What kind of movie experience are the chains delivering?

[Mike Blakesley]

We had a patron a few nights ago say that she'd been to a movie at the AMC theater in Billings (Wicked For Good) and she hated it. Long lines at the concession, high prices (of course), not enough people working to handle the crowd, and the place was "filthy." Interestingly, she did NOT mention anything, good or bad, about the movie presentation.

So my wife had to spend a couple days in Billings this week, so she decided to go to a movie to fill some spare time. She went to "The Housemaid" at the AMC Shilo Classic on New Year's Day.

She said there were tons of people, mostly coming to see Avatar 3, but there were only 3 employees working the concession/boxoffice (which at this place is combined). Even with the "put on your own topping" popcorn and the "Freestyle" soda machines, which should be time-savers for the workers, she still wound up waiting in line for 55 minutes. At one point, one of the workers yelled across the crowd, "We are short staffed! If you don't like it, apply for a job here!"

She also reported that the place was, indeed, filthy -- stained carpets, sticky floors, substandard cleaning (or no cleaning) between shows...the whole bit.

She said the movie looked and sounded fine, but she had to move seats because a couple of jackasses behind her would not shut up.

It irritates me that Cinema United (formerly NATO) continues to crow about the amazingness of the theater experience, which of course it CAN BE amazing if done right. But I wonder how many of the chain theaters across the country really aren't doing it right? Is the shitty experience now the norm? C.U. should be calling out the crappy experiences -- although that would cost them memberships, I suppose.

Of course some of these issues can be laid at the feet of audience members who don't behave like they should. And every service-oriented business is having trouble hiring enough help these days, or so it seems.

We went to a movie in Las Vegas last summer and our experience there was fine. Friendly staff, not too many trailers, great looking venue (in the Orleans resort), and the movie looked and sounded great. So maybe (hopefully?) the problems they're having in Billings are more localized than national. I hope.

[Jesse Skeen]

I've simply given up on theaters nowadays- If we had just ONE good theater here I'd go to it weekly no matter what was showing, but not a single theater meets that standard. I do want to see the new Avatar since it won't be available at home in high frame rate 3D, but debating where to see it- the last one was at a newly-built theater but picture was dark and sound was anemic.

If I ran a theater, I'd have an iron-clad guarantee that if anything at all was wrong with the presentation, you get a refund. Of course I'd also have some way to police the audience and permanently ban anyone who makes noise during the show.

[Stefan Scholz]

There are ones that do their job, and others that do not. Chains, and individually owned. Mainstream and Arthouse places.
I rarely go to theatres for reasons of bad presentation quality.
The last visit to a major chain in my hometown was ok, we were watching Wicked - for good on the starting friday night show.
The hall, after installing a few rows of improved seats, still holds a little below 1000, and were were among 12 to 15 in total.
For the first time in this auditorium since I can remember, the image offered some brightness and color, the recent upgrade to a laser unit worked.
The sound was also ok, and unlike many others not totally muted, playing at 6.0 fader level is about acceptable, others tend to go to 3.8 fader.
Still, speckle and hot spot issues, that's normal, if you're into stereoscopic projection and throw away glasses. I do notice as an installer, but audiences will mainly see
he improved brightness and better color rendition.
The place was clean, not too much debris left. Later we learned from one of three employees serving 3200 seats in total, that they have a cleaning brigade on Fridays,
before the weekend starts. The employee did tell us, as she found out, my colleague worked in another theatre of the same operator, on a temporary basis.
We learnt, it eventually looks totally different on a Thursday night.
3 employees, one box office, one central ticket scan, and one assistant on the self serve concession, is all you need on a Friday night, with next to no attendance.
Sadly this seems to be the standard of exhibition.

