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Author Topic: Carmike's DCinema Installs stopped? Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 05-10-2007 10:27 AM                     Any Carmikers out there know the scoop on this one? Word has come to me that suddenly, the digital installations have come to an apprupt halt (as in pack your things; leave the site). Has this digital madness driven them towards bankruptcy (and they were getting it about as cheap as possible!)...how does this affect the whole Christie/AIX thing, if true. Anyway...anyone out there to confrim or deny?  |  IP: Logged David Stambaugh Film God Posts: 4021 From: Eugene, Oregon Registered: Jan 2002 posted 05-10-2007 01:37 PM                        Carmike is publicly-traded so unless they're flagrantly cooking the books Enron-style, their financials have actually improved over last year... Carmike Theaters Chip At Loss (May 8th 2007) Theater owner and operator Carmike Cinemas Inc. cut its first-quarter loss by about 40 percent and the company is optimistic summer releases will improve the financial situation even more. Columbus, Ga.-based Carmike (NASDAQ: CKEC), which runs several movie theaters in the Birmingham area, had a net loss of $3.7 million on $110.6 million in revenue, compared with a net loss of $6.2 million on $111.6 million in revenue in the first quarter of 2006. Loss per share was 30 cents, compared with a loss per share of 50 cents in the first quarter of 2006. "While the film product did not perform well in our markets in January and February of the first quarter, we remain very optimistic about the release schedule this summer," said Michael W. Patrick, Carmike chairman, president and CEO. "We are pleased with our progress in improving theater operations, having successfully implemented a number of cost control measures in our theaters while being sensitive to the customer experience. We believe that the improvements to our theater operations, combined with the opportunities provided by our digital rollout and a strong anticipated movie slate will improve cash flow as we progress through the year."  |  IP: Logged Dustin Mitchell Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1865 From: Mondovi, WI, USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 05-10-2007 02:55 PM                     Carmike had a huge weekend with Spider-man 3 too. Obviously a good deal of that money will go back to Sony but not until settlement time, so for now cashflow certainly isn't a problem. I am personally not aware of any stoppage in digital installs. If it did happen (and I really don't know either way) it would be quite sudden as the last newsletter for my division talked about plans for installs in smaller theatres (less than 5 screens) and how they would be handled. Is it possible whatever locaion (is it just one?) that had the install crew pulled is about to close? It wouldn't surprise if the manager didn't know his theatre was about to close, they typically don't find out until the day of. It just doesn't make much sense to pull the install crew mid job. As stated in its public releases Carmike is paying $800 per screen to have digital installed. This is on top of the additional electrical/exhaust work that is typically needed (and is Carmike's responsibility). Even if Carmike was going to stop its digital conversion (and they're 2/3 to 3/4 done now anyway) you'd think they'd at least let the current installs finish seeing as how the majority of the expense to Carmike (electrical/exhaust) has already been incurred.  |  IP: Logged Barry Floyd Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1079 From: Lebanon, Tennessee, USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 05-10-2007 03:54 PM                        quote: Dustin Mitchell Carmike is paying $800 per screen to have digital installed. $800.00 ?? Sign me up! I'll probably have another $1,600.00 by the time the weekends over... just send them over to my drive-in. Make sure you tell'em to bring the big bulbs  |  IP: Logged Dustin Mitchell Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1865 From: Mondovi, WI, USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 05-10-2007 04:11 PM                     Two caveats (sp?): 1) Carmike doesn't own the projectors, AccessIT does. I believe Carmike has the option to buy the projectors in 7 years at whatever the then current market price is. Some people would call this a bad deal because they'll be 'obsolete' by then. I'm not so sure about that myself, but that's another discussion. 2) I'm not sure if its required as part of the deal by Christie is doing the service for the digital projectors (and supposedly the remaining 35mm projectors) at $2,250/screen (info published in the annual report). I do not know service rates but I do believe this is a bit high. Besides that you still pay for bulbs. You wouldn't pay for parts, however, unless of course the damage was done due to negligence on the part of you or your staff (I presume). This is all assuming you could get the same deal Carmike got. So yeah, a serious response to probably a not so serious post .  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 05-10-2007 04:55 PM                     The stoppage, as I have heard it was company wide...not just one site but it was something like during a lunch break that the word came down. Other sources speculate that the stoppage was more of a means to halt changing out equipment during the more profitable summer months and things should resume for fall. Hence my desire to hear from someone within Carmike to know if something is up or mere policy...I could certainly understand not shutting screens down during peak periods...even if it is only for a day or two.  |  IP: Logged Dustin Mitchell Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1865 From: Mondovi, WI, USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 05-10-2007 05:48 PM                     The peak periods thing sounds very likely. There has been some concern expressed about that as of late.