 04-13-2005, 01:50 AM:

What position do you work at at GKC?

Go ahead and email me if you want and I'll help as best as I can.

Posted by Christian Volpi (Member # 2370) on 04-13-2005, 02:05 AM:

Carmike? Dear God! You poor bastard!

Posted by Matt Kerekes (Member # 2777) on 04-13-2005, 02:23 AM:

Maybe Carmike has changed some policies since I left in June of 2003 but I doubt it. I only hope for your sake that they have, but if not be prepared for VERY long hours with VERY little compensation. Maybe with the expansion of the company change will come. Good Luck.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 04-13-2005, 11:15 AM:

Carmike is the cheapest company in the industry.

Posted by R. Andrew Diercks (Member # 1725) on 04-13-2005, 11:27 AM:

Isn't it amazing that companies can file bankruptcy, gain government protection against closure and soon after make a major buyout. K-Mart is doing this as well with Sears.

Regular people have their credit shot for 7 years.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 04-13-2005, 12:26 PM:

It's hard to name any movie theater company that didn't file bankruptcy (Cinemark maybe?). It's also difficult, if not impossible, to find any theater chain anywhere in the United States without more than its fair share of embarrasment-class theaters. I've seen bad theaters operated by Carmike (and even publicly bitched about one in a newspaper in Albany, GA). But I have certainly seen much worse.

I just thought I'd bring that up because it sounds like Carmike has been singled out lately in this forum. I don't hear anyone giving any well deserved bashings to AMC, Loews/Sony, Cinemark, United Artists, Regal and any number of others where I have seen deplorable theaters or been disappointed with shit-class show quality.

Carmike actually does have some nice theaters. The one in my town is pretty decent, especially for a 10 year old theater (certainly a lot better than what most chains are putting into cities of 100,000 or fewer residents).

The one in Christian's town (Sioux City, IA), is probably an old theater formerly owned by another chain (Carmike's website doesn't show it to have anything playing in digital sound or any of that stuff). Not far away in Des Moines, Carmike has a 12-plex with THX, digital sound and stadium seating on all 12 auditoriums. So it sounds like they're making some effort there.

Now, I'm not going to apologize for Carmike's business practices. Their strategy in the 1990's of trying to be the first chain to have 5000 screens was pretty ill-advised and a major reason of what put them into bankruptcy. Theater customers aren't going to give a damn over how many screens a movie theater chain owns. The point of pride ought to be on quality, not quantity of movie screens. Unfortunately, not enough customers give a damn about quality either. The exhibition industry on the whole knows this and is lapsing into complacency about it.

quote: Matt Kerekes
I only hope for your sake that they have, but if not be prepared for VERY long hours with VERY little compensation.

I don't know how this is applying to box office and counter people, but George Bush's new overtime law that went into effect makes it difficult for anyone to get more than 40 hours per week. Now, if you're the theater manager and on salary, yeah, you're going to be putting in some really serious time. A good friend of mine manages the Carmike here in Lawton and he works longer hours than anyone else I know.

Posted by Jarryd Beard (Member # 2543) on 04-13-2005, 01:37 PM:

I agree with Bobby as far as Carmike's newest designs go. In State College, both theatres were former Cinema Worlds. However, the new Carmikes I've been to are quite impressive. In Pittsburgh, the flagship theatre seems to be the Loew's Waterfront. However, once you get past the lobby, the auditoriums and presentation are pretty much shit. The much smaller Carmike 10 and Wynnsong 12 (Another Carmike Name), have less elaborate lobbies and exteriors, but auditoriums (especially the comfortable seats), are quite nice. Also, almost all new Carmikes are at least THX certifiable, if they don't go for the certification.

My biggest complaints are Screenvision rolling commercials and an outrageous number of trailers. Also, new mandatory showtimes make for chaos before and after movies. I enjoy the vest and bow tie uniforms as they keep up with the old theatre style, as opposed to polo shirts. However, the concession upselling policy has to go.

As far as projectionists go, I'm pretty sure most Carmikes have managers take care of those operations. This may be different depending on any contracts you might have if part of a union. The two Carmikes in State College still have the union in their booths 5 out of 7 days per week. However, my understanding is that this stems from the union contract with Cinema World before they were purchased by Carmike in 1994.

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 04-13-2005, 02:51 PM:

What can I say about Carmike that I haven't said already?

quote: Tim Reed, a long time ago...
I got to know some of the nicest people I have ever met, dealing with the Carmike circuit. It was a distinct pleasure working with them, and the good nature extended all the way to the home office in Columbus - right down the line.

Posted by Matt Kerekes (Member # 2777) on 04-13-2005, 06:15 PM:

As it applies to floor staff and other hourly positions, they do not usually get more than 40 hours a week. However salaried managers are overworked. At least they were when I was there. I have also worked for Regal, Cinemark and a few small chains, and Carmike takes (or took) the cake for overworking salary managers. Not so much at their bigger theaters where they each worked about 48 hours a week, but at the dinky 4 screen that I managed I was REQUIRED to be there 60-70 hours a week and my assistant manager wasn't even allowed to open or close the building unless it was my one day off which was Wednesday. I said before, maybe they've changed, but this thread was also just requesting info about Carmike or I could have said some things about the others too.

Posted by Darryl Spicer (Member # 711) on 04-13-2005, 06:50 PM:

quote: Bobby Henderson
It's hard to name any movie theater company that didn't file bankruptcy (Cinemark maybe?).

Cinemark never filed for bankruptcy.

THe local Carmike here is a discount house. I have yet been there that there wasn't some sort of Projection issue. No sound till the DTS kicked on. Strobing in the xenon lamp that indicated a bad diode. Scratches through out the entire presentation this including the house trailers (policy and stuff). Saw the same ad run five times, never wanted to shoot a damn M&M popping out of a box more than that night. Didn't even have any trailers after the ads. Of course the rediculous showtimes they run that have been discussed in another thread causing lines to run half way out into the parking lot.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 04-13-2005, 07:11 PM:

quote: Matt Kerekes
As it applies to floor staff and other hourly positions, they do not usually get more than 40 hours a week. However salaried managers are overworked.

What this is called basically is the "house nut" rules -keeping within budget to make a buck.