With Avatar I had to learn, it only worked in numbers due to the fact, Disney insists on 4 shows a day, and at least two large auditoriums, for a month long minimum.
Running in nearly every commercial theatre complex, taking the vast majority of the capacity, this leads to high box office numbers. Looking closely on the figures,
more than 50% of the tickets sold go to Dolby theatres, Imax screens, I-sense screens, and other forms of premium screens. The average on standard 3D is low, a
little better in 2D presentations. Which absolutely makes sense. All the distribution with us is a couple of standard brightness 3D 2k DCPS in max 48 fps and 5.1 sound
mix. Or 4K 3D and 5.1 mix. To see 4K 3D and HFR, combined with improved sound experience, you need to attend these premium venues, which do their own mastering.
Often there's been only 100 ticket sold in 10 shows on a standard screen, even in the starting week. Something, that can be terminated at this point, it's a waste of scarce resources.
Why did they only supply the small number of versions, instead of the promised number of matched files mastered? I believe, simply because outside of the premium screens,
the rest mainly just has non upgraded, limited capabilities. Only very few media blocks and projector combinations of rather recent construction are capable of 4K 48 fps, or higher,
limiting the number outside premium screens to single digit numbers.
So if you want to see the movie as intended, go and wait for streaming, UHD and watch at home. It will give a better involvement in your home.

U.C./NATO or however these associations are called in an individual country, often focus on the premium experience on a large screen. Which exists in some cases.
Our local industry once had a teaser, Theatres!, that's what movies are made for. The footage shot with SD or 720 p mobile phone in lowest bitrate, the sound obviously
mixed on a Macbook without proper speakers in glorious 2.0 compressed and loud sound. You might show it in commercial TV, and none would notice, but in 4k quality projection,
this was an embarrassing snipe.

[Randy Stankey]

Coca Cola Freestyle machines are not strictly product dispensers. They are more of an engagement device.

The whole idea is to force the customer to interact with it. They display different versions of the product and keep track of customer preferences then send that information back to the Mother Ship.

As a necessary part of that process, they slow things down, not speed them up. The idea that they are labor saving devices is BS. All they do is move the congestion away from the concession counter then make the congestion in the lobby areas WORSE.

For a small shop like a burger joint, they might make sense but, in a production environment where you have to serve crowds of people, quickly, they are a waste of time and money.

All this doesn't even consider that the quality of the product suffers.

No movie theater worth its salt should have Coca Cola Freestyle machines.

[Tony Bandiera Jr]

( Edited by me to the key points I'll address)

She also reported that the place was, indeed, filthy-- stained carpets, sticky floors, substandard cleaning (or no cleaning) between shows...the whole bit.

She said the movie looked and sounded fine, but she had to move seats because a couple of jackasses behind her would not shut up.

It irritates me that Cinema United (formerly NATO) continues to crow about the amazingness of the theater experience, which of course it CAN BE amazing if done right. But I wonder how many of the chain theaters across the country really aren't doing it right? Is the shitty experience now the norm? C.U. should be calling out the crappy experiences -- although that would cost them memberships, I suppose.

Yeah filthy and no cleaning between shows is the trademark of American Monkey Cinemas and has been all the way back into the 1970's. They will never change. I serviced independent locations and 'plexs by smaller companies that were worlds better at just about every aspect of "film done right."

And as for the former NATO , now Cinema United , where they left out the other two letters of what the new name should be: NT which stands for Nothing Tangible (gets done). Instead of holding meetings and wasting time on trying to sound like some hip UK footballers club, they need to work on a program like the old THX/TAP programs where theatres are given standards and must meet (and continue to meet) them to get a certification.

Speaking of holding meetings, I worked for a company where the district manager was worthless... one of my colleagues once said "(DM's name) gives great meeting." Which was a business environment friendly way of saying he basically sucks donkey balls. CU (NT) doesn't even give great meetings so let your imagination roll with that....

Anecdotally, during my service days in talking with managers and owners, a THX auditorium CONSISTENTLY sold more tickets than the non-THX auditoria. (Based on the same film playing on multiple screens in the same 'plex.) While they didn't get a whole lot of feedback saying how great the THX room was, they also did not get anywhere near the volume of complaints as opposed to the non-THX auditroia. Including the common "the sound is too loud". Most of my THX rooms played the fader at 7 with no complaints (Funny what a properly designed room, the right equipment and proper EQ can accomplish...)

