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Topic: need advise or suggestions on how to compete

Rick Meister
Film Handler

Posts: 26
From: Winner, SD, USA
Registered: Dec 2000

posted 06-30-2002 12:56 PM

Hi Everyone
I have a single screen theater in a small town. I do ok until the Competitor opens his drive in theater and then business just goes to hell in a hand basket as they say.
I have stereo sound, air conditioning,2 showings each night, a 2 for tuesday night, and free popcorn thursday night.All of this and business just sucks after they open. I play just as good of movies as they do. Anyone have any ideas short of closing down during the summer? Would appreciate any help.l

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Ian Price
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1714
From: Denver, CO
Registered: Jun 99

posted 06-30-2002 01:08 PM

I'd advertise that I had better sound and airconditioning. I might concider dumping the late night shows in the summer and running and early evening show instead.

The with the Drive in offering two shows for the price of one, I might try to get the same deal for the inside theatre.

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Darryl Spicer
Film God

Posts: 3250
From: Lexington, KY, USA
Registered: Dec 2000

posted 06-30-2002 01:52 PM

I agree with Ian on this one. You need to get rid of the last showing you run and run an earlier show. Since the drive-in plays movies at night around 9 or 9:30 you can run your shows around 7 for the evening and another show between 4 and 5 in the afternoon. Also try to avoid playing the same things as the drive-in.

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Jeff Akin
Film Handler

Posts: 48
From: Salem, OR, USA
Registered: Mar 2002

posted 06-30-2002 02:16 PM

What you do is have a friend get a job there. Make sure they will be able to work in the booth. Then, have them scratch up their lenses really bad and sabotage all their sound equipment.

Then no one will want to go to that drive-in.

Ok, maybe not the best idea. Push that AC like mad! Everyone loves going to the movies in the summer just for the AC.

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2 Time ICWF Champion

2 Time ICWF Hardcore Champion

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David Favel
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 764
From: Ashburton, New Zealand
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 06-30-2002 04:47 PM

To compete, or not to compete. That is the question.

Ask yourself if you want to compete head on with similar products & push the whole inside comfort idea.

Or do you want to screen a more art house movie as competition?

Then again the idea of scratching their lenses ......

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Ken Layton
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1452
From: Olympia, Wash. USA
Registered: Sep 1999

posted 06-30-2002 05:15 PM

People go to the drive-in because they like the drive-in experience---sitting out in lawn chairs, low prices, a wide variety of hot freshly cooked food, etc.---plus you get to see a double feature and you can smoke, talk during the movie, and bring the baby!

With fewer drive-ins in operation than years ago, you should be proud of a community that supports the drive-in theater. Chill out, drop the late showings at your theater and go take in a drive-in movie!

Ken Layton
projectionist
Skyline Drive-in Theater
Shelton, Washington

P.s. We were beyond sold out last night---way above capacity. We had to turn away over 100 cars last night because we had no room for them!

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 06-30-2002 08:56 PM

In addition to the suggestions above regarding pushing the A/C, if I were you, I would look into buying that drive-in. Then you could program complimentarily instead of competing.

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Adam Wilbert
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 590
From: Bellingham, WA, USA
Registered: Mar 2002

posted 06-30-2002 10:36 PM

Cross promotions with other local business can help a lot. Depending on the type of movies that you show, you might be able to ride the national promotions for fast food restaraunts and the like (like Dairy Queen currently has Scooby Doo promotions going). Also, try catering to group sales. For instance, if you show Harry Potter, invite the middle school at a discount during the early afternoon. The drive in cannot target groups like that.

Being so far north, how can they start their shows before nine o'clock? Push the earlier, more convienient showtimes for families.
-Adam

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Don Sneed
Master Film Handler

Posts: 451
From: Texas City, TX, USA
Registered: Aug 2001

posted 06-30-2002 11:36 PM

I don't know about you guys, but when I was young & drive-in was everywhere, In Texas a drive-in was a cheap motel

some of my best work was at a drive-in...we could not do that at a local indoor theatre...soooo if your driving teenagers are not coming to a indoor theatre....hummmmmmm, maybe they are at a Texas Style motel !!

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Chad Souder
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 962
From: Waterloo, IA, USA
Registered: Feb 2000

posted 07-01-2002 09:25 AM

I'm with Ken. You're not gonna get many to come just because you have A/C. Drive-ins aren't for the quality of their presentation, they're for the social aspect. Don't start mud-slinging, or you could just make people grouchy. You may also want to try an earlier matinee for a reduced price. Our 1:00pm shows seem to do very well all summer long, but you could at least try on the weekends. Open for a couple hours, close for a few, then open again for the evening.

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"Asleep at the switch? I wasn't asleep, I was drunk!" - Homer Simpson

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Scott Norwood
Film God

Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99

posted 07-01-2002 01:03 PM

Agreed, mostly, with what the others have said. Drive-ins are selling a different product than indoor theatres and don't necessarily need to be in competition with each other.

Depending on the market, the indoor theatre might be able to do well with art-house and/or childrens' films and, as others have mentioned, afternoon shows. There might be an opportunity to do some cross-promotion with the drive-in...maybe have the drive-in hand out schedules or flyers for the indoor theatre and offer to advertise the drive-in at the indoor theatre by giving them a poster case or literature rack or on-screen slide ads.

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Barry Floyd
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1079
From: Lebanon, Tennessee, USA
Registered: Mar 2000

posted 07-01-2002 03:30 PM

Ken can probably attest to this as much as anyone else, but drive-in patrons and indoor patrons are two totally different breeds of people. Drive-in patrons in general couldn't care less about air conditioning or multi-channel surround sound and THX certified auditoriums. Drive-In patrons are there for more of the social aspect of the evening, usually lured by ability to get MORE out of their entertainment dollar than just a two hour movie.

Being in South Dakota, your drive-in operator probably has a relatively "short" operating season due to the climate of the region. If your indoor operation and the drive-in can "co-exist" in the same market, more power to both of you!!

Just remember your drive-in competitor during the busy holiday season. While your theatre is over-run by families trying to catch the next Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings, that drive-in on the other side of town will be dark, under a foot of snow... with no paying customers at all for several months.

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Barry Floyd
Floyd Entertainment Group
Lebanon, Tennessee

Stardust Drive-In Theatre
Watertown, Tennessee

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