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Author Topic: Movie titles/times on the doors Thomas Pitt Master Film Handler Posts: 266 From: Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK Registered: May 2007 posted 03-07-2009 04:03 PM                     Not sure how common (or uncommon) this is elsewhere, but there used to be many multiplexes that showed the movie title and time at the entrance to each auditorium. Often this was done by means of an LED dot matrix display above or near the door - so it could be easily updated. These days, it seems that the displays are slowly being removed. One multiplex just had, for a long time, the displays constantly scrolling a "Welcome - No smoking - No cellphones" message with no indication as to what the movie playing was! The displays have now been completely removed. What's the point of removing this source of information from auditorium doors? I once walked into the wrong auditorium after running to the bathroom during a movie! Out of all the multiplexes I've been to recently, only the Bradford Cineworld still has these displays above the doors. Surely it's much easier to glance above the door to see where your movie is, than to have to keep checking the number on your ticket - particularly if you go out to buy concessions during the ad reel...  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 03-07-2009 04:33 PM                        I'm no multiplex guy, but I would guess it's to deter auditorium switching and/or keeping kids from going into R-rated movies.  |  IP: Logged Bill Enos Film God Posts: 2081 From: Richmond, Virginia, USA Registered: Apr 2000 posted 03-07-2009 07:14 PM                     I'm going to say the cheap skates are eliminating anything that costs to operate, or maintain.  |  IP: Logged Jeremy Jorgenson Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1002 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: Feb 2005 posted 03-07-2009 07:57 PM                        Our 10-screen theatre still uses them. As for why some may have changed, I can buy Mike's reasoning.  |  IP: Logged Chris Slycord Film God Posts: 2986 From: 퍼항시, 경상푹도, South Korea Registered: Mar 2007 posted 03-07-2009 08:06 PM                     Also, if the auditorium doesn't display by itself what movie is in it people might actually look at their ticket for their auditorium number. Like I'm sure everyone's had someone who goes into the wrong theater because they read the movie name on the auditorium and assumed that it was the showtime they wanted to see. And before you say "But displaying the showtime gets rid of that" I must point out that people see the movie name and ignore everything else (even when showtimes are displayed).  |  IP: Logged Caleb Johnstone-Cowan Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 593 From: London, UK Registered: Mar 2006 posted 03-07-2009 11:09 PM                     The films aren't on the door so people can't see which screens the 15 and 18 certificate films are in. I can see having films on the door encouraging screen jumping in some cinemas, especially when staffing levels are low.  |  IP: Logged Frank Angel Film God Posts: 5305 From: Brooklyn NY USA Registered: Dec 1999 posted 03-08-2009 06:12 AM                        At least in the theatres I frequent here, they the title and starting time LED displays are still up and running....brightly. I like them. Do they encourage screen jumping? Prossibly, but I would certainly do more than guess at that conclusion if I had to rip out equipement that I paid to have installed and which I installed presumably for a good reason. On the other side of the taking-the-signage-down-will-reduce-screen-jumping contention is the possibility that people who are intent on screen jumping are also intent on breaking the rules and are smart enough to plan it out beforehand. It's not too dificult to check the starting times either in the paper before coming to the theatre or right there at the ticket counter where all the titles, start times and theatre numbers are displayed. Should we take those down as well? I'd investigate both contentions thoroughly. Even without investigation, my instinct tells me that taking the very convenient title displays down at the theatre's enterence is an over-reaction. I don't run a multiplex, but if I did, I sure wouldn't rip out something I paid to install without compelling evidence for a phantom problem in order to exact an even more phantom result. Presumably the exhibitor put in the signage for a reason, and spent a good amount of money doing so. I assume the reason was that they are an aid to customers and in general because they add to the appearance of his lobby. I don't see any counter-reasoning why he should take them down other than a hunch. I suppose if a casual screen jumper were leaving one show and came upon a sign indicating that another film he wanted to see was starting at exactly the time he was taking his leave, yes, the theatre might wind up loosing the measely percentage they get on the ticket sale, but like every theatre manager will tell you, the percentage they loose on the ticket sale will be more than compensated for if that guy buys an extra item or two at the concessions, given he'll be sitting there for another 2 hours. If screen jumping is a problem, it's a joint problem that affects both the distributor and the exhibitor, and the distributor to as larger a percentage as he gets from the ticket price split. Seems distribution should be contributing to the cost of removal and compensation for the signage if it really is a loss problem. Has distribution stepped up to this plate in any monetary way as of yet? Didn't think so.  |  IP: Logged Chris Slycord Film God Posts: 2986 From: 퍼항시, 경상푹도, South Korea Registered: Mar 2007 posted 03-08-2009 11:16 AM                     quote: Frank Angel On the other side of the taking-the-signage-down-will-reduce-screen-jumping contention is the possibility that people who are intent on screen jumping are also intent on breaking the rules and are smart enough to plan it out beforehand. It's not too dificult to check the starting times either in the paper before coming to the theatre [Tangent] You'd think so but once these couple kids came in at like noon on a Friday, bought tickets to some PG movie then walked around the building looking for the R-rated movie they wanted to sneak into. They came up to me asking me what room it was playing in and I responded that it only played at night. Idiots. Though that location didn't have any digital signage. They were originally supposed to get it (you could see an outlet that was put in for it) but at the time Cineplex Odeon ran out of money. They ended up using poster cases instead (and we'd simply move the poster to whichever room the movie played in).  |  IP: Logged Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 03-08-2009 05:28 PM                        I'd bet that it's a maintenance cost issue. The major chains (in the US, at least) seem to like to build nice theatres and then let them fall apart due to lack of maintenance. Be glad that they removed the old units instead of allowing them to remain and malfunction. Oh, and would someone please explain the difference between "signage" and "signs"? The former always sounds awkward to me.  |  IP: Logged Martin McCaffery Film God Posts: 2481 From: Montgomery, AL Registered: Jun 99 posted 03-08-2009 06:12 PM                        Like the public knows how to read. You have to force them to read signs, even then only half will comprehend. Certainly certain chains don't care what happens once you're past the concession stand, so why even bother with signs?  |  IP: Logged John Wilson Film God Posts: 5438 From: Sydney, Australia. Registered: Dec 1999 posted 03-08-2009 07:57 PM                     quote: Scott Norwood Oh, and would someone please explain the difference between "signage" and "signs"? The former always sounds awkward to me. 'Signage' refers to really old signs.  |  IP: Logged Scott D. Neff Theatre Dork Posts: 919 From: San Francisco, CA Registered: Oct 1999 posted 03-08-2009 08:08 PM                        When I was with Century they started taking the titles down only at locations that had problems with screen jumping. The changed the Data Displays to read "Auditorium 1......" and so forth. I don't think there's much cost involved in maintaining these other than the cost of replacing one should it actually break. Some locations were tied into a computer that would automatically download the times from the ticketing system, but others were done manually with the programmable keypad. I imagine if one of the computerized systems went down you could reprogram them manually. Perhaps that's why nobody does it anymore, they're too lazy to update the titles on 14-20 screens each week.  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 03-08-2009 09:25 PM                        Yeah, maybe the computer that runs the signs quit working so they replaced the signs with numbers on the doors rather than replacing the computer.  |  IP: Logged Phil Blake Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 558 From: esperance western australia Registered: Nov 2003 posted 03-10-2009 07:27 AM                        then as I have found out sometimes we give out too much information and this only leads to mass confusion to our er well "educated patrons" we have a double sides display stand at front door , this always displays our weekly guide and a separate daily guide on both sides and well as a daily guide on the ticketing counter. Ofter we see people reading both sides of the board then coming to to counter to ask what is showing we promptly removed the end time it was a nightmare we thought we could solve the problem of staff constantly being asked what time a film finishes , so we added to end time to the displays , this having the effect of people showing up and then end time to watch the show when we added an PC based movie answering line we found this caused people to access the office line and then ring up to ask the whole weeks screening times the more we try to assist the worse it gets.  |  IP: Logged Martin McCaffery Film God Posts: 2481 From: Montgomery, AL Registered: Jun 99 posted 03-10-2009 09:38 AM                        We're a single screen. We have a large two-sided marquee which has the name of the only film playing on it in big letters. You have to walk under the marquee to get to the boxoffice. I cannot get through even the lowest attended weeks (and we're talking double digit attendance) without several persons coming to the boxoffice and asking "What's Playing?" grrrr  |  IP: Logged

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