Remember the old saying about customer satisfaction: Satisfied customers rarely say anything to the business owner, but WILL say a LOT to co-workers and friends. Dissatisfied customers MIGHT complain on site, BUT WILL complain even more to coworkers and friends (and nowadays, blast it on social media.)

Like Stephan, I don't go to theatres anymore due to bad presentation, anemic sound, rude (or no) staff, and the AMC filth. There have been several films I've wanted to see (Oppenheimer, etc.) but I'll just get them on Blu Ray instead. It'll be cheaper and I can watch whenever (and however many times) I want, and I can do it in my underwear at home.

[Stefan Scholz]

I can follow Tony Banderas words, that properly designed auditoria sell better, THX was nothing special, if I remember my training, just a comprehensive guideline following industry standards and norms. I even tended to say, Dolby, JBL, THX were substandard when I was young, as in many cases they didn't do what was possible at the time. At least they followed a standard that was already been published.

Today I have customers, where we installed above the usual standards, powerful sound systems and improved projection, in rooms designed for the reproduction purpose. Without mentioning in their outside communication that they are using above average technology, the management never had any complaints about bad ticket sales, whereas others do often in owner's conventions.

Yes, people do complain to others, and they mention in social media feedback. I remember a service call to a 10 plex, consisting of old offices converted to 10 to 15 seat screening rooms, and an old, larger 1950s small town theatre hall. Their feedback included "sound and image on the old Sony TV in my bedroom is vastly superior to the show I attended", to multiple patrons stating "there's no need for a restroom signage. Just follow the smell", to "next time we will go to the multiplex in the large district city".
Actually projection (in 2025) was based on used CP 2000 projectors he collected for free and sometimes using sound bars as a sound system and converters attached to very old Dolby processors, then wired to feed the sound bar system. The very first generation projectors I found weren't great in contrast and fly-grid effect, even when new. Now, 15+ years later it has all degraded to a point, where the image is not sellable at all. Venues like this, they do harm to the whole industry.
But how to erect a theatre quality program? There's been the THX approach, there's been Kodak and their Screen check program in the past. I remember a European initiative, called Golden Cinema, where the technical aspects were one point, but also seating quality, reservation (in pre internet times), time on ticket and concessions, concession offering and quality, staff friendlyness, and restroom facilities, anemities and cleaning, as well as parking convenience were important factors, focusing on total client satisfaction.
The assessments were done anonymously, and often more than a single time. The results intended to give a view solely from a potential movie goer's point of view. No measurements, no technical check included. Somebody had to pay for it, so it didn't survive long.
Over general I found that moviegoers attending a smaller art house cinema are more tolerant to low presentation standards, than in multiplexes. They are more forgiving on below standard projection and sound, narrow seating, and lack of today's technical standards.
So how to build a QC system that gives justice to all? I have no real idea.

[Harold Hallikainen]

In the past week or so, Louise and i have seen several movies. The theaters did a great job:

Murder on Orient Express, You Got Gold: A Celebration of John Prine, and Harry Met Sally at Loft Cinema in Tucson

Marty Supreme at Roadhouse

Song Sung Blue at Cinemark

These theaters are doing a great job, in my opinion.

[Mark Ogden]

THX was nothing special, if I remember my training, just a comprehensive guideline following industry standards and norms.

I'm probably wrong, but didn't THX give you a rack mountable box of some kind, a crossover network or something? I know that they had a list of standards about ambient noise, auditorium light levels, approved equipment etc. that you were expected to meet. I thought there was a voodoo box as well.

Seeing a movie in Manhattan is still a pretty good experience, at least technically, but that's a competitive situation between AMC, Regal, and some smaller players. But go into the 'burbs, and things are a different story. Here in New Jersey AMC has been putting money into its larger theaters after many years of neglect, switching to all laser projection and doing sound alignments, even repairing masking motors where equipped. They're still stupidly expensive to go to with the smallest soda hitting $8.00 in some spots. Interminable pre-show too. My rule is to sit down about twenty minutes after the posted showtime. The area Cinemarks are in pretty good shape, projection wise.

