Classic Films Belong on the Biggest Screens

[Marcel Birgelen]

I didn't take screenshots of the ticket ordering service and movies start at staggered times at the particular establishment. They have a total of six rooms, none of them too big, as they're mostly running alternative content, but their setup is much like a modern multiplex, with relatively large screens and decent 7.1 surround sound. Since the place is mostly being ran by people that have some affinity with film, the stuff is usually pretty well-maintained, which is already something those days.

The biggest house was playing "Decision to Leave" and I guess it sold about 50 tickets, whereas our show sold about 25 with about 100 seats available in total. Nope probably sold the most tickets that night, around 75 with just a few seats left, the red lantern was probably Drii Winter with about 10 seats sold, the rest, I didn't check.

[Geoff Jones]

This still happens all the time (in markets of a certain size).

Yesterday, a classic film playing on small screens outperformed a very successful new release playing on PFL screens at all of Harkins' PFL locations except two. (At those two, the classic still outperformed the new release on a percentage-of-seats-sold basis.)

But contracts require them to only show the new release on the premium screens.

Bullshit. Last Thursday at 7pm, the exact same new release was bumped from the PFL screens for a concert film. Next Friday and Saturday at 11pm, the exact same new release is getting bumped from the PFL screens for a new horror movie. If they wanted to show classics on their PFL screens, they would make it happen.

How many people looked at those seating charts and said: "No good seats left, I'll just watch at home." or "That screen isn't very big. I can just watch at home."
(And how many people attended the showings and came away underwhelmed?)

They're leaving money on the table and they're not serving their customers.

It makes no sense.. but I guess that's the case more and more these days.


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[Mike Blakesley]

Those screen grabs don't mean too much because it's way early in the day when most of them were taken, meaning there are still hours left before showtime. The ones with a lot of tickets sold were grabbed during the last hour before the showtime.

For example, that last picture of the big auditorium at the bottom. There are showtimes starting at 2:30 that are "lit up," meaning they haven't played yet, but the showtime you're displaying is 6:30 -- so that means it is at least four hours until that showtime. A hell of a lot of people could still be heading for that movie that haven't bought tickets yet.

Also the Superman shows only have one performance a day, vs. a zillion shows for the Mario movie, so you're not gonna have a full house at every Mario show. Mario is probably showing in one or two smaller screens too, for the people on a budget. If they put Supe into the big auditorium they'd probably sell about the same number of seats in total as they sold for the ONE show in the small auditorium.

If you want to get some screen shots that mean something, get some Comscore screens (although you might get in trouble for that).

In short, if classic movies were really that gigantic a draw, there would be big auditoriums in every complex showing nothing but classics.

[Geoff Jones]

You are right about the screen grabs appearing to be misleading. I apologize for that. I created the files early in the day so that I could have them all ready to go. Then I copied and pasted "the seats" from a different screen capture onto the pre-made image files for some of them. It was a sloppy workflow, and I agree, it appears that some of the screen grabs were made early in the day.

However, I assure you, what's there accurately represents the final seating charts at showtime. I was refreshing and "print-screen-ing" right up to showtime for every showing.

Again, though, I apologize for the fact that it appears to be misleading.


Back when Harkins DID play classics on their biggest screen, they sold more tickets. Period.

Other theaters that show classics on their biggest screens sell more tickets (in the right markets). Period. My brother saw Raiders of the Lost Ark Monday night at a theater showing it on their biggest screen. There were far more people in attendance than their number two auditorium even holds.

[Mike Blakesley]

There again, maybe it was "one" showing vs. dozens of shows for the newer movie(s).

This classics deal must be the best kept money making secret in the business. Low terms + ginormous crowds. So why isn't there a "classics deluxe" cinema in every big city?

[Geoff Jones]

This classics deal must be the best kept money making secret in the business. Low terms + ginormous crowds. So why isn't there a "classics deluxe" cinema in every big city?

Good point. The people running most big cinema chains have done such an exemplary job with every aspect of the business there's no way they could missed an opportunity like this if it was really there.

[John Craig]

I am new to this forum so HI, but yes i completely agree with this !

[Geoff Jones]

I'm going to be too busy this evening to capture screen shots at the actual showtimes, but there's another solid example happening tonight.

On each of Harkins' twelve premium screens, the current release has sold tickets in the single digits for the ~7pm time slot.