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 05-10-2007 05:51 PM                     There was some speculation amongst several largish manufacturers at Showeast that they might not be able to make the 2+ million dollar service contract payment to Christie on time... they were also back then 2 financial reports behind in filing. There IS also a big warehouse full of film/sound gear that was pulled out for digital installs .... this equipment was just..... sitting...... waiting..... Mark  |  IP: Logged David Stambaugh Film God Posts: 4021 From: Eugene, Oregon Registered: Jan 2002 posted 05-10-2007 06:12 PM                        quote: Steve Guttag Other sources speculate that the stoppage was more of a means to halt changing out equipment during the more profitable summer months and things should resume for fall. Given the lead time probably required by Christie etc. for building large quantities of new projectors, it seems like someone would be left standing there holding a big bag of something warm and brown if Carmike just shuts off the upgrades all of a sudden.  |  IP: Logged Marc Hansen Film Handler Posts: 93 From: Seattle, WA, USA Registered: Dec 2000 posted 05-10-2007 11:43 PM                     Dustin- Is that $2250 per month or per year? Marc  |  IP: Logged Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 05-11-2007 12:13 AM                     I have been monitoring the progress on Carmike's D-Cinema install program. The program has not stopped -at least it didn't up until the beginning of May. The number of installs between January and May have been pretty numerous. Just in my neighborhood I was surprised to see a small 6-plex over in Duncan, OK get outfitted with 6 D-Cinema systems (just a couple weeks ago). I was surprised to see it happen that quickly. Any Carmike location that has digital projectors now has them on all screens. For the better part of a year quite a few prominent Carmike locations had half their screens equipped with digital projectors and the other half equipped with film projectors. Every Carmike location in Arkansas has D-Cinema (all 68 screens in the state). At the beginning of the year only one location in AR had D-Cinema -and that installation in Fort Smith was a partial install. That's 61 new installs in that state alone since January. In the same time Georgia has had 53 new systems installed in Carmike locations. Florida has had 35 systems installed. Montana has had 43 systems go into Carmike locations. 48 in North Carolina. 79 in Tennessee. Most states with Carmike locations have seen significant D-Cinema installation activity. If there's anything that will slow down the progress of the D-Cinema program Christie/AIX is doing with Carmike it will be in all the older, smaller theaters that remain to be converted. Just about every new to good Carmike location has been converted to D-Cinema. Mostly the smaller theaters in smaller markets remain to be converted. Many of those didn't even have digital surround sound, which complicates the situation. A number of older locations have been closed in recent months. I was kind of hoping the 2-screen twin in my hometown in New Mexico would have been upgraded by now. They have a pretty cool looking neon vertical "blade" sign and marquee, not to mention DTS on both screens. It's going to take considerably more work to bring the more obsolescent/obsolete theaters up to the levels of being able to deliver digital cinema. In that regard I can see it making some prudent sense to hold off trying to convert those locations until later in the fall. Some older locations may also be awaiting closure for new replacement locations. I know that's happening in Ardmore, OK where a new Carmike site is to be built. I'm going to post another circuit wide update in the original Carmike D-Cinema thread, likely Friday. I would have posted the update last week in line with Spiderman III, but I was also wanting to see what kind of extra push happened with the upcoming Pirates sequel. This news kind of forces the issue.  |  IP: Logged Michael Coate Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1904 From: Los Angeles, California Registered: Feb 2001 posted 05-11-2007 12:45 AM                     I'd be surprised if the Carmike installs come to a complete halt. Just a week ago while putting together the "Spider-Man 3" list I spoke to managers of three different Carmike theatres who each indicated they were scheduled within a week or two to have their digital projection systems installed (in time for "Shrek 3" and/or "Pirates...").  |  IP: Logged Dustin Mitchell Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1865 From: Mondovi, WI, USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 05-11-2007 01:40 AM                     Marc- $2250/year/screen Mark- Shows what rumors are worth. Carmike filed its 4th Quarter/Year End reports on March 16th-in the middle of showest I believe. The first quarter reports for this year were filed on May 7th.  |  IP: Logged Tony L. Hernandez Expert Film Handler Posts: 158 From: Windsor, CO, USA Registered: Dec 2005 posted 05-11-2007 01:48 AM                     I know my local Carmikes...the Carmike 5 in Greeley, CO and Carmike 10 in Fort Collins, CO have already converted to D-Cinema but still have the 35mm projectors standing by for obvious reasons. Is this what most theaters that convert do or do they tear the 35mm out most the time? I have yet to be inside a digital booth but next time I'm at Carmike, I will request to see theirs.... As a response to the subject, I hope for the love of God they do stop while they still have some 35mm screens. D-Cinema is a ridiculous little trend that will be dead soon, hopefully. Come on, film has been around for over 100 years and has served us wonderfully all this time; let's not fix what isn't broken. A better solution to the problem would be to get real projectionists back in to the booth and stop having armatures damaging prints and putting on lousy shows. But I guess until the big boys learn this, we must put up with D-Cinema; an image,sound and technology that is a pile of  |  IP: Logged Barry Floyd Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1079 From: Lebanon, Tennessee, USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 05-11-2007 09:12 AM                        quote: Dustin Mitchell $2250/year/screen That's NOT a bad price, if fact well under the amount I've been hearing from the rumor mill. However, it's still about 8-10 times the amount I pay for maintenance on my existing machines. quote: Dustin Mitchell Besides that you still pay for bulbs. You wouldn't pay for parts, however, unless of course the damage was done due to negligence on the part of you or your staff (I presume). This is all assuming you could get the same deal Carmike got. Yeah, I guess that's were the benefit of having multiple locations with multiple screens makes a huge difference.  |  IP: Logged

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