my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home

» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Ground Level   » Sub run question

Author Topic: Sub run question Stephen LaPadula Film Handler Posts: 50 From: New York, Ny Registered: Mar 2005 posted 02-25-2006 06:47 PM                     Say I run a 25 screen theatre; would I be able to show 1st run movies on 20 of the screens and charge $10.00, and then use 5 of the screens to show titles that have slipped in to the sub run eand charge $2.50? I'm thinking probably not, but maybe not a bad way to attract attendance during slow months or an incentive to watch something else when popular titles sell out as opposed to leaving.  |  IP: Logged Brian Michael Weidemann Expert cat molester Posts: 944 From: Costa Mesa, CA United States Registered: Feb 2004 posted 02-25-2006 07:34 PM                        My guess would be whatever you are able to book, you can show. The price tier I would hope wouldn't cause any extra complications, as sub-runs would probably be contracted that way by definition. My first theatre was an 8-plex discount house that had five of the auditoriums at a dollar a ticket, earning us the unofficial title of "dollar theatre" among patrons, inaccurately. This was because our three "premium" auditoriums had relatively newer movies, sometimes even first-run--though we never opened a movie on its opening day--and we charged $3 adults, $2 others. Of course, we had our booking done at a corporate level. The only problem we had, in practice, was having the proper staff/security on hand to check tickets and make sure that dollar-ticket holders weren't sneaking into the prem-o houses. That was NOT fun, as our indignant and poor, cheap-ass regulars were ALWAYS trying to pull the "I dropped my ticket/threw it away" routine over on us. (Edit: Post 600! Hello, and welcome to post 600. Yay me.)  |  IP: Logged Jack Ondracek Film God Posts: 2348 From: Port Orchard, WA, USA Registered: Oct 2002 posted 02-26-2006 01:08 AM                        I know nothing about your market... but isn't that a rather drastic pricing difference? I wonder if it might not cause people to wait, knowing a good show will probably stay at your theatre and drop to the sub-run rate. At $2.50 admit might also gain you a class of customer you'd rather not have in the building. Over here, the dollar-discount admission was popular when one of our area theatres first started it... but the building was soon trashed by people who could care less about the place. A lot of other stuff was going on in the auditoriums... none of which had anything to do with what was on the screen. At $10.50 for premium admission, half that would still seem a good deal... at least looking at it from the other side of the country!  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 02-26-2006 02:05 AM                     something that you'd have to work with the booker and the film companies to ensure the split. But unfortunately, it really doesn't work in the long run especially you have to "babysit" the customers to ensure that they're in the right houses. Plus, on the first runs and with hot movies, there might be checkers to make sure that your attendance matches the ticket sales for that one house..and if the numbers don't rightly match up and since they have to report all of this, you could get into big, big trouble with the film companies... ..they "control" you, you know.  |  IP: Logged Dominic Espinosa Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1172 From: Boulder Creek, CA. Registered: Jan 2004 posted 02-26-2006 04:22 AM                     It would make more sense to me to just hold the product longer. Many people would rather just watch it later when the crowds die down, regardless of the price. That's what Bargain Tuesday is for.  |  IP: Logged Phil Blake Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 558 From: esperance western australia Registered: Nov 2003 posted 02-28-2006 04:20 AM                        I agree with Dominic, we run 1 release and sub run mix depending on whats out there and what will work in our town , we charge the same price for both and discounts on tuesday.  |  IP: Logged Mike Croaro Master Film Handler Posts: 394 From: Millbrae, CA Registered: Apr 2005 posted 02-28-2006 09:26 PM                     Another option would be to offer double features on the second run product while maintaining full admision prices. Mike  |  IP: Logged John T. Hendrickson, Jr Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 889 From: Freehold, NJ, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 03-01-2006 02:54 PM                     In some markets, studios will not make the title available for sub-run in a general area until all the first-run sites take it off screen. There are exceptions, depending on the number of prints they want to keep on screens. You have to ask.  |  IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

Printer-friendly view of this topic

Hop To: Select a Forum: Category: Operations -------------------- Digital Cinema Forum Film Handlers' Forum Large Format Forum Ground Level Feature Info, Trailer Attachments & REAL Credit Offsets Category: Community -------------------- Film-Yak Film Handlers' Movie Reviews The Afterlife Bob Maar's Joke-A-Thon Category: Classified -------------------- Equipment and Supplies Wanted/For Sale Help Wanted/Seeking Employment Category: System -------------------- Software Beta Testing Forum

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.