Also at 7pm, at each of those same twelve locations, dozens of tickets have been sold for tiny auditoriums showing 2001: a space odyessy on a small screen.

Both titles will undoubtedly sell more tickets throughout the day, but of course the 2001 showings won't be able to sell too many more, because there aren't many decent seats left.

Why can't one new release showing be bumped for a classic film? Harkins would make more money and better serve their customers.

[Gordon McLeod]

"
Why can't one new release showing be bumped for a classic film? Harkins would make more money and better serve their customers."
Because most studios will not permit taking a 1st run picture off the screen it was booked for to play a older title

[Geoff Jones]

Is this only true for old titles? Because Harkins pulled this exact same new release off its premium screens on Thursday 4/13 at 7 PM for a concert movie. And since then, it has bumped the same new release for a different title (from a different studio!) for a number of evening showings.

So the studio contracts specify that new releases can’t be bumped for older titles, but they can be bumped for concert movies or new releases from other studios? For real?
Harkins used to show classics on their premium screens back before the pandemic. What changed?

Oh wait, Alamo Drafthouse theaters in northern Virginia have bumped new releases from their premium screens in order to show classics this year.

So the contract says you aren’t allowed to bump new releases from the premium screens for old movies, but you can for concert videos or releases from other studios, unless you’re in Northern Virginia?

Is that how it works?

[Geoff Jones]

Harkins is bumping Super Mario Brothers from its twelve PFL screens tomorrow for two showings of Ponniyin Selvan: Part II (Tamil) at 4 pm and ~7:45 pm.

So a studio contract looks like this: "You must show our new release title exclusively on your premium screens. It cannot be moved from those screens. Allowable exceptions: Concert films, new release horror titles from other studios, and Indian films. Disallowed Exceptions: Classic film showings, unless you are in Northern Virgina."

Who in their right mind would sign a contract like that, especially considering that the classic showings consistently draw much larger crowds than concurrent showings of the new release? It's no wonder so many theaters are closing and the big chains are in (or at risk of) bankruptcy.

[Jesse Skeen]

Honestly, I’ve always thought theaters shouldn’t even HAVE small screens, certainly not pathetically small ones. I have a good enough setup at home now that it takes a REALLY big screen to get me away from that, and most theaters fail.

And yes, it’s especially important if you’re playing a movie you can already see at home to make sure it’s a BETTER presentation. I should be able to go into a theater and think “I’d love to see my favorite movie here.” If you have a small common-width screen with no masking, then that doesn’t cut it at all. I can already watch letterboxed movies at home.

[Geoff Jones]

Why can't one new release showing be bumped for a classic film? Harkins would make more money and better serve their customers.

Because most studios will not permit taking a 1st run picture off the screen it was booked for to play a older title

Starting today and continuing for a week, Harkins is bumping that same new release off all but one of its PFL screens to play a classic for one or two showings each day.


Unfortunately, this is a nationwide 26th anniversary reissue, and does not appear to be a change in policy.

Still, it demonstrates that studios WILL permit taking a 1st run picture off the screen it was booked for to play a older title.

[Mike Blakesley]

This topic proves that studio policies are 100% IRON CLAD ALL THE TIME, EVERY TIME, 100% OF THE TIME.....unless they want to make an exception.

We had been told many times that the absolute minimum play time for a new movie was two weeks, 100%, guaranteed, iron-clad, no way around it....until Batman V Superman came out and some other big shot movie was following it nine days later, so we got to play BvS for 9 days. It's the only time that's happened for us in the 23 years since we started getting movies on the break.

[Marcel Birgelen]

Starting today and continuing for a week, Harkins is bumping that same new release off all but one of its PFL screens to play a classic for one or two showings each day.


Unfortunately, this is a nationwide 26th anniversary reissue, and does not appear to be a change in policy.

Still, it demonstrates that studios WILL permit taking a 1st run picture off the screen it was booked for to play a older title.

If you have 4 "PLF" screens to toy with, you can often be more creative towards the rules, compared to a single screen theater. Those rules don't usually couple a movie to a fixed screen in your building. If you have two, three or even four equally large "PLF" screens, you can still keep it up at one screen and abide by the rules set forward.

One theater around here decided to build 10 screens all the same size... problem solved. Also: Bigger chain, more leeway...

Still, studios should leave those decisions to the theater, they have a mutual interest of making the most of a movie and they know their local crowds better than the studio does, but someone needs to tell them that...