Some states have an overtime rule for hourly employees that require overtime pay over 40hrs.

The sad thing is that theatre business is not a PRODUCTION occupation since the employees are not manufacturing something or anything for sale for profit to the company, and to pay the employees extra for.

They are just performing service work for a simple wage.

Circuits see this non-productive form of occupation and paying overtime for employees doesn't justify to the company when trying to make a profit, which is mainly in the snakbar due to the high percentage film takes from the gate.

Thus, with employees on salary, in the case of management, these people can "fill in" the big blank spots with their required additional hours that they have to be at the theatre that the hourly people can't "fill in" within their 40hour/week rate.

Kinda getting took for as much as possible for little pay the circuits have to give out.

I used to work for Carmike back in the early 90's when they took over a small chain called Excellence Theatres, that they themselves went under due to mis-management of sorts, but didn't stay long since my booth responsibilities were taken away to MO's.

-Monte

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 04-13-2005, 08:12 PM:

quote: Darryl Spicer
No sound till the DTS kicked on. Strobing in the xenon lamp that indicated a bad diode. Scratches through out

Darryl, that's awful. Rodney Hughley's supposed to be servicing those theatres.

Posted by Sam Graham (Member # 2889) on 04-13-2005, 08:33 PM:

quote: Bobby Henderson
The one in Christian's town (Sioux City, IA), is probably an old theater formerly owned by another chain (Carmike's website doesn't show it to have anything playing in digital sound or any of that stuff). Not far away in Des Moines, Carmike has a 12-plex with THX, digital sound and stadium seating on all 12 auditoriums. So it sounds like they're making some effort there.

Not true. Carmike's website CLAIMS all THX, but in fact, the 12-plex had maybe one or two houses built THX-certified. Same holds true for the Wynnsong in Johnston, which originally opened with THX certification on either six or eight of its sixteen screens, but which is only renewed on the two "largest" (insert laugh track here) houses.

If you read the showtimes for these two plexes on Carmike's website literally, they're playing every movie in a THX auditorium in both Dolby Digital AND DTS simultaneously. I don't even think they opened all digital in the first place, let alone being capable of such an amazingly silly technical feat.

Posted by Darryl Spicer (Member # 711) on 04-13-2005, 10:04 PM:

quote: Tim Reed
Darryl, that's awful. Rodney Hughley's supposed to be servicing those theatres.

Tim

The last time I was there was probably a year and a half or more. I just got tired of watching bad presentations there. Even if the tickets were only a buck. Hopefully he has gotten things straightened out there. I know National Cinema Service used to service them when they first opened back in 96 or 97

Posted by Dustin Mitchell (Member # 372) on 04-13-2005, 10:50 PM:

quote: Monte L Fullmer
I used to work for Carmike back in the early 90's when they took over a small chain called Excellence Theatres, that they themselves went under due to mis-management of sorts, but didn't stay long since my booth responsibilities were taken away to MO's.

Monte, the way I understand it Excellence wasn't perfect but was far from being mismanaged. What happened to excellence is the lender they were working with to finance their rapid expansion (mostly through acquisitions) got bought out by a larger firm that had a different philosophy about debt and called the entire debt due immediate. Excellence of course couldn't pay but Carmike could. Carmike bought the debt and thus the circuit.

Posted by Allison Parsons (Member # 2728) on 04-13-2005, 11:12 PM:

questions:
-Do they have a booth tech for each market/state that they are located in. Or if you have a problem will I have to call home office and someone will walk me thru it.
-Are ticket prices comparable to other chains (I can probably look on their web site for that answer)
-Do they have any 'perks' for the employees (examples: contests, etc.)
-Coke or Pepsi products?

Posted by William Hooper (Member # 71) on 04-14-2005, 12:54 AM:

quote: Jarryd Beard
Also, almost all new Carmikes are at least THX certifiable, if they don't go for the certification.

Carmike had an architectural/installation design for its Wynnsongs where every other auditorium was THX. So even in the non-THX rooms, you at least had THX-spec sound isolation from the adjoining rooms (which is about 100 miles better than new builds for some companies where you can still hear the next room through the walls). I don't know if they're still using that design.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 04-14-2005, 01:00 AM:

quote: Sam Graham
Not true. Carmike's website CLAIMS all THX, but in fact, the 12-plex had maybe one or two houses built THX-certified. Same holds true for the Wynnsong in Johnston, which originally opened with THX certification on either six or eight of its sixteen screens, but which is only renewed on the two "largest" (insert laugh track here) houses.

This would be news to me. It would seem to be an oversight on either Carmike's part or that of THX. Carmike does operate a number of all-THX locations, despite not having some high profile locations in cities like Los Angeles or New York. I think that's part of what makes Carmike a stupidly easy target for theater bashers.

The Lawton location (here in my town) is not currently advertising any screens of being THX certified due to having undergone a recent stadium seating conversion. Carmike and Lucasfilm are still working out details on how to get screens #4 and #5 into THX compliance. The theater was originally built with those two screens THX certified. And they did sound great (they still sound great anyway). The only thing better to my ears was Northpark #1 in Dallas (RIP), or Brad's screening room. And that's saying a Goddamned hell of a lot.

The point is, Carmike is not necessarily the hellhole some people love to paint it as being. They need to spread the HATE a little more fairly around. Otherwise they're just going to sound just a little bit stupid. Get onto AMC, Loews, Cinemark (those weak-ass bass M-fers) and others.

quote: Allison Parsons
questions:
-Do they have a booth tech for each market/state that they are located in. Or if you have a problem will I have to call home office and someone will walk me thru it.
-Are ticket prices comparable to other chains (I can probably look on their web site for that answer)
-Do they have any 'perks' for the employees (examples: contests, etc.)
-Coke or Pepsi products?

Carmike typically has at least one or two techs per district to keep things in line. Naturally, if you have a better theater with better equipment your location is probably going to get more attention.

Ticket prices at most Carmikes are comparable with what other circuits charge. The Carmike in Lawton gives military discounts for Fort Sill personnel and also gives discounts for police and fireman workers too.

I do know that Carmike usually works out agreements with other movie theaters in the same town so any worker at any theater will get free passes to visit whatever location he/she chooses. The mall theater here in Lawton kinda sucks, so most people if they work for Dickinson, Wallace or Carmike just want to watch movies at the Carmike here. That's just how it goes. They do run the best theater in my town.

