Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: SW:EP 3 going to the dump of a theatre in town

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Posted by Cory Johnson (Member # 103) on 04-20-2005, 08:42 PM:

I just want to express how disappointed I am with the fact that a film like EP3, with its Lucasfilm name and THX high profile branding can get selected to play in the dump that they call a theatre in my town. Given a choice between a newly remodeled Marcus 11 screen theatre with all stadium seating and digital sound (not to mention the biggest feature screen in town at 40ft. with a very nice JBL screen array installed with DTS) and a 6 screen Carmike with no stadium seating, no 6 channel digital sound and a 16 ft screen with tears and pop all over it, I'm glad that Fox made an informed decision about it. Decisions like these make me shake my head when theatres owners/film makers are complaining about low attendence. No way I'm going to pay $8 to sit in a POS theatre to watch a film like EP3.

Way to go Fox!
(The theatres in question are in La Crosse, WI.)

I'd love to send a 'nice' message to someone at Fox - anyone got a contact/address?

Posted by Adam Wilbert (Member # 1184) on 04-20-2005, 08:55 PM:

the people at fox don't get to pick the theatre the film goes to. My understanding of competitive zones is that the dumpy theatre just got lucky in the first run booking rotation.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 04-20-2005, 09:09 PM:

If the two theaters are within a couple miles of each other they're likely stuck in an allocation arrangement. In such a situation a film like SW:EP3 can't play at both locations "day and date.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 04-20-2005, 09:52 PM:

...or Marcus could of had some problems in the past with FOX to cause them to lose the engagement of EP-III, thus the engagement automatically went to Carmike. I've seen that happen when a theatre company steps on the studio's toes and the studios bite back-real hard and nasty.

For example's sake below:

Like 10 yrs ago when "Braveheart" came out: Cineplex Odeon and Paramount were feuding on booking issues to where CO lost "Braveheart" and gave it to a small 'indie' 6 plex in my town.

Like 3yrs ago a small 5plex in the midwest was scheduled to play "The Hulk." They had arranged for an advertised, promotional event to take place with the radio stations and that town. Things were all set up until the day before when the theatre's co-owner found out about this and immediately pulled the event.. Universal heard about this, thus cancelled the engagement of "the Hulk" and any more of their releases for the rest of the year at that 5plex.

Most people don't know this but, film studios actually control the theatre industry. Theatres must go their way and "play ball" with them, or no movies comes to their theatres.

-Monte

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 04-20-2005, 10:50 PM:

I don't remember there being any real memorable theatres in LaCross. I used to service some of them there years ago. Really, isn't your town better known for beer or something like that?

You might consider going to hang out with this guy and see it there .

I will most likely just wait to see it on DVD some day. The present Star Wars concoctions are really not anything I would run out to see right away. They may be better seen in their later scratched up form in a 2nd run house somewhere for a pittance.

Mark

Posted by Dustin Mitchell (Member # 372) on 04-20-2005, 10:58 PM:

The Carmike in La Crosse, the theatre you are making reference to, has two DTS equiped screens.

Bigger screens are not necessarily better, they could be underlit for example.

I've never been to either theatre in La Crosse (Marcus or Carmike). According to my info people hate going to Marcus. *shrugs* Two sides to every story I guess.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 04-20-2005, 11:11 PM:

Actually, I am hoping to open SW EP-III that May18th, then I can say that I ran the opening performance of all six SW episodes, from that initial opening day in the middle of June, in 1977, then onwards.

-Monte

Posted by Mike Spaeth (Member # 524) on 04-20-2005, 11:47 PM:

Cory - deal with it. Fair is fair. In situations like this, an allocation process is "necessary." There is absolutely nothing you, or anybody else, can do about it.

Posted by Cory Johnson (Member # 103) on 04-21-2005, 12:54 AM:

Not sure I'd call it 'fair is fair'. Obviously I'm voting with my $ and not spending it there but with all the discussions on poor theatres, scratched films, poor presentations, etc. it seems to me blaming the theatre owners for all the problems isn't kosher since the film companies seem to not care in the long run anyways what conditions the theatres in or the quality of the presentations based on what films go where. Even with complaints on the theatres it doesn't alter the politics of what goes where.

Dustin - I won't get into the 'digital' aspect of the screens but I will just say the quality of the systems can be summed up with this: Carmike did a little as possible to get the word 'digital' slapped onto the screens. So calling them digital doesn't work in my book. (I believe they had a 2 week deadline to get them upgraded in order to get EP1 when it came out. Of course when your upgrading from mono anythings an improvement).

Mark - Its not like its a metro area theatre but the 11 screens are pretty decent with the remodel and additions.

Dustin - guess your friends are in the minority as the Marcus got voted the best theatre in town the last 2 years running. (And I believe the lamps are 4000W Strong houses on the big screens, which doesn't get the 16 total lums as wanted but still nothing to sneeze at).

Mike - no offense but I don't take the attitude of giving up and thinking that I can't make a difference.

Anyways always good to vent a bit. Too bad for the consumers though which are really the ones that have to suffer.

Posted by Mike Spaeth (Member # 524) on 04-21-2005, 05:17 PM:

If you want to vote with your $$, drive to an outlying town farther away. I'm just saying there is nothing you can say to Fox to get them to change their allocation.

Posted by Jesse Skeen (Member # 586) on 04-21-2005, 06:22 PM:

Lucas is probably having the film prints play at the worst theaters possible just so he can say that digital projection is better [Roll Eyes]

Posted by Charlie Frisby (Member # 2927) on 04-21-2005, 08:07 PM:

quote: Monte L Fullmer
Actually, I am hoping to open SW EP-III that May18th, then I can say that I ran the opening performance of all six SW episodes, from that initial opening day in the middle of June, in 1977, then onwards.

-Monte

Monte...you are the man.

Everyone here wants to build up one reel.

Posted by Jonathan M. Crist (Member # 413) on 04-21-2005, 11:02 PM:

"Allocation" is not something imposed by the studios but rather by the competing chains themselves. There are many areas where competing chains in close proximity (sometimes even across the street) play the same films. The studios would like to play everyone and get those high percentage dollars in the first week or two.

It is only where a chain complains or continues to insist on the allocation that the process still occurs. Most of the time this occurs where there are older venues - where the allocation has in a sense been "grandfathered". Again too it usuually now occurs where the older (or poorer) quality theatre - but owned by a large chain with some booking power - needs to keep a POS theatre going.

Posted by Lyle Romer (Member # 1266) on 04-21-2005, 11:44 PM:

Jonathan,

Is that true? I was always under the impression that the studios would not book "day and date" if two locations were within a certain distance of eachother.

Posted by Mike Spaeth (Member # 524) on 04-22-2005, 05:25 PM:

It depends on the population of the area too ... you are more likely to get "clearance" in a metro area as opposed to a small town.

Posted by Jeremy Jorgenson (Member # 2989) on 04-22-2005, 06:29 PM:

think of the people at the Chinese in Hollywood waiting in line for weeks (months?), only to find out that it got booked at Arclight...

Posted by John Carpenter (Member # 1488) on 04-22-2005, 06:54 PM:

good to hear i'm not alone...

and from what I have been told, both theatres have to agree to play the same films in order for it to go day & date - so of course the older 'not so popular' theatre will be saying no.