NATO Chief Says Theaters Are Recovering

John Fithian, president of the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO), has indicated that the industry is well on its way to recovery following a year and a half that saw one theater chain after another seek bankruptcy protection. In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter at ShoWest 2002, which opens today (Monday), Fithian said, "We essentially had our recession before the country did. ... The theater chains emerging from the bankruptcy process are leaner and meaner." The trade paper also observed that although a number of companies will be demonstrating new digital projection systems, observers are skeptical that they will make many sales. One unnamed exhibition executive told the Reporter: "The technology is getting better but the price point is too high." Kodak is scheduled to unveil a new digital cinema system today.

So. . .how lean and mean are things at your place?