I guess I'm glad I don't live in Montana.

[ 04-14-2005, 12:02 PM: Message edited by: Bobby Henderson ]

Posted by Darryl Spicer (Member # 711) on 04-14-2005, 02:10 AM:

quote: Bobby Henderson
do know that Carmike usually works out agreements with other movie theaters in the same town so any worker at any theater will get free passes to visit whatever location he/she chooses.

Hmmmmmmmmm. News to me. Far as I am aware Since the Carmike has been open, about 10 years, in our area no one has approached us about allowing any of their employees in to see our first run movies at any of the Cinemark locations here. Of course Carmike is running discount here so I guess they see everything there just later.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 04-14-2005, 02:35 AM:

quote: Dustin Mitchell
Carmike bought the debt and thus the circuit.

Thx for this added info, for I always thought it was some sort of management thing.

I remember when the expansion project was going on, in 1989-90 with all of the Excellence theatres throughout the "Heartland of America" - doing the best to make them look new and they looked good afterwards.

When our 4-plex theatre was completed with the expansion project, the contractor who was in charge of the project never got paid for a long time afterwards until the following year, in January of 1991. When we heard that, we knew that something was wrong from the home office of Excellence, but never knew what was going on. They kept us in the dark at the time.

That theatre now is a department store after Carmike closed it down due to a 21screener coming in town.

Yes, now I remember that Excellence was placed in a "receivership" of sorts, even though the full story was never brought out to us-just in a snippet of a paragraph in a newsletter from the home office. Then all of a sudden, Carmike were our new owners.

Dustin: did you used to work for Excellence back in this era? If so, did you remember any of the "office brass" of Alan Silverman, Larry Hanson, Tim Warner (who is now head of CineMark..I think..) and others?

-Monte

Posted by Wolff King Morrow (Member # 2226) on 04-14-2005, 02:40 AM:

I remember when I worked as manager at UA, they had a nifty trick of putting all managers on salary. We then each had to work 65 hours a week and only get paid for 40. I remember once getting chewed out by my boss for ONLY working 50 hours one week. [Roll Eyes]

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 04-14-2005, 02:54 AM:

quote: Wolff King Morrow
I remember once getting chewed out by my boss for ONLY working 50 hours one week

I had a friend who was manager of a UA cinemas in my hometown who went through the same crap: crammed in the long,long hours for little pay. His big problem was that he couldn't make any money due to his inventories were always short, and this shortage was taken out of his concessions commission.

He had employees, who unfortunately were also his friends, who were "thieving" from him.

He loved the business, but those long hours were murder on his social and individual life.

Makes one wonder why circuits expect their managers to "give up their livehood and their souls" for the company.

-Monte

Posted by Sam Graham (Member # 2889) on 04-14-2005, 07:29 AM:

quote: Bobby Henderson
The point is, Carmike is not necessarily the hellhole some people love to paint it as being. They need to spread the HATE a little more fairly around. Otherwise they're just going to sound just a little bit stupid. Get onto AMC, Loews, Cinemark (those weak-ass bass M-fers) and others. I'm tired of this idiot Carmike only bashing bullshit. Grow a F**KING BRAIN.

WOW. Do you feel better now?

The point of my post was to correct Carmike's "oversight" (and subsequently, your assumption) that these plexes are all-THX. They are not. Most of them never were. Period.

I made NO ARGUMENT with you about the sound in a Carmike Cinema built to THX standard. I made ONE flip critical comment about Carmike's operations, and it had NOTHING to do with sound.

IF I have a personal problem with Carmike, that's not it. And I won't start ripping them apart now either.

And if you can honestly say you're not seeing any posts critical of AMC, Loew's, or Cinemark operations, you are not reading these forums in the first place.

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 04-14-2005, 07:31 AM:

quote: Allison Parsons
-Do they have a booth tech for each market/state that they are located in.

They did, at least when I serviced them in Oklahoma, in the early nineties.

quote: Bobby Henderson
if you have a better theater with better equipment your location is probably going to get more attention.

Umm, it usually works the other way around. Crappy equipment gets more attention by far.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 04-14-2005, 12:20 PM:

What I meant by the "more attention" thing was the better theaters are going to get upgrades of better equipment and stuff like that. Lots of older theaters can't even be upgraded for items like digital sound and stuff like that.

Sam, I'm sorry if it sounded like I was personally attacking you. That wasn't my intention. I was venting a bit (late at night after a few beers with some friends) over what I see as a kind of preoccupation with Carmike. They're certainly not perfect. But they have no monopoly at all on bad theaters either. Every theater chain has them. I've been reading these forums for a few years now. And I haven't seen other chains get nearly the level of criticism that is being directed at Carmike.

Once in awhile I'll see a negative post about AMC (such as its Torus screens --or my posts griping about their stupid practice of sticking surround speakers in the ceiling). I might see a tidbit about Regal or UA. But threads about those chains don't tend to go onto multiple pages the way these Carmike threads are more likely to do.

Posted by Jarryd Beard (Member # 2543) on 04-14-2005, 12:26 PM:

quote: Sam Graham
If you read the showtimes for these two plexes on Carmike's website literally, they're playing every movie in a THX auditorium in both Dolby Digital AND DTS simultaneously. I don't even think they opened all digital in the first place, let alone being capable of such an amazingly silly technical feat.

Sam, you're misreading the web page. The specs for each movie are listed next to the title by the use of an icon. The icon legend at the bottom right explains each. This legend lists all icons, even if they don't pertain to that auditorium, movie, or even theatre. If you go to the Southern Hills 12 showtimes, you can see that THX isn't listed at all for this theatre.

Also, when I said almost all new Carmike theatres are built with THX certifiable specs, I didn't mean all auditoriums in the theatre. However, I do agree that there are a select few Carmikes that are THX certified in every auditorium.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 04-14-2005, 10:44 PM:

I think each Carmike theater has to enter in its showtimes and other technical information for their theater showtimes/info on the Carmike website. I have seen some theaters have both a Dolby and DTS logo put onto a single screen listing.

