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A film company said to me: if you have a VPF you will be less likely to get a print from us because we cannot afford to pay it so we'll have to go with less smaller places whereas 35mm was no big deal because we could run it through 4-5 theatres and average out our costs. YIKES!

Just made 3 deals with one of the theaters that went digital I would not have gotten if we had VPF.

You can also play a big picture on multiple screens without studio approval if you have no VPF.

This was addressed in the last of the CBG webinars. Individual studio reps are not supposed to be doing this. With a VPF, you should be able to book as you would have with 35mm. If you feel you are losing bookings just because you are receiving a VPF, NATO wants to know so they can go to the top on your behalf.

I cannot be told something in confidence that is vitally important and then go out and drop a dime on them. NATO/CBG represents 88 members that have converted 1450 screens and they are seemingly casually allowing some 800 theatres to go bust. Where does NATO fit into this in a positive way? I have been a long supporting member and supporter of NATO but I see them as terribly failing small theatres in a spectacular fashion on this issue. Small theatres have been sold down the river in the stampede.... by all concerned. If on top of all of this we'll be punished for having a vpf and will NOT get a print it truly is insane.

This is one of my concerns when the deals were first discussed. What motivation does any studio have to give you any movie on the break if it costs them a $700-800 vpf on top of $200 or so to administer the key codes?

That is why I always said you needed to be labeled a 1st run pretty comfortably, meaning you get a new release on the break movie sent to you at least 48 weeks a year.

Nato/cbg/cinedigm have done a horrible job. 1) The first deadline and only deadline to join CBG I recall ever hearing about was the end of 2007. That deadline was extended with little to no word to the exhibition public. Have you ever seen a NATO/CBG/Cinedigm person be active of this forum of film-tech? I pride myself in being pretty informed about events in the industry but never heard about an extension of deadlines.

2) They have done a horrible job in returning phone calls and emails.

3) The who secrecy and NDA's needed to discuss details of VPFs has turned off many. This is far form rocket science but it has been treated like top secrets fbi shit.

88 members partcipating. I bet half of those are decent size chains like Goodrich, B&b, Ipic, etc. The true number of single location operators by be less than 20.

Mike wrote:
If you were told this, call NATO right now. This is EXACTLY what they are for. You've complained on here about them constantly...have you given them a chance to work for you?

Elin TW wrote:
Elin,

NATO will not be able to do anything as I doubt there were no guarantees in those VPF agreements on how it is decided when you can get a movie. But we will never know becasue we cannot talk about these deals because of NDAs. Plus do you really want us to "turn" some studio in for this and risk being blackballed from that studio?

CBG has done a horrible job in this process for the reasons I mentioned above.

The VPF deals make sense if you are comfortable a first run theater. Probably 2800 location count.

Elin, where do you fit in?? Did you ask for and play for The Big Year for example?

Actually Mike has consistently defended NATO or now known NALTO. However NATO is so out of it on this matter that only the most ardent supporters could defend them for leaving 20 percent of the screens out to dry

Hey Elin... I don't believe I have ever criticized NATO before for anything. Rather; I have been their consistent good defender and friend. I'm happy to debate the issues and what's real. leave the making it up off the table please. Thanks/ Mike