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Author Topic: Madstone Theaters Going out of Business? Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 05-22-2004 07:43 PM                        I've heard a rumor that Madstone Theaters will shut down all operations by the end of this coming week. They've gotten rid of most of their corporate staff and theaters have been told not to order any more inventory. Their website seems to have upcoming events listed, so perhaps this is pure speculation. But my source is within the corporate offices, so who knows? Anyone know anything?  |  IP: Logged Steve Kraus Film God Posts: 4094 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 05-22-2004 09:05 PM                    Dunno but is it possible a certain entrepeneur who already owns an art theatre chain and a sports franchise and whose name evokes a communist Carribean island be looking to expand his holdings with a strategic purchase? I've heard nothing but there have been some management changes over at that other chain.  |  IP: Logged Nate Lehrke Master Film Handler Posts: 396 From: Denver, CO Registered: Oct 2002 posted 05-22-2004 11:20 PM                     Joe, do you know if its just Madstone Theatres, or does it include Madstone Films?? Maybe this means that Madstone Films first movie, Rhinoceros Eyes isn’t doing so well. From the website “The Madstone family includes: Madstone Theaters LLC, Madstone Films LLC and New Yorker Films.” I wonder how New Yorker Films would be affected?? I suppose this is still speculation though. (I would be upset if I had paid for a membership, and it went under.)  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 05-22-2004 11:29 PM                        Nate - not sure. Steve - Please try to be more vague in future posts.  |  IP: Logged Jon Miller Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 973 From: San Diego, CA, USA Registered: Sep 1999 posted 05-23-2004 12:37 AM                     From what I just learned, it's business as usual at the Hazard Center (San Diego) house as the location remains profitable. Plans to proceed with special screening programs and to install a digital projector are still on track. I would have been to see the San Diego location and crew go. They have been great hosts to both the San Diego Asian and San Diego Latino film festivals and I have great appreciation for the Madstone Hazard Center staff (and the Mann crew which preceded them) in supporting these festivals. As a booth veteran of three years with the two festivals, I can say that no other place could offer the same level of enthusiasm for these festivals as the Madstone Hazard Center has.  |  IP: Logged Pravin Ratnam Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 844 From: Atlanta, GA,USA Registered: Sep 2002 posted 05-23-2004 01:35 AM                     It better not!! I just renewed my membership.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 05-23-2004 08:47 AM                     They're still open here in SLC and I'm glad they are here as they have given us a decent art location. Most of the other SLC art houses are filthy with poor presentations and they suck big time. Mark  |  IP: Logged Steve Kraus Film God Posts: 4094 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 05-23-2004 09:55 AM                    Joe, that wasn't vague at all to anyone with any familiarity with art/specialty exhibition in the USA! For one thing there aren't a whole lot of national art house chains. Should I add that he was profiled on 60 Minutes?  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 05-23-2004 06:14 PM                        Why don't you just say his name? Are you afraid of something? Mark, all the Madstones I have seen have had poor presentations, unless they came with decent equipment already like the Hazard. The one in Denver has an extremely dim "big house" due to a consistently failing single-phase power supply and a broken focus mechanism that has not been replaced (but promised many times), other auditoriums have non-movable drapes that were hung by Madstone that creep into the sides of the image by about a foot, they have two auditoriums where the automation does not work at all and zero effort has been made to fix it. As a result the lamp stays on after the show drops and fries lenses (which were brand new a little over a year ago). They could shut off the projector when it drops, but I guess they don't. Analog sound only wheras the nearby Landmarks all have Dolby Digital. It doesn't seem to me like presentation is a high priority. Hmmm... maybe it is just Denver that is shutting down?  