Even though some inaccuracies can occur, I still have to give Carmike points for making the information available. The websites for most other theater chains and other online showtime listings don't provide any technical information such as sound format, THX or stadium seating availability. Sites like Yahoo! will sometimes get shows and showtimes completely goofed. For that reason, if you're looking for showtimes online for any Carmike theater, you're better off going to Carmike's website.

Posted by Jason Black (Member # 684) on 04-14-2005, 11:35 PM:

Sweet Jesus Christ Almighty.

Carmike is FAR from being a SUPER DUPER compnay to work for, HOWEVER, they are also not a TERRIBLE company to work for.

I'll sum it up by saying this.. You, in all probability, will only like your job as much as you like your local level management. If they are piss-poor at their job, then you will, more often than not, dislike the job. If you have a good, effective manager, you will like the job more than you would the other way 'round.

It's not simply the company, it's the business and the way it is run. It's pretty much cut and dry that way. I'll agree iwth others, the upsell policy or be fired is (was) a PITA to deal with. You've got some 17 year old kid who likes what he does who fails to offer one person (and possibly more) a combo or upsell. You fire them, no questions asked. Pretty shitty in my book, and yes, I had to do this.

All in all, I worked for the company for nearly 17 years. Were the all peachy? Nope. Have I seen worse places to work? You bet.

The determining factor(s) in my leaving were a DM whom I didn't respect, nor trust, and a better opportunity presented itself at the right time.

Allison,
To answer your original questions...
1) The dress policy is white tuxedo shirt (which varies by Division Mgr) and a bow tie with maroon vest. black slacks/skirts.

2)techs will vary from region to region. You'll have one specific to your theatre, unless there is an emergency, where you may see a diff. tech. get to kno wyour tech and they will help you outand teach you what you'll need to know.
(PS- I'd dare say anyone in the HO will have a clue how to walk you thru anything!)

3)I've found our prices to be comparable, given varying locations. We're cheaper than most, most of the time. (you get what you pay for, right [Smile]

? )

4)Perks? LOL.. yeah, free movies. Didn't you know? Oh, and a $35 upselling bouns if 'caught' upselling by an ALCOPS rep.

5) Coke, all the way. Is there any other? [Smile]

Good luck. Don't let the people here scare you off. Try it out and make your own decision, otherwise, you're only short-changing yourself in the long run.

One word of advice. Unless you don't care about life outside the theatre, dont' plan to go into mgt. with Carmike. 60 hour weeks are routine and tend to hit 65+ MANY weeks of the year thanks to the inane showtimes MANDATED by the home office. (I'll leave that one alone for now).

Anywho, good luck... hope it goes well for you.. [Smile]

Posted by Richard Greco (Member # 2032) on 04-15-2005, 12:04 AM:

I hated Carmike, but I did realize that my old manager, whom I thought was horriffic, was right all the time now that I'm in management.

Posted by Dustin Mitchell (Member # 372) on 04-15-2005, 01:42 AM:

Monte, actually worked for a former Excellence man, Mike Olson, for many years. When I worked for him he was a theatre manager for Carmike but back in Excellence days he was marketing director for all their theatres in Wisconsin.

Larry Hanson now has his own booking company (and, coincidentaly enough, does the booking for Mike Olson's new theatre in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin). Tim Warner is President of Cinemark International. I have met them both, albeit breifly.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 04-15-2005, 01:29 PM:

Tim Warner got his start in Montana. He was part of a company called Theater Operators Inc., which sold out to Essaness Theatres, which in turn sold out to Excellence.

Warner also had a booking company called Warner Marketing. When he went to work for Cinemark, he sold that company to Verl Clark, who worked for him. Verl renamed the company Clark Film Buying. They how have three bookers on staff. That company books for my theatre today, along with a couple hundred other locations in the northwest.

Just a bit of history for you history buffs. [Smile]

Posted by Timothy Ervin (Member # 733) on 04-15-2005, 06:39 PM:

Carmike isn't bad, they are not great either. But is there any theatre company that is truly excellent to work for these days?

Posted by Sam Graham (Member # 2889) on 04-15-2005, 07:37 PM:

One second to answer Allison's question about admissions: No better or worse than anybody else. When Century came in, they set their admissions about two bits above Carmike's, and Carmike eventually raised theirs to match.

quote: Jarryd Beard
Sam, you're misreading the web page...If you go to the Southern Hills 12 showtimes, you can see that THX isn't listed at all for this theatre.

Jarryd, the reference was not to Southern Hills 12. It was to Wynnsong 16 in Johnston, IA, and Southridge 12 in Des Moines, IA, which display THX, Dolby Digital, and DTS with every movie listing, not just in the legend. Here's a screen shot of the first few Southridge 12 showtimes. Southridge 12 has one THX certified auditorium.

The showtimes have been posted this way for at least the past year. I actually e-mailed Carmike about it when I first discovered it in 2004, along with another showtimes problem Wynnsong had.

The other problem was fixed almost immediately.

Posted by Jason Black (Member # 684) on 04-16-2005, 07:47 AM:

Richard,

What'd we tell you when you first mentioned a mgt. possibility? LOL...

Live and learn my friend..live and learn... just remember the mistakes you make and LEARN from them.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 04-17-2005, 04:16 AM:

quote:
...a..company called Theater Operators Inc., which sold out to Essaness Theatres,

...here's a snippet from a Late Show Ad that I have.

Good ol' T.O.I. - out of Bozeman, MT - home office at the University 4 in Bozeman. This is where I met Tim "Timmy" Warner(now pres. of CineMark..) for the first time, Bob Clunzman, and a host of other TOI brass that came down that summer to help reopen the RIO in town after a remodel. (and it's interesting that Ron Reid, and Mark Reis who used to be with Excellence-now for REG, comes from the roots of T.O.I)

I used to work for TOI from May until October of '84, at the city's Drive In, and the Rio downtown. Then I made my move to Boise to return to Mann Theatres. I used to work for MANN in my hometown, but had a confrontation with my 19yr old manager who thought I was a POS for no reason, and I was there for 8yrs...so I left her high and dry that summer to work for TOI, and leaving her with problems galore. The MANN people understood of my leaving due to that manager, and welcomed me back that October to take over a 4screener in Boise.

These T.O.I/Excellence theatres finally became part of the Carmike Circuit.....and now Carmike have left the city, due to REG's 14 screener there.