Regal is going downhill fast here. A bunch of their sites have older Sony SXRD machines with failing optics, giving everything a bluish cast in the lowlights. The last time I visited a Regal upstate, the center dialog channel was playing out of the left rear surround. I waited a bit, often times with Regal problems that occur with the pre-show vanish when the trailers or the feature start (why?) but no such luck. I spend a lot of time in the Boston area and I see the same thing in the big chains. But as I have mentioned before, wherever I go to a non-profit theatre they all seem to have much better projection and operations in general that the commercial screens. I like to think that once shareholders are out of the equation it makes it easier to spend a few bucks on upkeep. The two non-profits run by Montclair Film near me are miles batter than the chain theaters with generally good projection and sound and reasonable concession prices.

[Ryan Gallagher]

I walked past our highest quality AMC (with Dolby Vision and IMAX screens) today on my way to the Apple Store. I had forgotten how hands off so much of the experience is now... the "ticket" counter was still a counter but had ZERO staff working it. There were self service machines for tickets as well as to pre-order your concessions (which I assume you pick up inside). Talk about cheapening the experience... at least leave a hospitality/greeter out there (to assist with any automation confusions). Oye!

Having to browse a screen to pick out your movie also brings the experience that much closer to netflix at home too.

I much prefer what I encountered on my trip to Seattle a couple days ago, when I went to visit the Science Center Boeing IMAX at the prompting of Scotty here, although admittedly I did not walk around the corner far enough to see how concessions were being done, we went in the back way. There was at least someone at the front to put a human face to the experience.

Edit to add: At a plex with a variety of premium screens such as our AMC, one would think you at least need one person out there to answer questions about the differences between them when a whack ton are running the same film.

[Harold Hallikainen]

The last time I visited a Regal upstate, the center dialog channel was playing out of the left rear surround

I wonder if you were hearing HI out Lrs. This was a common routing problem early on since HI is on mainsound channel 7. Both the JSD-60 and the CP750 expect Lrs to be on AES7 (AES pair 4), so stuff either needed to be rewired or have the server do the routing.

[Mike Blakesley]

I find it kind of depressing that so many of these chain locations are taking the humans out of the mix. Even when some of the humans are surly or grumpy, at least they hand you your stuff and hopefully give you a thank-you-enjoy-the-movie.

The one and only thing I do like about the self-serve soda machines is, they let you decide how much ice you want. I like a lot of ice and concession people are constantly not putting enough ice in cups. We have a running battle with our crew here about that. The goal being that the person's ice should not all be melted by the middle of the movie...but if you only give them an inch of ice in the bottom of their cup to start with, you're guaranteeing them a warm drink within an hour.

[Randy Stankey]

My secret for pouring fountain drinks: Fill the cup with a little bit of soda before putting in the ice. Then, fill the rest of the way. The fizz doesn't overflow the cup as much, that way.

[Frank Cox]

Fill the cup like you're pouring a beer: run the liquid down the side of the cup, don't just let it drop to the bottom of the cup.

[Marcel Birgelen]

I'm probably wrong, but didn't THX give you a rack mountable box of some kind, a crossover network or something? I know that they had a list of standards about ambient noise, auditorium light levels, approved equipment etc. that you were expected to meet. I thought there was a voodoo box as well.

First generation THX installs came with the Model 3417 crossover by THX themselves. This was later replaced with a list of compatible solutions. Most modern audio processors and amps are able to to do in-line cross-overs, so the concept of a separate cross-over is a bit outdated nowadays. The voodoo part in THX is probably the marketing, the specs themselves don't have so much voodoo in them, unlike modern IMAX, which is a format entirely based on voodoo and cult-like beliefs.

I find it kind of depressing that so many of these chain locations are taking the humans out of the mix. Even when some of the humans are surly or grumpy, at least they hand you your stuff and hopefully give you a thank-you-enjoy-the-movie.

That's a cross-industry thing nowadays I'm afraid. Ordering kiosks are the default now in most fast food places. Ordering food at the table with your mobile phone is becoming de-facto standard in the more "smart casual" restaurants. Humans are easily one of the most expensive factors in the mix and they also have the tendency to be unreliable.