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 05-23-2004 06:28 PM                     Joe, For once I agree with you! Steve has been this mysterious way for as long as I've known him... As for Madstone here, it is an all new install with mainly Strong equipment, everything else is also new..... great seats too. We've run a few calls over there for minor problems but the presentation there is great and with very clean auditoriums . Unlike the remainder of the SLC Art Houses which are filthy and poorly run at best. Mark  |  IP: Logged Steve Kraus Film God Posts: 4094 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 05-23-2004 10:40 PM                    No, I was just being funny since obviously I hadn't said anything libelous in the first place with the joke being that I had worded it so transparently that it was blatantly apparent to anyone in this business who I was talking about. I guess not. OK, (1) What is the biggest arthouse chain? (2) What entrepeneur (who is also famous for owning a major sports franchise) owns them? Hint: Said sports team is located in the same state as F-T.  |  IP: Logged Pravin Ratnam Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 844 From: Atlanta, GA,USA Registered: Sep 2002 posted 05-24-2004 12:35 AM                     I thought Joe was just kidding when he was ribbing Steve about being vague. I didn't realize he really meant Steve was being vague. Marc Cuban is the obvious answer. In any case, the Madstone in Atlanta finally upgraded their sound. But presentation is not a high priority at the corporate office. One of their biggest screens had a broken something and the sound was mono and not very good mono either. Finally they upgraded the sound in the 4 of their halls.  |  IP: Logged Joe Redifer You need a beating today Posts: 12859 From: Denver, Colorado Registered: May 99 posted 05-24-2004 01:10 AM                        Maybe obvious to you and Steve, but not to me. I guess Steve assumes that anyone who has ever worked in an art venue knows all about that side of the industry? So they updraded the sound in 4 of their halls? Are their auditoriums literally hallways with screens (and a center aisle)? What type of upgrades did they receive?  |  IP: Logged Ky Boyd Hey I'm #23 Posts: 314 From: Santa Rosa, CA, USA Registered: Jun 99 posted 05-24-2004 03:04 AM                       Steve, FWIW, I didn't think you were vague at all in your original post in this thread. I knew exactly who you were talking about, but then I'm an arthouse guy. As for Madstone's San Diego location, it regularly gets its ass kicked by Landmark's Hillcrest both in bookings and $. This weekend Hillcrest pulled down over $30,000 at the box with SuperSize Me, Coffee & Cigs, Valentin, I'm Not Scared, Young Adam, and Robot Stories. Meanwhile Madstone pulled in just over $23,000 with Shrek, Troy, Van Helsing, Kill Bill v2, something called En La Puta Vita, and Madstone's previously mentioned own film Rhinoceros Eyes, which pulled in a whopping $650 in its first weekend. That don't pay the rent and since when are Shrek, Troy, and Van Helsing art films anyway? Landmark has real arthouse bookings. Madstone is just playing anything they can get their hands on and Landmarks leftovers. That ain't an arthouse. (I love Rentrak! Nothing like facts at a click of the mouse!) But then going up against the largest and most successful arthouse operator in the country isn't the greatest business plan. Madstone does decently in markets where they don't compete head to head with Landmark and they actually have decent arthouse bookings in those markets. But why are they in Denver, San Diego, Atlanta, and soon to open in Baltimore? All are Landmark markets. It makes no sense whatsoever. If I were in Madstone's shoes, I'd concede those markets to Landmark and focus on the markets where they actually do well. But what do I know, I just run a single arthouse that makes money.  |  IP: Logged Pravin Ratnam Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 844 From: Atlanta, GA,USA Registered: Sep 2002 posted 05-24-2004 10:56 AM                     Joe, I would have thought the clues to Carribean commie island and sports franchise owner were enought to tip one off. Cuban has been in the news a lot. As far as the upgrades, it was overdue. They theater already was an established General Cinemas mutiplex in the past, and nearly destroyed by EFW's management later. Then some Madstone manager thought he knew more than he actually did, and fiddled around with the speakers and messed something up in one of their two big halls. This hall used to be a THX auditorium under GC. They upgraded two smaller auditoriums to digital sound. Compared to the Lefont Plaza or Regal UA Tara which I despise, Madstone has better projection. But I did get the impression that each Madstone needed strong local management to convince corporate mgmt to pony up a few dollars for even simple technical upgrades. Ky, Atlanta can use a Madstone because Landmark serves the intown residents while Madstone serves the northern suburbs. And that reflects in their movies. A movie like Connie and Carla actually outlasted Kill Bill 2 and shaolin soccer in the Madstone here by a big margin because of the abundance of soccer moms in this area. But they do get audiences for certain indies. Pieces of April and Whalerider had decent runs. It's the Japanese/Korean stuff that don't seem to get as much response here.  |  IP: Logged

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