-Monte

Posted by Joshua Waaland (Member # 287) on 04-17-2005, 10:46 PM:

I don't know what credentials most of the people commenting on Carmike have, but as a former long time employee I feel qualified to tell you about them.

1. They are cheap, cheap , cheap. Anyone who says differently doesn't know their ass from a hole in the ground! So what you have one nice theater in your market. Good for you! I have yet to see a DECENT Carmike around here. Took them ten years just to change the Cinema World sign! [puke]

2. Forget about getting a tech or parts unless your screen is completely down. Best way to get a tech in is to hit their pocket book. If the screen is down they will send someone. If not, your screwed! Better get an industrial sized box of paper clips and duct tape. You will need them.

3. There is absolutely no one in this market that makes over state minimum and you can forget about any overtime premium. When I worked there they even bitched at me for working 80 hours a week when they didn't pay me over minimum wage for any of it. What the hell does it matter? If I don't work someone else will and it doesn't cost you any more!

4. When I worked there another projectionist actually read that stupid employee manual and found that there was extra pay for changing signs. With one on the building and two by the road it worked out to $18 extra dollars a week. They used to pay $6 per sign. Knowing their chinsy asses they took away that perk too. [Mad]

5. If you are lucky you may see the district manager once a year. Ours had around 50 or so theaters in his region to take care of. I don't think he even ever actually came up to the booth.

6. Did I say they are cheap?

[ 04-18-2005, 10:58 AM: Message edited by: Joshua Waaland ]

Posted by William Hooper (Member # 71) on 04-18-2005, 01:54 AM:

[qutoe]When I worked there they even bitched at me for working 80 hours a week when they didn't pay me over minimum wage for any of it. What the hell does it matter? If I don't work someone else will and it doesn't cost you a frickin dime![/quote]

I hope they paid you overtime? Or did they compain & not pay overtime?

Posted by Jarryd Beard (Member # 2543) on 04-18-2005, 10:45 AM:

Sorry about that Sam. Apparently, somebody is very confused. As far as I know, the individual district offices update those listings. When showtimes were wrong for the theatre in my area, submitting feedback online fixed the problem. However, an apology for the mishap was sent from the district manager's secretary. She admitted to her mistake. So, if a secretary is taking care of the web updates, I can see how there might be confusion as far as technical aspects go. However, I do feel that the person responsible for posting the showtimes above should be educated properly for future postings.

Posted by Joshua Waaland (Member # 287) on 04-18-2005, 10:56 AM:

They only paid me $4.25 an hour minimum wage for all 80 hours. We were told that the entertainment industry was exempt from paying above minimum wage for overtime. If I ever find out otherwise, Carmike will be into me for a big wad of cash that's for sure. When I first started at Carmike, there was a change of managers. Two of my co-workers there told me that the manager that was leaving had given them a 10 cent increase per hour and the district manager chewed his ass for it. I was there for six years after that and never saw anyone get an increase in pay.

quote: Bobby Henderson
The point is, Carmike is not necessarily the hellhole some people love to paint it as being. They need to spread the HATE a little more fairly around. Otherwise they're just going to sound just a little bit stupid. Get onto AMC, Loews, Cinemark (those weak-ass bass M-fers) and others.

Okay, I'll bite. I think people are only giving credit where credit is due or a lack thereof. I have worked for two different Cinemarks (Tinseltown and the new style) including one a mile away from the Carmike and they both blew Carmike out of the water. We have General Cinemas, AMC, Marquee Cinemas and several other chains around here and only one GC is a crappy theater.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 04-18-2005, 04:22 PM:

quote:
So what you have one nice theater in your market. Good for you! I have yet to see a DECENT Carmike around here. Took them ten years just to change the Cinema World sign!

The sign thing is nothing new. Plenty of circuits have left old signs in place after a takeover. Here in Lawton, UA left the Litchfield ID up for a decade before having to replace it over storm damage. Then Wallace Theaters left the sign broken for three years when storms blew out all the marquee faces.

Yes, the Carmike theater we have in Lawton is pretty decent. And it may be an exception to what many argue is a general condition. Nevertheless it is a valid exception to point out to those who take some obvious pleasure in saying Carmike sucks.

About district managers, every district manager (and division manager) has a different personality. I've met the one running this district and she makes visits more often than just once a year.

A major factor of what make's Lawton's Carmike a decent theater is the dedication of its manager. He's been there all the years this theater has been open and managed other theaters here and elsewhere. There's plenty of theater managers in just about every circuit who are there to just get a paycheck and care little about whether the customer is getting a good show or not.

quote: Joshua Waaland
I think people are only giving credit where credit is due or a lack thereof.

The only thing I typically see posted regarding Carmike is 100% negative. It's rare if anyone besides myself has anything positive to say about a Carmike they've visited. Again, this is not to say Carmike is without sin. My contention is that ALL theater circuits have their horrible theaters and horrible managment. The situation in regard to presentation quality industry wide has grown worse. Carmike is not alone at all in letting things slip.

Cinemark is doing a nice job with all that post-modern architectural decoration on their newest theaters. But I have not visited a single one in the last few years that had any decent sound at all. The only exception is Cinemark IMAX-3D theaters I visited in Dallas and Colorado Springs. But the regular feature screens at those same locations were very underwhelming.

I would also go so far as to say just about all theater circuits are cheap, cheap, cheap. Maybe Century Theaters is one exception. Some of this is not the fault of the exhibitors, but rather the film distributors who keep pulling dishonest crap to further reduce any profit margins a theater has. Film distribution companies are making so much derivative, forgettable crap these days but still have PITA shareholders to satisfy with nice dividend payments and the like. So they just do something easy and further cannibalize the theater business by front loading major releases with thousands too many film prints and making sure theaters never get a good percentage of the box office. Next thing, they'll be wanting a huge take of the concession stand. Couple that with the whole "D-Cinema" thing and I have very serious worries about the long term viability of the movie theater business.

Posted by Evans A Criswell (Member # 381) on 04-18-2005, 10:03 PM:

I havne't posted about Carmike in a while. In my area, we have two Carmike theatres. One is a newer theatre built in 1998 and overall, it's a good theatre. It's still in good shape and the image and sound quality are usually very good. However, over in Decatur, it's another story. Carmike has a theatre built by Fairlane/Litchfield in 1982 that is very poorly maintained. Carmike's philosophy seems to be "Keep the newer theatres up pretty well but let the old ones stay in bad condition."

