Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Bad Newspaper Ad

This is topic Bad Newspaper Ad in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 05-20-2005, 08:10 PM:

Check out the May 19th ads from the two local Century theaters. They do not believe in advertising start times. Well at least not for all movies. Check out the scans below. They are not Photoshopped (other than combining the 2 ads into a single image)!

It is widely known that Century is pretty cheap in regards to what they pay their "projectionists", so maybe they don't want to list times because they know that the movies have little hope of starting on time! [Razz]

Also, notice how BOTH theaters are Denver's ONLY all THX theater. (Neither theater is in Denver)

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 05-21-2005, 12:30 AM:

Ehh, looks like a newspaper typesetter error.

At least the logo designer knows how to spell "Theatre." [Big Grin]

Posted by Adam Wilbert (Member # 1184) on 05-21-2005, 12:52 AM:

who looks in the newspaper for showtimes anymore?

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 05-21-2005, 02:08 AM:

Why would the newspaper only screw up the Century ads (which were on two different pages)?

If people didn't look in the newspaper, there wouldn't be newspaper ads. Can we please get back to poking fun of Century's incompetance? Notice they spell it "Century Theatres" but then they say they are the only THX theater. Pick a spelling.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 05-21-2005, 03:05 AM:

Don't you see the strategy, Joe? They're providing the showtimes only for the crappy movies that are tough to sell. For good movies, most people will wait in vain out there in the parking lot for, I don't know, maybe 7 hours until the show begins.

The ads do suck ass because there's no DTS logos, and especially no Paramount style 70mm logos. Gotta have a cool 70mm logo for a directory ad or stack ad to be worth a damn.

Hey Joe (where you goin' with that gun in your hand --oh wait, sorry, wrong guitar oriented tangent)...are either of those "theatres" any good, even with the "all-THX" bragging rights? I'm going to be up in that part of the country sometime this summer. There's gotta be some decent theatres somewhere from Colorado Springs to Denver.

Posted by Carl Martin (Member # 1146) on 05-21-2005, 03:37 AM:

it says one of them is "e. denver's only" and the other is "w. denver's only" so there's not a contradiction. tomorrow i will probably visit a century for the first time so i will see how bad their projection sucks.

carl

Posted by Jason Miller (Member # 2341) on 05-21-2005, 04:40 AM:

UA Denver West has at least 2 auds that were THX at one time. UA continental has 3.

I think the AMC theatres on the flanks might have some THX auds in them as well.

the one in aurora isnt all that nice. the one in lakewood was built right after I left. everyone tells me the lobby looks really nice, but the auds weren't anything special.

Colorado Mills is still my favorite (but I am biased).

Posted by Mike Spaeth (Member # 524) on 05-21-2005, 01:48 PM:

Nowadays, the showtimes are uploaded to the newspapers via a computer program. Probably was some sort of error due to the problem. I always have my newspapers FAX me a proof BEFORE the ad runs to prevent this sort of thing. The blame is most likely placed with the media collection service that publishes the times to the newspaper.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 05-21-2005, 04:38 PM:

Jason, I opened both Denver West and the Continental projection booths. Continental only had 2 THX rooms. I got some decent before and after pics of the Denver West, so check out the PICTURES section of the site.

Bobby, I've never seen a movie at a Century, but my dad complained to me how messy the Aurora one was. The Lakewood one looks like an apartment building.

Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 05-21-2005, 09:32 PM:

Looks like they only had so much space to work with and didn't want to exceed their budget.

Posted by Jason Miller (Member # 2341) on 05-21-2005, 09:41 PM:

I thought #1, #5 and #6 were all THX at Continental? maybe I am wrong on #1.

I didnt know you were ever at DW. I knew you were at Greenwood and Continental.

Have you seen the DLP version of Star Wars at UA Pavilions?

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 05-22-2005, 01:51 AM:

#1 and #6 were the THX ones at the Continental. They wanted to do #5 (da big house) but THX wouldn't certify it because it didn't meet the criteria. I've never seen the UA Pavilions DLP in action. I've only been there once to change a xenon bulb for manager Tim Campbell (I was working for Mann at the time). It was a bloody maze.

Posted by Dennis Benjamin (Member # 1137) on 05-22-2005, 09:03 AM:

Actually, when I lived in Vegas - Century did this all the time. I believe it actually has to do with Newspaper deadlines more than the fact that they are cheap (cause we know they are).

Many times in the weekly papers (ones that only come out once a week) Century would want to get an ad in - but they didn't have their showtimes availible for the new films - so they would simply put the title of the new films (knowing that they would be running shows every hour on the hour).

[ 05-24-2005, 08:19 PM: Message edited by: Dennis Benjamin ]

Posted by Dave Williams (Member # 299) on 05-22-2005, 10:30 AM:

The Aurora Century is fair as far as theatres go, but nothing special, no knock your socks off presentation or anything.

If you want to see that, just visit Brad Miller, wherever the hell he is at, and then you get knock your socks off presentation.

And to a smaller extent, maybe joe redifer.

Ciao

Posted by Eric Hooper (Member # 1730) on 05-24-2005, 01:11 PM:

Century has a problem sometimes getting their showtimes uploaded on Fandango too, especially mid-week showtimes (which you would think would be a no brainer). Even their little 'My Century' newsletter is often missing showtimes.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 05-24-2005, 06:10 PM:

Hmmmm... sounds like Century just needs to shut down and exit the theater business ASAP!

Posted by Jason M Miller (Member # 2597) on 05-25-2005, 09:37 AM:

Man, I wish our company did that, then we would not have the customers comming in wondering why the show times don't match even when there paper is two weeks old [Mad]