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Author Topic: Matrix Reloaded Allocations John Carpenter Film Handler Posts: 96 From: Fort Walton Beach, FL, USA Registered: Nov 2002 posted 03-15-2003 12:41 AM                     I know its a bit early, but if your town is anything like ours is you are constantly hearing questions about this release. My question really only relates to those of us in "competitive zones" where you share film allocations with another theatre... Have any of you in this case heard if you are booked for the film yet? Or heard when the bookings might be out? Thanks!!  |  IP: Logged Kevin Baglow Expert Film Handler Posts: 135 From: Yeppoon Qld, Australia Registered: Dec 2000 posted 03-15-2003 01:36 AM                        yep, I think everyone here in oz has their dates confirmed.  |  IP: Logged Darryl Spicer Film God Posts: 3250 From: Lexington, KY, USA Registered: Dec 2000 posted 03-15-2003 08:59 AM                    competative zones, Well, at this time this is the way it is going to work. If you play Matrix reloaded this summer. Your competitor will play the next Matrix this winter. No compete zones those wich get everything will not have this problem.  |  IP: Logged Michael Gonzalez Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 790 From: Grand Island , NE USA Registered: Sep 2000 posted 03-15-2003 10:28 PM                     Hey Darryl, in a ideal world that would be true. However, from my experance, in a competive market, one theater tends to have more "pull" with reguards to bookings and it is not necessarly the theater with the best presentation either.  |  IP: Logged Daryl C. W. O'Shea Film God Posts: 3977 From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from) Registered: Jun 2002 posted 03-15-2003 10:39 PM                        He who books more screens (in total) wins.  |  IP: Logged Michael Gonzalez Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 790 From: Grand Island , NE USA Registered: Sep 2000 posted 03-16-2003 12:22 AM                     Actually it is he who's theater belong to a national chain as oppose to a local one, wins.  |  IP: Logged Daryl C. W. O'Shea Film God Posts: 3977 From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from) Registered: Jun 2002 posted 03-16-2003 12:24 AM                        quote: Actually it is he who's theater belong to a national chain as oppose to a local one, wins. That's not always true. If enough theatres book together they can usually get some pretty decent product. Of course if you're known to have a crappy theatre or are delinquent on your accounts you're not going to be treated as well.  |  IP: Logged Nicholas Roznovsky Expert Film Handler Posts: 156 From: College Station, TX, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 03-16-2003 01:38 AM                        Good point, Darryl. It may not be the case in big markets, but in middle to small-sized ones, independents who care about exhibition can still do pretty well. Back in the day when we ran a pair of independents, we were out screened (the Cineplex Odeon/Plitt/Carmikes had 7 to our 4), out seated (approx. 2000 to 1300), and out-dated (there newest facility was less than 5 years old, ours were built in 1945 and 1979). It didn't matter. Because we cared about the customer's experience, both in and out of the auditorium, our grosses were higher on dud films than they did on decent ones. We were willing to take the crap they wouldn't play in January and February. When summer and Thanksgiving rolled around, we always got the primo engagements and we sold out a 500 seat auditorium for four shows a day for almost two months straight every summer in a town of 22,000. Customers didn't ask if we were getting Batman Returns or Jurassic Park. They knew that we would because we were the premiere show in town. Sure, our competition had neat policy trailers and spiffy uniforms, but they failed to do the most important thing you can do in this industry - make a movie a pleasurable experience for the customer. All four of our auditoriums were big (250-502 seats) and had at least 30' wide screens. Our competition built crappy shooting-gallery auditoriums with microscopic screens. Our theater installed Dolby Stereo in '78 for Star Wars and DTS for Jurassic Park in '93. Their theaters were still using optical mono exclusively when they finally closed in 2000. Their "projectionists" were kids who couldn't make the cut at McDonald's. Ours were union guys with over fifty years combined experience. Once we pointed out our willingness to present the best film possible, along with the past history of box office grosses, it was a no brainer for the studio goons. They're out to make as much money as they can off of box grosses. They don't really care if SuperMegaOmniPlex Cinemamania or Mom & Pop's two-screen shows their film in Podunksville, USA as long as it's making them money. In many ways, I miss the days when we didn't belong to a chain (albeit a very tiny one). We certainly had more direct control over the factors that bring customers in to theaters in the first place.  |  IP: Logged John Carpenter Film Handler Posts: 96 From: Fort Walton Beach, FL, USA Registered: Nov 2002 posted 03-27-2003 08:02 PM                     Bumping up... Still kinda wondering if any "competive zone" theatres have heard about this yet. I have heard WB is wanting 30 day advance ticketing, but it is less than 3 weeks to that date. Also there was something posted on the wb exhibitor link page about contracts having to be returned to them by this Friday???  |  IP: Logged Charles Everett Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1470 From: New Jersey Registered: May 2001 posted 04-15-2003 05:00 PM                     Is it true that WB allocated The Matrix Reloaded to the Angelika in NYC? The Angelika claims it's so per their website. Correct me if I'm wrong. The only WB titles the Angelika generally plays are arthouse product, like A Mighty Wind (which opens tomorrow).  |  IP: Logged John Carpenter Film Handler Posts: 96 From: Fort Walton Beach, FL, USA Registered: Nov 2002 posted 04-15-2003 05:51 PM                     I know I started the question, but in our competitive zone we got Reloaded at our theatre... found out last Friday 4/11. Tickets go on sale soon!  |  IP: Logged Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 04-15-2003 06:06 PM                     One thing's for sure, the allocation process SUCKS in my town. I found out Wallace Theater's slum, the Cache 8, will be getting "Matrix: Reloaded". That dump really doesn't deserve any of the bookings it gets. The Carmike theater down the street is far superior. But ever since it opened back in 1994, it has gotten the end of the stick on many bookings with the dump down the road having a larger balance of the "good" product. Lawton is badly overscreened. This is a city with a little over 100,000 people and 28 first run screens divided up between three locations. That's too much. Isn't the threshold something like 1 screen for every 8,000 to 10,000 people? But apparently enough people are visiting the Wallace location to keep it open (or it costs Wallace less to keep operating it and not pay some kind of penalty for bowing out of its lease).  |  IP: Logged Claude S. Ayakawa Film God Posts: 2738 From: Waipahu, Hawaii, USA Registered: Aug 2002 posted 04-15-2003 06:42 PM                        The two competing chains in Honolulu, Pacific's Consolidated Theatres and Signature has an equal amount of screens showing current hit films. Although Signature's Dole Cannery 18 will do tons of business with "MATRIX RELOADED", Consolidated will outperform them because the Ward 16 is a much more exciting place for young people to go with a lot of exciting shops, restaurants including Dave & Busters to spend time before and after a movie. A Bose store with the latest audio video hardware is below Dave & Busters and all of this is part of the Victoria Ward Entertainment complex which is part of the larger Ward Center mall. All Dole Cannery has is a run down food court with a small McDonalds and other unattractive small food voutlets. They also have a shoe store and a travel agency in the area surrounded by an industrial centre. The Dole Cannery is a very Booooooooring place to go if you want a lot of action before and after a movie. Wallace will play "MATRIX RELOADED" in only one or two theatres on Oahu and is expected not to do well as Consolidated and Signature. By the way, why did I not like the first "MATRIX" film? I was bored out of my skull and almost left when I first sat through this movie in a theatre. I even gave the movie a second chance by renting the DVD and tried to watch it at home but turned it off after an half an hour. Am I the only one that did not like this movie? -Claude  |  IP: Logged Steve Anderson Expert Film Handler Posts: 168 From: Nashville, TN Registered: Feb 2000 posted 04-16-2003 06:46 PM                        Our little theater (180 seats) has booked "MATRIX RELOADED" No problem in our area....there is a 20 plex just five miles from us. But hey,they don't serve Beer and Pizza.  |  IP: Logged Darryl Spicer Film God Posts: 3250 From: Lexington, KY, USA Registered: Dec 2000 posted 04-16-2003 07:41 PM                    They are probably free zoned and it wouldn't have mattered. Plus I think independents can get some leeway as long as they agree to the booking terms.  |  IP: Logged

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