Even bad press a few years ago in the Decatur Daily newspaper about the poor presentation quality and the poor condition of the theatre got very little done. The only result I saw from the article is no manager changes have taken place since the article was published (December 6, 2001). Before that time, the Carmike 8 in Decatur had roughly 10 managers over 5 years, while the Carmike 10 in Huntsville had 5.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 04-18-2005, 10:29 PM:

quote: Evans A Criswell
Carmike's philosophy seems to be "Keep the newer theatres up pretty well but let the old ones stay in bad condition."

I believe that is an industry-wide philosophy. And some of it is with good reason, unfortunately. Just consider all the ADA, OSHA and EPA regulations you have to satisfy with any kind of significant construction improvement. Also, why bother to convert a 20 year old theater with paper thin walls and low ceilings to stadium seating and digital sound on any or all screens? You're better off to tear down and build new ---if you can recover the cost of doing it. Unfortunately that's a tough thing to do in quite a few markets.

Carmike used to have two mediocre to bad theaters (depending on which screen you visited) in Albany, GA. One complex had some screens that had obviously been twinned (cut in half), but the projection port holes had not been moved. Keystoning and focus problems were so bad I got pissed and wrote a scathing editorial in the Albany Herald. More than a decade has passed. In that time, Carmike closed both of those locations and replaced them with a single 16-plex "Wynnsong" theater.

I expect Carmike to have some major competition problems in Wichita Falls, TX once Cinemark's new site opens. Carmike's Sikes Ten theater is technically younger than our theater in Lawton. Yet I don't like visiting it because it is stuck within a small space in the confines of an old shopping mall (the one partially devastated by that famous tornado in 1979). You've got tiny screens in all but two auditoriums and most have that fixed 1.85 masking that crops 'scope movies. Gahh! IMHO, Carmike will have to build a completely new site outside of the mall or completely away from it to stay alive in Wichita Falls. I could be wrong though. Maybe their numbers will stay good by virtue of being inside a mall. I cannot stand the Dickinson 12-plex in Central Mall here in Lawton, but it does generate some pretty decent numbers.

Posted by Jason Black (Member # 684) on 04-18-2005, 11:05 PM:

Joshua,

I don't know you, nor have I ever heard your name, aside from the boards.. but I must say...

You sure to have a lot of bad to say about a company YOU chose to work for and that YOU chose to stay with. No one broke your arms or bound you to the 80 hours. The extra money for sign changing is NOT a policy, nor has it ever been. Changing the marquee is an integral part of the doorperson/cashier/concessionist/operator/assistant's job. You like your job, you stay.. you don't stay in this business becuase you plan to retire from the money you make..anyone with half a brain (even Phil) knows that.... [Roll Eyes]

You're in this job for the love of the show.. for the customers and their families... the kids whom you see grow up and eventually come work for you... the bonds you make with patrons and staff alike... *Real* theatre folks now exactly what I'm talking about and I need not go any further.

I miss it already, but that's another story.

You weren't cheated out of any money. There are federal loopholes in the entertainment industry. The fact that mayeb you didn't know about them does not necessarily make the company (Carmike, or anyone else for that matter) out to be cheap bastards like you'd make them out to be. Labor rates are essentially set by the labor force in a given market. End of story. I paid one of the highest wages in the company, behind Aspen, CO and I still got shitty employees from time to time. I had employees bitch about the pay rate... and you know what my response was? You came to ME looking for a job, I didn't come to YOU. You don't like your hours, the fact that you work holidays, the pay scale or anything else? Go find a job that makes you happy... and I hope it works out to be what you want.. I didn't need, nor want, employees who were 'sour' about the place. It reflects in their job performance, and directly to our employers, the customer.

To make a long story short.. if you don't like your job, find another one...there's always another person who'll take your position, and, quite possibly, one who will actually appreciate the opportunity that they have been given.

Oh, and your point about tech calls... any manager who was worth their weight in salt knows that they could call the tech and get help over the phone.. if the manager/operator knew their way around the booth anyway. I never once had a screen down for something that I, myself, could not fix. If it was beyond my scope, the tech came down, generally the next morning, and sometimes, the very same day. Then again, I had a GREAT tech service and the level of service will vary from company to company.

Your milage may vary... People are alwasy so quick to piss and moan.. but so damn slow to offer any solutions... [Mad]

Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 04-18-2005, 11:59 PM:

So Jason, I didn't take the time to read your long and boring post...but this caught my eye:

quote: Jason Black
People are alwasy so quick to piss and moan.. but so damn slow to offer any solutions...

You are sooo right on target not only in the specific but in genreal as well! [thumbsup]

Posted by Allison Parsons (Member # 2728) on 04-19-2005, 12:23 AM:

Woah there guys! I didn't mean for everyone to get in a hissyfit about the good/bad things about Carmike.

I'm sure all theater chains a)have their pro's and con's and b)all probably work about the same and basically have the same policies. To be perfectly honest, after reading most of your posts, it seems that I won't be in too much of a shock when the take over happens. Some of you are describing GKC already j/k [Smile]

I've just worked for them for about 9 years now and don't have any other theater chain to compare it too. But I will keep you all updated on what goes down when it happens.

Also, I'm just a wee booth op. Been there, done that when it comes to managment a few years ago and don't have any plans on going back.

You can privatly email me if you want to, but I am curious on how much managers start at Carmike.

quote: Jason Black
People are alwasy so quick to piss and moan.. but so damn slow to offer any solutions

Oh I agree with this one! It does often help, however, if someone at home office would extend an ear to listen.

Posted by Dustin Mitchell (Member # 372) on 04-19-2005, 12:28 AM:

quote:
1. They are cheap, cheap , cheap. Anyone who says differently doesn't know their ass from a hole in the ground! So what you have one nice theater in your market. Good for you! I have yet to see a DECENT Carmike around here. Took them ten years just to change the Cinema World sign!

