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well, for whatever reason, the slow December hasn't happened here. We had Friday Night Lights the first week of the month and it did well (not awesome, but very good). OK, Raise Your Voice didn't do too good, but I was slower in September by a long ways. I still have high hopes for shall We Dance this week as it has gotten lots of buzz from the poster and the trailer. This plus last year's December leads me to believe that the December slowdown may not transpire here. The planets must be aligned just so or something.....

And this year...... (drum roll please)

Vastly improved.

Sure business is slower then during summer was but I was about to commit hari-kari last year and this year it has been just a minor dip (albeit with some crappy weeks here and there).

So, what can you attribute this to? Last year had decent movies in the fall but so has this one (nevermind the Corpse Bride fiasco of last week). The only thing I can come up with is that I have been open during the week this year and I wasn't last year. But, my weekday numbers have not been picking up the slack for soft weekends this fall (just the opposite, really), so what does that leave? I think my movie selection is better now then last year but not to this degree.

Pictures that don't click over the weekend USUALLY won't draw mid-week, either... Once in a blue moon you will find one which DOES, but it's more likely because something local sapped your weekend audience, and they waited to see it later... This year's Fall lineup looks to be tremendously BETTER than last year's, but almost without exception, they are dying on the vine as first runs... I only wish that I could still have the newspapaer ad rates, and the circulation the papers USED to have, in order to sell what's currently being released!...

The period between Thanksgiving and Christmas, have two great releases this year, in Narnia and King Kong.

Won't they do fairly well at the box for the holiday season ?

King Kong is scary for the reason the running time is 3 hours and 20 minutes. Plus you have to have clean up time in between features. How many shows can you possibily show?
Most small town theatres will only be able to play one show a night!
But I saw it and it is spectacular!

How bout' having an pre-announced, 15 minute break half way through, givibg patrons a chance to stretch, grab a smoke, or increase concession revenue ?

Should be able to run 4 shows if you start the 1st one at 11AM.

I have a smaller then usual platter so I an technically unable to run a three plus hour show. When we had Return of the King we had a pre-announced intermission so I could hustle upstairs and rethread from the other platter. We had higher concession sales then we have ever had.....

Back when Roadshows were the thing, nearly EVERY one had an intermission, and it DID make a difference in the concession sales totals... Double features accomplished the same thing with a break between the features... History repeats itself!...

So are we allowed to put in an intermission?? I always thought the distributors forbade it.....its a great idea.. esp for concession sales, those who had a big drink before going in and of course the smokers

I doubt very much about them letting an intermission..but they should. I remember when I was little the intermission between Chitty Chitty bang bang, made the movie so much better than sittng and watching that in one sitting.
They should at least let the King Kong have an intermission for the matinees and early shows.

like I said, I HAVE to have an intermission for movies the length of King Kong (BTW any official running times out there?), so they have to allow it or else buy me a new platter

I was told it came in at 3 hours!

King Kong
Opens December 14th

Rated: PG-13
Director: Peter Jackson
Starring: Jack Black
Running time: 3 hours
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Science Fiction

I would run an intermission if I felt like it and I sure would not call Universal and ask if it's okay. I know what they would say. That's why I would not call.

---

Michael Hurley
Impresario

Our contact at Universal told us the official run time was 187 minutes.

How is your fall shaping up so far?

Mine has been better then in years past. Any idea why that might be? I just finished a sell out for Barnyard and that is very unusual for October for me. Is it the cold or am I getting better at picking movies that suit my customers?