First Run Bookings

[Griffen Birdsong]

Hello everyone,

As many are anticipating Avatar 2 to be a box office hit, my team and I are considering showing it for a few runs at our theater. However, our programming has never been first run content. We always show classics, b-movies, or other films you can't normally get from your mainstream cinema. I have a plethora of Universal/NBC DCP rosters, and we typically book our films through Swank or Criterion. With that being said, how or where can you find contacts to book first run films? This is a first for our theater to do something like this in ten years. Any help or guidance is appreciated!

Thanks everyone!

[Mike Blakesley]

Each studio has bookers for your area who you could contact. But, just know that if you're using Swank or Criterion, it's possible the studios won't let you run first-run content because you aren't operating as a first run theater. For the same reason, we can't get content from Swank and Criterion because we ARE a first-run theater. The two things don't mix together, to my knowledge.

[Griffen Birdsong]

Ah, I see. Thank you, Mike! That information helps a lot. I'll keep digging for some answers.

[Mark Strube]

Griffen, if you get your cinema on first-run service with Disney, chances are very strong that you will no longer be able to book any repertory content from Disney/Fox/Marvel/Lucasfilm/Pixar and any of their related companies. One of the theaters I program for went from first-run to exclusively repertory, which now means the opposite is true - no first-run Disney content is allowed at that location, but we now have access to their repertory catalogues.

So, you may have to think long and hard if a single run of Avatar 2 is worth losing access to a large chunk of repertory content for the foreseeable future.

[Abraham Robinson]

I’m not surprised that a rep / arthouse theater would not be able to book first run screenings, but I didn’t know the reverse was also true. I always assumed that first run theaters just didn’t want to deal with the added work of doing rep programming in addition to new releases. Is the reason to not increase competition between local theaters?

[Mike Blakesley]

Well most of the studios will work with a first-run on repertory bookings. It can be challenging for a single screen because some companies won't let you share the screen in any way shape or form, but we've often sandwiched an old movie inbetween two newer movies on a Thursday night for example.

Disney is the outlier and they won't book ANY of their owned content, for single shows in most cases, in first run theaters. There are exceptions. I'm not sure who you have to perform sexual favors for, but some theaters have run the Star Wars movies, random Disney classics, etc. but in most cases they are out of that business. Which is totally insane, they could be making a lot of money allowing their movies to be shown as matinees, especially now when most places are OK with running a blu-ray....no print handling costs for Disney. It's probably the only time they've ever passed over an avenue for making money.

[Abraham Robinson]

Thanks Mike that makes sense. I’ve only worked in arthouses and forgot about how much studios want to ensure their new releases are prioritized. They get a bigger piece of new release sales, right? so they don’t want you showing classics at the same time. Disney of course having their own policies.

[Marcel Birgelen]

The trick is to put your arthouse stuff in a foundation and your commercal cinema into a different legal entity than the entity that owns the building. Both entities now hire the building for "exposition services". I do know a few establishments that have organized themselves this way or in a similar way..

[Martin McCaffery]

The problems is not first-run. The problem is that if you are getting your material from Swank or Criterion you are Non-Theatrical. Once you are designate Non-Theatrical, you have to convince the major distribs that you are Theatrical. Some are easier than others, but you have to do each of them and sign Master Licensing Agreements (ie: sign over your first born and your favorite arm to the studios). It may help that you were showing Theatrical 10 years ago, so be sure to let them know.

In the future for your rep, instead of going to Swank for an old Sony/Columbia film, you would then deal with Sony Repartory (I didn't check to see if Swany handles Sony, just pulling one out of the air). The good part is, the studios are usually less expensive than Swank for rep.

Most of the art distributors don't care, except for the ones owned by the majors, as they handle their own Theatrical and Non-Theatrical.

Good luck

[Abraham Robinson]

Master Licensing Agreements (ie: sign over your first born and your favorite arm to the studios)

can you explain more about this?

To an outsider like myself, it seems like the Studios are constraining the theaters so much that it is hurting their own interest. Has this changed with Covid? I guess I’m trying to understand the power dynamic, speaking from my own point of view but it seems like in 2022 a theater would have more commercial success with rep programming than with low quality and quantity of new releases, or is the occasional hit (Maverick, Avatar 2) just so lucrative it makes everything else worthwhile?

I know my perspective is very naive, curious to hear from all the people here who have experience - thanks

[Martin McCaffery]

The MLA is your contract with the Studios. They also come with a non-disclosure agreement, so can't quote you much. It is the rules for working with said studio and what they will do to you if you don't o what the tell you. Mostly take your money. In 37 years, I've never actually had them invoke the MLA. I you're a small theatre and pay your percentages honestly and promptly, should be a problem. Generally speaking they just want to do a credit check on you, so ask for business references, etc.

The power dynamic is they have power, you don't.

[Mike Blakesley]

To an outsider like myself, it seems like the Studios are constraining the theaters so much that it is hurting their own interest.

This is true, and the unfortunate fact is the smaller you are, the more constrained you are, mostly because their rules and practices are designed around multiplex operations.

Has this changed with Covid?

No.

I guess I’m trying to understand the power dynamic, speaking from my own point of view but it seems like in 2022 a theater would have more commercial success with rep programming than with low quality and quantity of new releases, or is the occasional hit (Maverick, Avatar 2) just so lucrative it makes everything else worthwhile?

It depends on the market. In bigger cities there is a large bunch of people wanting to see repertory titles; in smaller towns (think under 200,000 people) such crowds might be harder to come by. It may have as much to do with your area demographics as anything.

For places like mine that run mostly mainstream product, I wouldn't say the big hits are "lucrative," but they definitely keep the ship afloat. We are living on summer money right now, what with the awful line-up of the last few weeks. (I'm not exactly over the moon about 2023 yet, either, but we'll see.)

[Mark Lane]

I don't go through a booker.. I go directly to a Disney rep. They can do a lot more for you than a booker. The Disney rep can get you the swag, and promotional material. They can work with you on runs and sometimes they can bend rules for you. We looked into a booker and they told us they could not provide us with the service we were getting from the studio agents... go directly to the studio agent. If you need our contact information, please let me know. My rep will not be the same as your rep but they can let you know who to contact.

You should talk to them about showing future movies. We can not show Fox or Disney older movies because we show their new movies. I don't understand this rule but it is one they believe in. We can get around it by having the historical society, the township or the DDA purchase the rights to the movie and we show it for them, but it would be a hassle. You might not be able to get the movie, depending on who is showing the movie in your area and your ranking. If they want the movie in as many theaters as possible, you have a good chance, but if it is a more limited release or if you are seen as stepping on another theater's toes and could cost the studio money by taking way from their high ticket sales, you might be denied the rights to show the movie. I would think with Avatar you would have a good chance at being able to show it but you need to talk to a rep and pick their brain.
There are other studios that are much easier to work with than Disney.