In a way this is a fair criticism. I helped close down several Carmike's during the bankruptcy and I can say they were dumps. Though it was of their own doing to be fair Carmike was in a very tight spot financially at the time (to put it lightly). However, Carmike is now pursuing a massive upgrade/remodeling program for their theatres. Check the website, www.carmike.com for a list of theatres being remodeled.

quote: Joshua Waaland
2. Forget about getting a tech or parts unless your screen is completely down. Best way to get a tech in is to hit their pocket book. If the screen is down they will send someone. If not, your screwed! Better get an industrial sized box of paper clips and duct tape. You will need them.

Carmike grew through the early and mid 90's through acquisitions. With some of these acquisitions came contracts that needed to be adhered to. This could explain some not so great techs making their way into servicing some Carmike theatres.

For what its worth, I have no complaints about my current tech. He's great. Not only that but I have never had a problem getting any part from the Technical Department.

quote:
3. There is absolutely no one in this market that makes over state minimum and you can forget about any overtime premium. When I worked there they even bitched at me for working 80 hours a week when they didn't pay me over minimum wage for any of it. What the hell does it matter? If I don't work someone else will and it doesn't cost you any more!

Its a business decision on the part of Carmike. Can't deny it, their annual report brags about how Carmike pays 47% of their employees at federal mininum wage.

quote: Joshua Waaland
5. If you are lucky you may see the district manager once a year. Ours had around 50 or so theaters in his region to take care of. I don't think he even ever actually came up to the booth.

This is valid, or was. At one time Carmike had 480 theatres and 16 districts. The current theatre count is around 300 and there are 18 districts. District managers are required to do audits every 90-120 days, so you should see your DM at least 3 times a year.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 04-19-2005, 01:08 AM:

quote: Dustin Mitchell
Its a business decision on the part of Carmike. Can't deny it, their annual report brags about how Carmike pays 47% of their employees at federal mininum wage.

..and I have to add to this for all circuits. They probably have close to the same percentage of payroll being of the minimum wage.

Yet, you can't blame them, being the theatre business is ACTUALLY a service orientated occupation, not a manufacuting business where the employee is actually making an item to be sold for profit.

Thus, is the basic reason of no to gradual incentives for the employee who is hired to just do the simple job required.

quote: William Hooper was the last to post
When I worked there they even bitched at me for working 80 hours a week when they didn't pay me over minimum wage for any of it.

Most of the states have a clause to be excluded from the overtime rule, or certain occupations that are excluded from the overtime rule. Entertainment is one of them.

Overtime is an ugly omen to the theatre business. They don't feel that they need to pay employees anymore than 40hrs/wk for the same reason-an service orientated occupation, not a production occupation.

Paying overtime is wasting money that is earned due to that paying that overtime wage cuts into the daily required profits and raises the "house nut" budgets. Theatre circuts needs to make at least 20% profit daily to make their ends meet on some occasions.

I bet that Carmike, REG and others have a horrible punishment to managers who let their employees work overtime, especially in some states where overtime is required across the board.

thx-Monte

Posted by Mike Spaeth (Member # 524) on 04-19-2005, 01:55 AM:

My circuit has 0% of it's employees making feeral minimum wage.

Posted by Joshua Waaland (Member # 287) on 04-19-2005, 07:26 AM:

Jason,

I don't know you either and don't really care. I did stay at my job because I loved it and loved working in the booth. Unfortunately since my hometown was small there were only three theaters one of which was a stage theater that only played kids movies on weekends. I worked all three at the same time. I had to share the hours with other people too. Carmike was the one where I had the most seniority and got the most hours. If I had been given the choice I would have worked only at Cinemark! If I waited to work for the perfect company then I would never have a job. Sometimes you just have to do what you can to make ends meet.

I loved the job and that is why I stayed but that doesn't mean I can't call it the way I see it! I don't understand why some of you would rather eat shit and die rather than hear someone disagree with your precious Carmike?! [Confused]

Just because you had a good experience there doesn't make it true for everyone. I thought the intentions of this forum were to hear from everyone rather than attack someone for their opinion! [Mad]

quote: Jason Black
You weren't cheated out of any money. There are federal loopholes in the entertainment industry. The fact that mayeb you didn't know about them does not necessarily make the company (Carmike, or anyone else for that matter) out to be cheap bastards like you'd make them out to be.

If you would read my post again I gave more than one reason for them being cheap. You chose to take one thing I said and focus on it. [Roll Eyes]

quote: Jason Black
Your milage may vary... People are alwasy so quick to piss and moan.. but so damn slow to offer any solutions...

Here is a solution for you. Treat your people right! I don't care what YOU paid your employess. Not the same situation here. If Carmike really cared for their employees then they would give them better tools and training to do their job and pay them decently. That was all I meant. When I worked for them I was young and didn't know any better. Given my knowledge now I wouldn't work for them again.

Sorry to hijack your thread Allison. [Frown]

Posted by Jeremy Fuentes (Member # 2135) on 04-19-2005, 07:43 AM:

quote:
I don't understand why some of you would rather eat shit and die rather than hear someone disagree with your precious Carmike?!

quote: Jason Black
Carmike is FAR from being a SUPER DUPER compnay to work for

Doesnt seem so precious from reading that.

quote: Joshua Waaland
You chose to take one thing I said and focus on it

I think you chose to take one his posts and focus on it, rather than his post on page 2.

quote:
Here is a solution for you. Treat your people right!

quote: Jason Black
I paid one of the highest wages in the company

Seems right to me.

I've never worked for Carmike or even been to a Carmike theater, so it may seem like I shouldnt be commenting on this thread, but

quote: Joshua Waaland
the intentions of this forum were to hear from everyone

Posted by Joshua Waaland (Member # 287) on 04-19-2005, 08:21 AM:

Obviously Jeremy when I said "treat your people right" I was talking about the company as a whole. Don't try to misconstrue what I said. That is great that Jason paid higher wages to his employees and valued them. As a whole I don't think Carmike does this.

Second how did I take one of his posts and single it out? He chose to take one of my supporting factors for the company being cheap and say that was my sole reason for my argument. Not true. I was merely pointing out that he took it out of context. How is that singling out? [Roll Eyes]

Man, it's like a witch hunt in here. Sorry I voiced my opinion....... [Eek!]

