If I Owned A Cinema Chain

Question

In Los Angeles, it costs $11.50 to go to the cinema - and that's before you buy popcorn and a soda and red vines.
In today's crappy economy, what I would do if I owned a cinema chain is lower the ticket price to $10 everywhere to make the movies the inexpensive destination for entertainment. The cinema chains make most of their money on that popcorn and soda anyway. I'd also come up with a "family pack" that would include popcorn and sodas and tickets - like some sports arenas do. Maybe even a "family night" - like Tuesday or Wednesday, slow nights, with $5 tickets. Basically, use this financial downturn to build the cinema audience and get people in the habit of seeing movies.
About 20 years ago a cinema chain did $2 Tuesdays and actually made more money per week... until the studios shut it down. That's still a great idea - and you don't lose money from those Friday and Saturday night crowds because they still go on those nights. You pick up people who don't usually go to the movies; and 20 years ago, people like me who went to see some movie I didn't want to pay full price for.

The thing is - it only takes one cinema chain to do this... and the others will have to follow.
- Bill

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]About 20 years ago a cinema chain did $2 Tuesdays and actually made more money per week... until the studios ... The thing is - it only takes one cinema chain to do this... and the others will have to follow.[/nq]In the UK the Cineworld chain have an "Unlimited" card system: you pay £12 per month (or £15 to include the London West End) and you get to see anything you want at any Cineworld in the country. At box-office prices it only takes two visits a month and you're in credit: either you're seeing films for £2 or £3 each, or you see two films a month at regular prices and everything else for free.

There are a few rules - you can only use them on the day rather than book in advance, and you're not entitled to refunds if, say, the cinema catches fire and has to be evacuated halfway through the film - but generally it's a terrific scheme and I get to see more films that way than I ever would if I had to pay cash at the desk every time.

I'm fortunate that I have a six-screener in town, and a 9-screener and 16-screener within 45 minutes drive - all Cineworlds so all I actually pay for is the fuel to get there. Yet the scheme has been going for some years now and no other chain - Odeon, Vue, Showcase - has introduced a similar scheme.
They also do cheap Tuesdays, which I generally avoid as Cheap Night is the night when the grunting rabble and drunken peasants tend to show up.

Usenet · Answer

Over here, AMC started a $5 anytime that's not the weekend. Maybe the idea came from buying out the Loew's Star Theatres they've been the best chain around for almost 20 years. Many theatres now have a free or almost free Saturday family movie matinee, and there are second run theatres for $1-3.50.
For comparison, the prime time going rate is $10.
Anyway, the Star Southfield kinda went retro when it opened ten years ago. For years, it had been UA putting movie theatres into malls, but instead, they bought trinket stands and restaurants into the movie theater. I thought it was cool one stop Entertainment. There was an arcade, a club, and if you didn't like that there were also movies. And it used to be in the top five theaters in weekend gross in the country. Maybe it still is.
Anyway, I saw all the Star Wars prequels there on opening day and Indy IV I did mention the best thing about those movies? Watching them at the Star. And now it's $5.

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Cineworld - I've gone to the one at the Troc at Piccadilly Circus.

Though the card is a good idea for filmgoers, I'm thinking of ways the cinemas can increase business and make more money... and be a good deal for people wo usually don't go to the cinema. Kind of like half price heroin. Hey, at half price, I'll gice it a try! Then you're hooked.
I always wonder why the guys in the head office don't come up with things like this. Timing is everything - and now we have this financial crisis where people will have less disposable income. So you lower the price and get them hooked on movies. It's good for everyone - families can afford to get out of the house, and they will buy popcorn and soda and red vines, and hopefully they get into the habit of going to the cinema... and keep that habit when things get better. Plus, the kids get used to going to the cinema and, like Catholics, you get 'em for life. But they have to fo this now*. They have to take advantage of the timing.There was this church run coffee shop across the street from my local Starbucks. It was a good place to go if Starbucks was too crowded... because it was always empty. Now, it wasn't overtly religious or anything, just on the church property and owned and run by the church. I'm sure they used it for youth groups sometimes. No reason why a Starbucks customer couldn't be stolen away by them. When the Starbucks closed for *a full week* for remodeling, this church coffee shop did *nothing.

Starbucks had announced they would be closing for a week in advance, and the church coffee shop could have printer flyers and littered the apartments with them as if they were Thai restaurant menus. They could have put a big sign in their window facing Starbucks. They could have even sent someone with flyers over to the Starbucks whle it was closed - people were still going there. For one week, they were the closest coffee shop for hundreds of people.

