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The latest movie theater news and updates
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May 29, 2009
DVD downturn panics film industry
A drop in DVD sales is giving industry execs a scare as they contemplate whether they can keep selling the public bad movies.
If box office is booming, why are so many top studio executives brooding about the future of the movie business? Let’s just say that in today’s increasingly complex film world, the cinema gods giveth at almost exactly the same time as they taketh away.
The studio bosses who should be celebrating the unprecedented upswing in moviegoing at theaters — with theater box office up roughly 15% this year — have been getting a big dose of bad news from the other end of the food chain. DVD revenues have cratered in the past six or so months, dropping off (depending upon whose figures you trust) as much as 15% to 18% overall.
What’s really scary for studio executives is that DVD sales, which have traditionally represented the biggest chunk of pure profits in the business, were the real safety net when it came to greenlighting movies. In the past, if you had an action film that made $150 million in domestic theatrical box office, you could relatively accurately predict what that movie would make in DVD sales. But in recent months, studios have been alarmed to discover that there is often a dramatic fluctuation between box-office revenues and DVD performance, with the highest erosion often coming from the highest-grossing films.
Read the full story in the Los Angeles Times.
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Wanted: British cinema memories (1930’s and 40’s)
Hello,
I’m looking for people who would be willing to share their memories of going to the cinema in Britain in the 1930’s and 40’s to include in my MA dissertation. Whether you used to go to the super cinemas, atmospherics, the local flea pit or all of the above, I’d love to hear from you.
If possible, I’d like to chat to you in person or over the phone (at my expense, of course!) but if you would prefer, I can send you a questionnaire instead.
You can contact me by commenting on this message or .
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Redwood Theater location
REDWOOD CITY, CA — Just trying to revive a year old blog about the Redwood Theatre’s exact location. A photo was posted on “Flickr” which confirms the location as the Southeast corner of California and Winklebleck Sts. Anybody out there??
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Controversy about whether new screens meet IMAX expectations
IMAX is responding to the outrage that erupted a few weeks ago when customers complained about specific screens being falsely advertised as IMAX.
“To some degree this is a product of our success,” Gelfond tells Variety, “because as we attract more customers that other 2% is more and more people.
“We are going to do something (about the complaints). We hear the people.”
But as yet he isn’t sure what. He says they’re not yet sure what portion of their customers are actually unhappy. They’re planning a further customer survey and will decide what to do after they see the results.
Read the full story at Variety.
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Mega-Plex Guzzo Taschereau 18’s owner ordered to pay $10,000 in damages for a search
GREENFIELD PARK, QUEBEC, CANADA — The Mega-Plex Guzzo Tascherau Cinema was ordered to pay $10K in damages for illegally searching a customer.
A Quebec court has ordered a cinema to pay $10,000 in damages after staff searched patrons' bags and turned up smuggled snacks and birth control pills — and in the process violated their privacy rights.
The incident happened in 2007 when a woman took her two daughters to Cinemas Guzzo in Montreal to watch the film “Shrek the Third,”.
Read more at CTV.
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May 28, 2009
Denniston Cinemas close
MONROE, MI — The Denniston Cinemas closed last week. It was built in 1974 at the height of the multiplex boom.
I worked there from 1976-1979. The owner had been trying to sell the theatre, but got no takers. It had been increasingly difficult to book quality films over the local chain theatre competitor — Phoenix Theatres. The theatre opened with “McQ” starring John Wayne (“Wayne on Wheels”).
Owner Joe Sterling, whose grandfather Joseph R. Denniston was a pioneer in the cinema business in Monroe, said it’s becoming tougher to book films to compete against the larger multi-screen theater complexes, such as Phoenix Theatres at Frenchtown Square mall.
The Denniston Cinema has been for sale for about three years.
“We have three screens and it really is a nice theater —clean and well-designed and everything — but we can’t compete for film because they have eight screens at the mall and the film companies are more interested in that venue,” Mr. Sterling said. “We haven’t been able to compete really successfully even since Regal was in there.”
Read the full story in the Monroe News.
Richard DuVal
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Extensive 35mm collection needs new homes
I have to find new homes for hundreds of copies of numerous films from the 70’s, and 80’s. If you would like to see a list of titles send me an email at .
These are mostly horror, and kung fu movies. Lots of Bruce Lee. There’s even a copy of “Godzilla” in there somewhere. Not sure which one. These films need good homes to be viewed, and preserved by. I am asking that you pay shipping, plus a donation of $20+/-. I can provide current photos.
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May 27, 2009
Parts of iconic Mission Drive-In come down
SAN ANTONIO, TX — The shuttered Mission Drive-In was partially destroyed early last week as part of a new project.
The four-screen theater opened March 27, 1948, and once featured a marquee of neon lights. Santikos Theatres closed the Mission Drive-In in 2007 after rampant vandalism, and the city later bought the 26-acre site to make way for a public library and other developments.
“We are deficient when it comes to libraries in this area,” City Councilwoman Jennifer Ramos said.
Read the full story in My San Antonio.
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Kingsway 4 breathes new life
EDEN, NC — The Kingsway 4 is reopening under new family ownership after being closed by Carmike last year.
Read more in the Rockingham News.
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Wanted: Old audio equipment
Wanted old audio equipment:
amplifiers: stereo or mono
speakers
horns, drivers
preamp