Welcome to BigScreenBiz.com

Hello! I am new to this website and board and hope that you can help. I hope that I have come to the right place. I know that you might think me crazy but this is kind of a dream to us and we would like to see if we can make it come true. Thanks in advance for your help and ideas.

My husband and I have been looking into the idea of starting a small movie theater with the concept of also serving dinner (think dinner and a movie). We have had this idea ever since eating at an establishment in Tampa years and years ago. Our family has been in the restaurant and hotel business for years so I believe that we can handle the food portion without a problem. However, we don't just want to open another restaurant. We want something special, quaint and fun. There is nothing like this in our area and where we live is booming right now. We *know it would be a huge hit and a great success. We have a commerical banking friend so getting a loan shouldn't be a problem as well.

My question is, how do I prepare a budget for the movie portion? We would probably want to buy used equipment to keep cost down unless you advise otherwise.

Can you tell me what specific equipment we will need? I have read things about digital and 35mm and it sounds like 35mm is more up our alley. Am I right? We are thinking of playing older movies and not new releases (as did the place in Tampa) and sticking to only one theater with two showings a night, possibly kid flicks during the summer days and Saturday.

To summarize:

1)Can you learn to run the projector yourself or is it best to hire a pro? Where would you learn if you wanted to train if this is an option? What type of salary is suggested if hiring? We live in the Southeast.

2)Where do you rent the movies from? What costs are involved?

3)What equipment is a must have?

4)Are there companies that set up and install all of the equipment or do you hire a private contractor?

5)What type of computer system is recommended for both ticketing and serving food items? Although I'm *very computer savvy, I might need tech support and training.

Thanks again, and any other information that you can provide would be greatly appreciated!!!!

Hi and welcome/ many of our visitors are people just like you. First things first: sounds like a great idea and in the right area will do fine. But, and there is always a but. You need to educate yourself about this. We have answered these questions many-many times: go back and read the archives. Reset the dates and go way back. Once you have done that: ask specific questions. Most of the people who post here are busy professionals and yet they remain willing to help newbies. But reanswering the same questions is asking too much. Read first. Ask later. Cheers/ Mike

---

Michael Hurley
Impresario

start here http://www.bigscreenbiz.com/cgi-bin//forumdisplay.cgi?action=topics&forum=Frequently+Asked+Questions+at+BSB&number=48&DaysPrune=1000&SUBMIT=Go

---

Michael Hurley
Impresario

Thanks so much for the reply. I had no idea how extensive your boards were and I will gladly do the research. I'm happy to have come to the right place! : )


<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, helvetica">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Mike:
<B>Hi and welcome/ many of our visitors are people just like you. First things first: sounds like a great idea and in the right area will do fine. But, and there is always a but. You need to educate yourself about this. We have answered these questions many-many times: go back and read the archives. Reset the dates and go way back. Once you have done that: ask specific questions. Most of the people who post here are busy professionals and yet they remain willing to help newbies. But reanswering the same questions is asking too much. Read first. Ask later. Cheers/ Mike

</B><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>