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Industry
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September 12, 2008
Wonderful Showman has passed away
Bill Hertz, former VP of operations at Mann Theatres and its preceding companies passed away in late August at the age of 84.
This isn’t really an obituary but a remembrance of a fine gentleman that shaped my career and my life. Anyone who has worked for Fox West Coast Theatres, National General Theatres or Mann Theatres will know him and share the sense of loss.
I met Mr. Hertz in 1962 while working a studio sneak preview at the Fox Theatre in Riverside, California. This man had a presence that stood out in a lobby full of posturing movie types. He was the consummate executive, with a 32 tooth smile and a firm handshake. He never inserted himself into the scene but controlled all theatrical elements with a finesse that made those who worked for him respond in the most direct and positive ways.
Over the years I had the good fortune to move up in the company and ultimately have a office just down the hall from Mr. Hertz. He continued to mentor us young pups and add a great deal of class to anything he choose to do.
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Art Deco San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — There’s a new book out about the work of architect Timothy Pflueger, “Art Deco San Francisco”, by Therese Poletti and Tom Paiva.
The Castro Theatre, the Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Headquarters, 450 Sutter Medico-Dental Building—-these masterpieces of San Francisco’s Art Deco heritage are the work of one man: Timothy Pflueger. An immigrant’s son with only a high-school education, Pflueger began practicing architecture after San Francisco’s 1906 earthquake. While his contemporaries looked to Beaux-Arts traditions to rebuild the city, he brought exotic Mayan, Asian, and Egyptian forms to buildings ranging from simple cocktail lounges to the city’s first skyscrapers.
Pflueger was one of the city’s most prolific architects during his 40-year career. He designed two major downtown skyscrapers, two stock exchanges, several neighborhood theaters, movie palaces for four smaller cities (including the beloved Paramount in Oakland), some of the city’s biggest schools, and at least 50 homes. His works include the San Francisco Stock Exchange, the ever-popular Top of the Mark, the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, and the San Francisco World’s Fair. It is a testament to his talent that many of his buildings still stand and many have been named landmarks.
Read more at the Princeton Architectural Press.
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September 10, 2008
Village Roadshow to bring theater luxury up another notch
AUSTIN, TX — Incorporating many amenities already present in newer theaters across the United States like reserved seating, fancier food and alcohol, Village Roadshow plans to open new theaters in major markets with ticket prices as high as $35. The first two open in Seattle and Chicago next month.
“We’re redefining our business as a hospitality business,” said Robert Kirby, chairman of the entertainment conglomerate, which produces films and already has a line of Gold Class theaters operating Down Under as well as in Singapore and Greece.
Kirby said Gold Class was designed a decade ago to enable regular folks to enjoy movies the way Hollywood studio bigwigs do, in plush screening rooms with first-class catering.
“We can all get from A to B,” Kirby said, “but people like to drive a BMW. You can stay at a motel or enjoy the luxury of a Four Seasons Hotel.”
Will the market bear this type of theater chain?
Read more in the Austin American-Statesman.
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September 8, 2008
Theatre chain adds social networking to website
VANCOUVER, CANADA — Attempting to get people talking more about their theaters as well as movies, Cineplex is utilizing social networking features on their website.
Canada’s largest movie theatre chain has launched a new social networking website, a move that will not only make the existing site more interactive, but give the company more control over marketing and lessen its reliance on mainstream media.
Cineplex Entertainment calls mycineplex.com an “online social networking movie and entertainment community.” Formerly, consumers could call up cineplex.com, punch in their location and find out which movies were playing in which theatres in their area, plus the show times for each movie.
They can still do that with mycineplex.com, but now users can also review the films, write entertainment-related comments and upload home videos and photos in the style of YouTube, Facebook and MySpace.
Read more at the Vancouver Sun.
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Small cinemas unite
In Japan, smaller theaters are joining forces to fight back the multiplexes.
A new cinema syndicate comprising mainly small regional movie theaters began operating this month.
The syndicate has 41 member theaters in 36 cities. The theaters include Theater Voice, run by a nonprofit organization in Kitami, Hokkaido, and Sakura Gekijo in Naha, which was once closed down but has since reopened.
The syndicate aims to increase its membership to 55 theaters in 50 cities by the end of fiscal 2008.
Read more in the Daily Yomiuri Online.
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August 25, 2008
NYC’s Met Opera increases movie theater venues
The Met Opera has had such success with their broadcast that they are increasing the number of venues, mostly movie theaters, by 30%.
NCM Fathom, the alternative entertainment division of National CineMedia, is presenting the Met via the company’s digital network. Participating exhibs include AMC, Cinemark, Clearview, National Amusements and Regal.
“The audience for opera is growing with each new movie theater that joins our network,” said Met general manager Peter Gelb.
National CineMedia and the Met estimate the total worldwide attendance last season for “Live in HD” at 920,000, more than the total attendance at Lincoln Center.
Read the full story in Variety.
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August 19, 2008
Flexpoint introduces Bend Sensor technology
Flexpoint Sensor Systems Inc. is working on perfecting technology that they can sell to theaters to put sensors in seats so management can monitor paid attendance.
The group has been working with Flexpoint since early this year to develop and test a series of prototypes for this application. The two companies have agreed upon a working prototype that is now in the final testing and quality assurance phase. Flexpoint has recently provided pricing information to the customer.
“This is a very interesting application for Flexpoint and demonstrates the versatility of our sensor technology,” stated Clark Mower, CEO of Flexpoint. “The demand for this technology is extensive. This system can be applied to new theatre construction and can also be retrofitted into existing movie theatre complexes.”
Read more at Market Watch.
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August 15, 2008
DIYer brings the Drive-In home
Don’t have any drive-ins nearby? You can build your own like this guy.
Many of us long for the days of the classic drive-in, with the smell of popcorn wafting through the fresh air, and the crackle of the speakers perched on car windows as far as the eye could see.
Of course, all of those things are wonderful, but it wasn’t the nostalgia that first got Kevin Van to build his outdoor theater. Aside from the inspiration he received on BackyardTheater.com, he didn’t have to look further than his own house. “When I bought my first projector for the bedroom theater,” he says, “I got the idea to also use it outside.” You have to love a multitasker.
Read more at Electronic House.
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August 14, 2008
Going green at the movie theater
LOS ANGELES, CA — The new film “Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants 2” is pushing an environmental promotion along with the picture.
I was at the movies this weekend, seeing the obligatory summer blockbuster, when I spied a large donation container in the lobby of the Sherman Oaks ArcLight Theatre.
What’s this? I wander over to find a bin of donated jeans … and a convenient “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2” tie-in, but don’t roll your eyes just yet. This all for a good cause.
The point is that Cotton Inc. is gathering used denim, in its ongoing “From Blue to Green” program, to recycle it into UltraTouch natural-cotton-fiber home insulation.
Read more at the Los Angeles Daily News.
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August 13, 2008
Wednesday is the new Friday for movie openings
I guess I wasn’t the only one that noticed this latest phenomenom that has been puzzling me as of late. For the rest of the month, expect to see major releases rolled out on Wednesday.
Pink is the new black; 50 is the new 40; and, when it comes to summer movies, Wednesday has become the new Friday.
Between now and Labor Day, the major studios and several independent distributors are releasing more than a half-dozen new films on a Wednesday, usually considered one of the slowest days of the week for moviegoing.
Read more at the Mercury News.