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Author Topic: Rosebud Theatre - Westwood NJ Mitchell Dvoskin Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1869 From: West Milford, NJ, USA Registered: Jan 2001 posted 05-21-2014 02:31 PM                     Rosebud Theatre Web Site I don't understand how this guy can ever make a profit, or even break even. He built a 93 seat single screen storefront theatre, equipped to run consumer DVD's and Bluray's on what I assume is a consumer HD video projector. Yes, there is a market here for classic film screenings, but around here the audience generally wants theatrical quality DCP's or 35mm. I find it hard to believe that he will survive running consumer video for $10/person admission. Not only that, but he has competition in that 15 minutes north of him, the Lafayette Theatre in Suffern NY runs classic films every Saturday morning (usually DCP's), and 30 minutes south of him The Landmark Loews Jersey runs a classic film weekend every month (usually 35mm), and finally Manhattan is less than 10 miles away with multiple venues running old films, both DCP and 35mm. Does consumer video actually draw in the theatrical environment?  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 05-21-2014 02:55 PM                        Well if it does work, it proves the theory that people do want to get out of the house to socialize or see a movie. I suppose it's possible they have a lot of older people in that area which might help, or that the "big theaters" in the area are hell holes. What *I* wonder is, is he paying license fees like he's supposed to?  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 05-21-2014 03:01 PM                     At $10.00 admission he'd better have some pretty decent projection and sound quality. With the ridiculous minimums that distribution wants to charge for rental they probably have to charge this much just to try and break even. Mark  |  IP: Logged Martin McCaffery Film God Posts: 2481 From: Montgomery, AL Registered: Jun 99 posted 05-21-2014 03:02 PM                        Microcinemas are catching on all over. It's way too expensive to run a real arthouse cinema, but there is still a demand for going our to the movies that aren't the latest pop craze. Not sure if there is a longterm profit plan, or if they are just modern day film clubs. It will be interesting to see how it goes.  |  IP: Logged Terry Lynn-Stevens Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1081 From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada Registered: Dec 2012 posted 05-21-2014 08:28 PM                     quote: Mitchell Dvoskin Does consumer video actually draw in the theatrical environment? If the movie is a non-Hollywood film new release film then consumer video makes no difference. People want to watch the movie. I know a number of successful independents that show movies on blu-ray, they are non-Hollywood films of course. I highly doubt this theatre will last long, they really need to be showing new release independent films.  |  IP: Logged Travis Cape Expert Film Handler Posts: 122 From: St. Louis, MO, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 05-21-2014 08:42 PM                     I sure hope it works for them. I would love to go there. Unfortunately, I think something like this will be well received for a short time, then drop off. A theater I work with runs a classic most Saturday mornings. They do ok, but to have more showings, the audience would spread out.  |  IP: Logged Scott Jentsch Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1061 From: New Berlin, WI, USA Registered: Apr 2003 posted 05-27-2014 05:19 PM                        I think something like this could be successful, if done right and in a supportive market. However, the photos on their Facebook page show a room that seems very deep with seats on each side of a center aisle, with a screen that doesn't look any bigger than 6-8 feet. If they're going to show older Academy format movies, the projected image is going to be somewhere between 4.5' and 6' wide. That puts the max distance from the screen to be about 13 feet. My guess is that lands at about row #3. It might just be the photography, but it looks very shoebox-like, and personally, I would not pay $10 to see a movie that is available on home video in that environment. For that kind of money, I would want something with a more ideal seating arrangement and a larger screen. That configuration begs for something larger than 10 feet, probably closer to 15 feet minimum.  |  IP: Logged Andrew Thomas Master Film Handler Posts: 273 From: Pearland, TX, USA Registered: Jun 2012 posted 05-27-2014 05:43 PM                     It's not the photography, it really is a ridiculous set up. What a shame.  |  IP: Logged Marcel Birgelen Film God Posts: 3357 From: Maastricht, Limburg, Netherlands Registered: Feb 2012 posted 05-27-2014 05:48 PM                     quote: Mike Blakesley What *I* wonder is, is he paying license fees like he's supposed to? I was wondering the same, because if he would be doing that, getting the actual DCPs wouldn't be that hard. Although looking at the pictures, there doesn't seem to be any DCI compliant equipment anywhere near that venue . Also, knowing about the fees that studios are charging even for limited shows of repertoire content, I'm curious how he's making it work. Maybe he has found a loophole somehow, somewhere? Back in my college days we sometimes rented a local cinema for a few hours, we didn't sell tickets but just asked everybody a fair share for the rental of the venue. The show itself was labeled a "private show", so we could essentially show what we wanted under the local interpretation of "fair use", as long as we got hold of the print (which wasn't always easy). I'm sure that, if you would ask any given studio, they would never agree with our interpretation of the laws and regulations and I'm also pretty sure you won't ever make a sustainable business out of it, as they will shut you down rather quickly.  |  IP: Logged Mike Frese Master Film Handler Posts: 465 From: Holts Summit, MO Registered: Jun 2007 posted 05-27-2014 05:49 PM                        Wow, Scott. Thanks for the link. That is the smallest screen that I have seen charging admission. I guess people in New York are use to small spaces. I also guess they cannot charge a premium for middle of the row seating!  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 05-27-2014 07:21 PM                        The Facebook page has a LINK to a newspaper article that says the screen is 100 inches (8'4"). I'll bet that's diagonal, what does that work out to in width? The article says he also reached an "agreement" with the local first-run cinema that he wouldn't show any movies less than 10 years old. The cinema's attorney "threatened to file a legal objection," it says. I would bet a few bucks that he's not paying any licensing fees. He says in that article that he just picks the movie titles out off the top of his head. He also had to promise not to have more than 100 seats or more than one screen. If I was him I would rearrange the seats to put one aisle down one side, rather than that middle aisle.  |  IP: Logged Frank Cox Film God Posts: 2234 From: Melville Saskatchewan Canada Registered: Apr 2011 posted 05-27-2014 07:43 PM                        If that's the case he'll probably end up getting sued by the movie companies.  |  IP: Logged Mike Frese Master Film Handler Posts: 465 From: Holts Summit, MO Registered: Jun 2007 posted 05-27-2014 08:07 PM                        Did you see the cashier set-up? Popcorn already in bags, no warmer. $10 for tickets but all concessions are $1.50. At least something is a good deal. I agree with Mike B about the aisle. We took over a theater that had the center aisle. When we changed the seats we got rid of the center aisle. Why were theaters built with center aisles anyway?  |  IP: Logged Kenneth Wuepper Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1026 From: Saginaw, MI, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 05-27-2014 08:33 PM                     Perhaps it is a fire regulation. We have one here that requires no seat to be more than 6 seats from an isle. Therefore there are 13 seats in a row with an aisle at each side. If you remove the center aisle, you could have 7 seats from the wall, an aisle then 13 seats in the center and an aisle with 7 more seats to the wall. These are the maximum number of seats with this 2 configuration. The only advantage the center aisle presents to the audience is that there are no seats against the walls with this three aisle plot.  |  IP: Logged Martin McCaffery Film God Posts: 2481 From: Montgomery, AL Registered: Jun 99 posted 05-27-2014 09:10 PM                        quote: Mike Frese Why were theaters built with center aisles anyway? If a theatre is old enough (not the one we are discussing), one reason for a center aisle was for segregation when there was no balcony. Blacks on one side, Whites on the other. Segregation did some very weird things.  |  IP: Logged

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