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You'd think I worked in some scary urban area. Quite the opposite. Its a college town but the majority of the problem comes from high school age kids. There's nothing else for them to do on a Friday night. Our biggest problem has been parents who drop off their kids because they don't want to deal with them, and then don't pick them up until hours past their movie ending. So we have these kids breaking into parked cars, sneaking into movies, getting bored and harrassing employees. We've had to tighten down on rules to eliminate those rare dangerous situations. Parents think we're a babysitting service.
Posts: 1733 | Registered: Apr 2005
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We have many of the same troubles, Shanna....
But on the other hand, I *am* in a scary urban area. My car has been broken into twice since I started working here and vandalized once.
However we don't prevent bags from coming in, and we definitely don't search backpacks or anything like that.
Our rule is, if someone tries to sneak in outside food (however laughable their attempt may be) we will go ahead and let them in.
However if they are carrying it in the open, we do ask them to finish it in the lobby.
(And those of you who just don't buy that the only money we make is from concessions, I don't know what to tell you. It's true. I'm a movie theater manager, and I see the percentages. The money we make from tickets is so small that any profits from the box office are basically negligable.
That money all goes to the movie theater production companies. [When I say "all" I'm speaking in generalities -- not hard percentages, because we do get a tiny amount.])
Posts: 2267 | Registered: May 2005
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So if I were to go into the popcorn business, a good strategy to attract customers would be to build a cinema around my popcorn stand?
Posts: 10397 | Registered: Jun 2005
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It's not that we doubt that concessions supply the majority of most movie theatres' income. It's that we doubt both the quality of the concessions and the wisdom of this business plan.
quote:(And those of you who just don't buy that the only money we make is from concessions, I don't know what to tell you. It's true. I'm a movie theater manager, and I see the percentages. The money we make from tickets is so small that any profits from the box office are basically negligable.
You know, I really don't care. If a theater cannot stay open with the money from my (and everybody else's) ticket, then they might as well close down, because they certainly are not getting any more money from me than those expensive tickets.
Posts: 16551 | Registered: Feb 2003
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If Hollywood takes so darned much of the ticket money, then
1) Why do some theaters (in one area) charge $9 a ticket, some charge $9.50, some charge $10, and some charge $11? In Dallas, same thing, but adjust down to the $6.95 to $8.50 range?
2) How do budget theaters, which play one or two of the hottest movies with limited showtimes, and charge something like $2 for kids, $4 for adults, survive? No concessions, they still have ushers and people who pick up after you, they still have three ticket windows...
Not doubting you, asking legitimate questions out of curiosity.
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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(And also, I agree with MPH. I'm not going to buy an inferior, overpriced, abhorrent product just because someone decided that it's a better business practice to gamble on my doing so than to sell what I came for.)
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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1) Various movie chains will have different deals with movie companies. And a .50 difference may be basic economics. Trying to stay competitive while trying to pull in a profit.
2) As for the budet theatres, we have one in our town which is actually owned by the big theatre. The movies they show are additional prints sent to the big theatre which decided not to use them. Or, they're movies that were replaced by newer releases and therefore were given to the smaller theatre. The big theatre is picking up the tab and just using the smaller theatre to make a bonus profit. Also, if they don't sell concessions and set their times right, the box office people probably double as ushers and the manager works the projectors. That cuts down on the staff big time.
Just some possible scenarios. I work box office and projection so what business I know is what I've picked up by experience in the last 3-4 years and what I've learned from discussions with my managers.
As for the quality of concessions, its gonna vary from place to place. We sell the basics, soda, popcorn, candy, hotdogs and we just added ice cream and nachos. While I'm at work, I eat the popcorn willingly (we make great popcorn) and even grab a hotdog if I'm working and don't have time to run-out on break. When I see movies, I get my tickets for free but I still buy concessions. Yeah, the prices aren't spectacular but its still worth it for me to have hot popcorn during my movie. If you have a problem with the quality of the product you're purchasing, please tell a manager. Good chance is that some punk worker has gotten lazy and put too much salt in the popcorn, etc. Keep the owners on their toes. Let them know your concerns. They're not gonna try and improve if no one tells them there's a problem.
Posts: 1733 | Registered: Apr 2005
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I have a cinema question. Why is it that I will stand in line for one guy to sell me the ticket, then stand in line for someone else to tear the ticket in half?
Not like I want someone to lose his job, but wouldn't cut down on personnel costs to sell the tickets already torn in half?
Posts: 10397 | Registered: Jun 2005
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So, if theaters make most of their profit from high-priced concessions, and patrons don't like to pay that much, is there any other way theaters could be making money?
Here's a thought: what if they sold tie-in movie merchandise at the theater? Have a little gift shop in a corner. I'd think people would be more apt to buy tie-in merchandise while they're still on a high from seeing the movie. I know I would have loved to be able to buy Serenity stuff like the soundtrack and the visual companion right after the movie.
Posts: 1805 | Registered: Jun 1999
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The ticket-tearer is verifying who is allowable into the theatre because they have a ticket and who isn't. The ticket is torn because some theatres keep records to make sure the number of ticket-stubs matches with the number sold. If we catch a patron in the theatre with an untorn ticket, we know they got in some way other than going through the main doors, which we would need to investigate. Ticket-tearers are also responsible for directing patrons to the correct auditorium. You'd think people could just match the big number on the ticket to the big number on the door, but no. This is especially a problem when we have the same movie showing on multiple screens.
Posts: 1733 | Registered: Apr 2005
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There was at one point (and may still be) a movie theater in Atlanta that actually served dinner-type food. It had smallish screens and small theaters, with wide stadium rows of tables at different heights, plus a couple rows of armchairs closer to the front where you could sit if you just wanted drinks (including alcohol!). It was, IIRC, an adults-only type of place, though I could be mistaken about that. It ROCKED.
Posts: 4077 | Registered: Jun 2003
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We have a theater like that in suburban Chicago, Megan. Might even be the same owners, in fact, I do remember reading that he imported the idea from somewhere else.
Hollywood does enforce a 1-item minimum in addition to the ticket price, but we're talking *real* food, decent food, and even booze, so I don't mind it so much when I actually feel the need to go to a full price theater. And yes, ours is also adults-only with the exception of the 4:00 showtime. Needless to say, they typically don't run things like Robots and Racing Stripes after 6:00 LOL
The other thing I like about this place is the lobby ambiance. Lots and lots of movie posters, painted murals on a couple of the walls, a mock-up of the front of Grumman's that you walk through to get to the theaters, even wax dummies of Jake and Elwood. And the last time I was there, they did have some tie-in merchandise available for RHPS - they do midnight shows every weekend, year round - and maybe for some other shows, I don't recall.
A little bit pricy, tickets are 9.50 instead of 8.50 for Cineplex or 8.00 for Classic, and of course you're captive for food and drinks (a burger was 8 bucks, soda was 3 for a 20 ounce), but since I so rarely feel the need to see a movie without the presence of children, it's mostly a non-issue for me anyway.
Posts: 4515 | Registered: Jul 2004
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quote:There was at one point (and may still be) a movie theater in Atlanta that actually served dinner-type food. It had smallish screens and small theaters, with wide stadium rows of tables at different heights, plus a couple rows of armchairs closer to the front where you could sit if you just wanted drinks (including alcohol!). It was, IIRC, an adults-only type of place, though I could be mistaken about that. It ROCKED.
I would totallly go to a place like that. Dinner and a movie -- at the same time?
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