Allison,

I hope your experience with Carmike is a pleasant one. As you can see with every job there are people on both sides of the fence. Some have obviously had good experiences and I am happy for them. I on the other worked for a location that didn't get the attention it deserved. Especially given it was located in a major tourist town next to Cedar Point amusement park. Millions of people come through there a year yet we had sub-par equipment and a building that was falling apart. Last time I was there (6 months ago) nothing had changed. The manager told me they were slated to be retro-fitted to stadium seating and have 4 more theaters added on but they have been telling them that since I was there 10 years ago. I will believe it when I see it.

Posted by Jeremy Fuentes (Member # 2135) on 04-19-2005, 08:41 AM:

Its fine that you voiced your opinion, thats what were here for. People disagreed with you and said that Carmike isnt as bad as you make it out to be and that its like any other theater(or any business) it has its good and bad points. You disagreed with them and said

quote: Joshua Waaland
I don't understand why some of you would rather eat shit and die rather than hear someone disagree with your precious Carmike

They see the point you are making that its not the best company ever, but you dont seem to get the point they are trying to make by saying its not the worst ever.

***Edit: His last paragraph was posted after I made my comments, pretty much making my post irrelevant.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 04-19-2005, 09:08 AM:

quote:
I don't understand why some of you would rather eat shit and die rather than hear someone disagree with your precious Carmike?!

That has not been the situation regarding comments about Carmike on this forum. They've never been regarded as "precious," not even by me. But I have gotten tired off all the one-sided Carmike-bashing as if every theater they have is a dump. It isn't accurate and I'm tired of hearing it.

quote: Joshua Waaland
Man, it's like a witch hunt in here. Sorry I voiced my opinion.......

That's actually how I've felt in the past if I ever had something positive to say about a Carmike theater --including your "I'll bite" response earlier.

quote: Joshua Waaland
The manager told me they were slated to be retro-fitted to stadium seating and have 4 more theaters added on but they have been telling them that since I was there 10 years ago. I will believe it when I see it.

Carmike has been retrofitting a LOT of their theaters for stadium seating lately. I never thought the theater here in Lawton would be converted, but they did it and it turned out better than I expected (although I did not have very high expectations after seeing what Dickinson Theaters did over at Central Mall).

Still, for some older locations it is better to tear down and build new rather than do any conversion.

Posted by Allison Parsons (Member # 2728) on 04-19-2005, 10:22 AM:

ok, I have one more question:

I'm not sure if Carmike has ever bought out a theater chain before, but what do you think are the chances that they would come in and fire all the exsisting managers at GKC and bring in their own?

Posted by Jason Black (Member # 684) on 04-19-2005, 11:26 AM:

Allison,

That is VERY unlikely. The folks at Carmike don't *know* your theatre. They don't have managers waiting to be relocated to points unknown, although they are *trying* to change that.
I would rest assured that the mgr's positions are safe, at least for a while, after the buyout/acquisition.

Joshuaa,
I made no personal attack and there is no reason for you to apologize for making any statements. You stated what you felt, as did I. You pointed out nothing but negative, I accentuated some positive. It's your choice, as it is mine, to either agree or disagree. I'm not trying to chnage your mind, nor are you trying to change mine. I'm just sick to death of the *majority* of comments here regarding Carmike, being so degrading.

They aren't perfect. They don't claim to be. Any chain is ONLY as good as the house level managers that actually run it. Sorry your experience was less than perfect, in your mind but don't let that automatically influence everyone else that it's a hell hole company to work with/for.

*PS... Thanks for the comment Phil... I knew you were reading.. LOL

Posted by Joshua Waaland (Member # 287) on 04-19-2005, 03:09 PM:

Allison,

I would have to agree with Jason on this one. Hey we agree on something. [Wink]

When Carmike took over where I was, they didn't fire anyone. As a matter of fact, nothing changed but the signature on the checks. As stated above the sign even stayed until 10 years later. Funny story about that is when they finally put one up, the mall made them take it down because it didn't fit their criteria for signs. Seems nobody ever asked the mall brass to okay it before putting it up. Last I knew they still were without a sign there.

Posted by Scott D. Neff (Member # 185) on 04-19-2005, 04:11 PM:

I find that in most acquisitions, the original managers and staff tend to quit one by one because they are uncomfortable with the changes being made by the new owners.

While I know nothing of GKC and Carmike's differences, I'd bet if you're willing to learn a few new tricks and not insist that the way you've been doing things is the ONLY way to do them, you'll do well with the change.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 04-20-2005, 01:24 AM:

quote:
My circuit has 0% of it's employees making federal minimum wage.

Congrats, and true, Mike.

With the size of the two locations of the company that you work for, I can see why.

Plus the owners must have something going with them to appreciate the employees in making their two locations a success in allowing wages above federal minimum.

They know what good employees mean to a business to keep moving forward. Plus, having to go against the ATL. market.

Any expansion plans with your small circuit, Spotlight Theatres?

thx-Monte

Posted by Mike Spaeth (Member # 524) on 04-20-2005, 01:47 AM:

Yes, we do ... nothing is a matter of public knowledge yet. As soon as the deals are signed and set, I will post details.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 04-21-2005, 01:28 PM:

quote: Allison Parsons
I'm not sure if Carmike has ever bought out a theater chain before, but what do you think are the chances that they would come in and fire all the exsisting managers at GKC and bring in their own?

When Carmike bought the Excellence Theatres chain, they canned a fella named Lanny Wagner, who was one of the best movie men I've ever known. He was a city manager in Billings and really knew the value of showmanship. I just saw him last summer (he stopped by my theatre when passing through town) and after almost 20 years, he still misses the business. (He's now retired.)

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 04-21-2005, 02:45 PM:

Shoot Mike, I remember Lanny Wagner - Hellva guy! Met him as well when he'd pass through our Excellence locations in Idaho as a representative for "proper" advertising in the newspapers. He had Billings well under control. (now, I just can't remember the theatres in Billings, but I do remember the downtown house was the most popular-a single screener....)

-Monte

Posted by Joshua Waaland (Member # 287) on 08-24-2005, 12:26 AM:

Update......I was told that the Sandusky Carmike is now building a completely new building. A construction company said that the costs to retrofit the old theater to stadium seating was too much. Also seems Carmike doesn't like the theater management too well. The have decided to just abandon the building since it is on mall property.