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Topic: Rental Rates for Classic 35mm Prints
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Jonathan Smith
Expert Film Handler
Posts: 201
From: Youngstown, OH
Registered: Jan 2010
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posted 04-16-2010 11:01 AM
Thanks for the tips, guys.
Martin: What I was told is that it was a "special" rate because they were a college.
Is that not the case?
I think this structure can make money, frankly, and I want to give it a try if I can get a theatre owner to go in with me on it.
Some movies people really want to see on the big screen but they never got a chance because they came out before they were born, were too young, or they just missed it.
Could you explain to me in more detail the percentages work? I'm really ignorant. If you say that the $250 counts towards the percentage, I wouldn't have to pay any more unless I get more than $250 worth of distributor revenue through ticket sales? Or am I misunderstanding?
What about commercial films from the past decade, like a blockbuster?
I'd love to rent out something like "The Last Sasmurai" or maybe "Apollo 13" as a sort of 15th anniversary thing. Just thinking out loud here.
What about a classic film like "Out of Africa?" I assume that would be more. . .
So if I am in Ohio, I should budget on $250 in shipping, less with a Fox Box?
Then of course, there's advertising. What does a line in an extra line in a newspaper ad for a week cost me guestimate?
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Mike Blakesley
Film God
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Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99
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posted 04-16-2010 11:06 AM
Most likely that "thousands of dollars" came from someone who was not enthusiastic about playing old movies and was trying to discourage the idea. "Hey, we should play an old movie." "Oh no, that would cost thousands of dollars."
There may be a way around the high shipping. We played a vault print of "Polar Express" a couple of years ago for a matinee and they were talking something like $250 for shipping. I asked them to use our account number with UPS, so our shipping was the same as any other print -- around $25 each way. That request might not always work with some distribs, I suppose.
On percentages - most "classic" films come with a flat rental rate. You pay your $250 or so, and it doesn't matter if two people or two thousand people see the movie, your rent is the same.
If you have a minimum dollar amount vs percentage deal, then the dollar amount is the minimum you pay; you multiply your gross by the percentage, and if the result is more than the minimum, that's what you pay. If you have already paid the minimum as a guarantee, then you pay the difference after the film plays.
Advertising -- you need to call your newspaper on that one. Rates vary wildly according to the circulation of the paper. But, these days you'll need to do online advertising (website, facebook, twitter etc.) -- probably more people get their movie/showtime info that way than from the newspaper. Your mileage may vary according to your location and the type of target market you're aiming for.
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Scott Norwood
Film God
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Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99
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posted 04-16-2010 11:52 AM
Stupid question: are flat rate rentals per show, per day, or per week?
Strangely, I have never booked a film for more than one show, so I have never run into this.
Some random notes:
As for the flat rates vs. percentages: the terms are usually specified as something like "$250 vs. 35%"--i.e. you pay either $250 or 35% of your ticket gross, whichever is higher. Plus shipping, of course.
Universal is my favorite distributor for older titles. They tend to have quality prints, and will book nontheatrical rights for 35mm directly with the customer (16mm and probably video must go through Swank). They insist on using Danzas for shipping, which typically works out to about $100 each way to the east coast.
For distributors who use DFS, there is a reasonable chance that popular titles may be available in your local depot. If so, then they can be booked as "will call" and picked up and returned at the depot for zero shipping cost.
For those who must deal with Swank, discounts usually come after booking a few titles from the same distributor, or by being a long-time customer. Swank has a tendency to mark up shipping costs and make it difficult or impossible to do will-call pickups from DFS depots or from another theatre. Sometimes, a phone call to the depot will help to get around this limit (only for DFS titles, of course).
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Tony Ratcliff
Expert Film Handler
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Posts: 216
From: Madison, IN, USA
Registered: Mar 2002
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posted 04-17-2010 03:03 PM
To answer Scott's question, when you book a classic, you have to specify whether it is for one day, multiple days or a full week. The flat rate will vary depending on the number of days. The contract's I've gotten have never specified lower than for one day. We usually play a classic more than once in a day when we have it.
It also makes a big difference if you are charging admission or not. The rate is usually higher if you are charging admission.
For instance, when we book for one day, it is usually $250. If it is more then one day, usually $350. Always vs 35%. If I charge admission the rate can be $100 or more higher.
But, as with everything else with distributors, it can be negotiated a little, esp if you show a lot of classics and have a good relationship with the rep sales agents.
FYI. The classics are usually handled by a separate distributor sales agent than with current films.
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