They did nothing... and went out of business a couple of months later. When the door opens, you have to walk through.
(This seems to fit with Martin's story about his red money box)

- Bill

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]About 20 years ago a cinema chain did $2 Tuesdays ... to do this... and the others will have to follow.[/nq]
[nq:1]In the UK the Cineworld chain have an "Unlimited" card system: you pay £12 per month (or £15 to include the London West End) and you get to see anything you want at any Cineworld in the country. At box-office prices it only takes two visits a month and you're in credit: either you're seeing films for £2 or £3 each, or you see two films a month at regular prices and everything else for free. There are a few rules - you can only use them on the day rather than book in advance, and you're not entitled to refunds if, say, the cinema catches fire and has to be evacuated halfway through the film - but generally it's a terrific scheme and I get to see more films that way than I ever would if I had to pay cash at the desk every time. I'm fortunate that I have a six-screener in town, and a 9-screener and 16-screener within 45 minutes drive - all Cineworlds so all I actually pay for is the fuel to get there. Yet the scheme has been going for some years now and no other chain - Odeon, Vue, Showcase - has introduced a similar scheme. They also do cheap Tuesdays, which I generally avoid as Cheap Night is the night when the grunting rabble and drunken peasants tend to show up.[/nq]
Not to forget those who refuse to silence their cell phones. I almost lost
it one time when a cp went off right behind me.
W : (

Usenet · Answer

Bill,
I suspect that part of the problem is that for the more discerning part of the audience the advantages of seeing a film in the cinema - big screen, great sound, sense of occasion, shared emotional experience - are heavily outweighed by the frequent disadvantages - poor technical presentation, generally horrible ambience, dirt, smells, people who don't have the remotest idea how to behave.Then there's the cost. When I was in London recently for a recording, I went to the pictures once and paid £13 to see a film I wasn't really interested in, just to fill an evening. For less than that I also bought (in a sale) three brand new DVDs of films I was interested in, which I later watched in the civilised quiet and comfort of my own home on a screen which while smaller than the one in the rather faded picture palace (7ft, in my home cinema) gave me impeccable technical standards coupled with very fine surround sound.

And my enjoyment was enhanced by a host of extras (in the DVD rather than the supporting artist sense). There were no interruptions, no moronic comments, no conversations, no mobile phones, no sickening aroma of popcorn, no mess underfoot and no beggars to accost me on the way out.
No contest, really.
Bert

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Bill, I suspect that part of the problem is that for the more discerning part of the audience the advantages ... aroma of popcorn, no mess underfoot and no beggars to accost me on the way out. No contest, really. Bert[/nq]
A cinema in Brussels runs Sunday morning family events. The kids get to see a fun films with an MC and games. The parents get to see grown-up movies.
A theatre (as in drama with real live actors) also organises a babysitting service at pocket money prices to make life easier for parents.

There are good ideas floating out there.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]A cinema in Brussels runs Sunday morning family events. The kids get to see a fun films with an MC ... a babysitting service at pocket money prices to make life easier for parents. There are good ideas floating out there.[/nq]
At least one cinema in Montreal has Mommy-and-baby screenings or is that screamings?
Lets the mothers see the films without having to get asitter, and the babies don't bother the adults... they still do all that annoying baby stuff, but they aren't annoying the rest of us.

If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story.
- Orson Welles

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"Hercule Platini"
[nq:1]They also do cheap Tuesdays, which I generally avoid as Cheap Night is the night when the grunting rabble and drunken peasants tend to show up.[/nq]
So that's why I've never seen you. grins
We have two major chains and a couple of independents in Cape Town.

Ster-Kinekor charge anything from R45 to R15, depending on the mall. At two malls they have the art house chain, Cinema Nouveau. You pay half price on Tuesdays (that's when I go), provided you have a Movie Club card.

There's always a delay buying tickets on Tuesdays as the couple in front of you discuss whether to buy a movie card and get one free ticket and one half price and future half prices, or just pay two full prices. Grr. They should have a flow chart of the buying decision near the ticket queue.

The smaller Nu Metro charge from R29.50 to R16, depending on the mall. Now that I'm 60 I get the pensioner's rate of R21.
The independent ***** shows a mix of mainstream movies and quirky foreign stuff and costs R25, with R5 off if you have a Fanatics book club card.

So my options are to walk down to the main road and rent a DVD for R12; or drive 10 minutes to the ***** and see a foreign movie for R20; or drive 15 minutes to the V&A Waterfront mall and see a R22.50 art house movie on Tuesdays or a R21 mainstream movie any time.
Just like the States, the audience is mainly young people, and the popcorn and cokes are an absolute rip-off. I never buy them.

The Rand has lost 30% in value from $0.13 to $0.09 in the last month (thanks a lot, Wall Street), so I expect we'll see prices increase soon.

Martin

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]The independent ***** shows a mix of mainstream movies and quirky foreign stuff and costs R25, with R5 off if you have a Fanatics book club card.[/nq]
I just want to say that's the best name for a cinema ever.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]In Los Angeles, it costs $11.50 to go to the cinema - and that's before you buy popcorn and a soda and red vines.[/nq]
Sweet Jeebus!..
Here in Lynchburg, it's $6.50 ($5.00 for the matinee) for the first run theaters and $1.50 for the second run theater ($1.00 during the week).

If I Owned A Cinema Chain

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