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I was in the Bay Area earlier this week and went to screenings of BASIC with John Travolta and PHONE BOOTH with Colin Farrell. I didn't like BASIC much, thought it left too much out and parts of it were totally unbelievable. PHONE BOOTH on the other hand was quite good, even though I can't imagine anyone not hanging up the phone immediately.

I don't go to very many screenings as they are way too far from here. I was surprised that there weren't very many people there. There were only two of us for BASIC and maybe six for PHONE BOOTH. Is that normal or are people staying close to home because of war or gasoline worries?

I have noticed this over the past year or so. For every crazy opening weekend of a SCOOBY DOO or a SPIDER-MAN, we seem to get many slower-than-expected days. Movies either die off a lot quicker or people hear how bad they are and just stay away anyway.

Burney Falls is talking about exhibitor screenings. We get invitations to some of them but we hardly ever go. The screenings are on weekdays either in the morning or afternoon. Many people have to work. That's why the screenings are not very well attended. If I had known about the Phone Booth Screening, I would tried to attend.

Nothing unusual about that at all Burney. I use to go to the screenings in Philadelphia years ago. I only go once or twice a year anymore. One that I went to last year was canceled due to the print not arriving on time after I had spent several hours driving, gas money, tolls etc. It's just not worth the aggravation. Back when I went more often, it was not unusal for there to be 6 to 10 people there per screening.

Back when "The Transformers Movie" came out I took my seven year old son with me so he could be the first kid in Pennsylvania to see the film. As you probably recall, they were the hottest thing back in those days... all though I will never understand why. Obviosuly, no adult in his right mind would have wanted to sit though that movie, and understandably no one else was there. I spent the entire time in the lobby talking to the theatre manager and inspecting the theatres main auditorium as it was Philadelphia's last large movie palace, the 2,358 seat former Boyd built in 1928. The screening was run entirely for my son, and my son alone. But then on the other hand, who would be better qualified to pass judgement on a kid film... then a kid. He loved it.

I'm sure it has nothing to do with the possible war or anything else for that matter. Most theatre people just don't have the time or interest to attend the screenings.

I would have thought bookers would go to screenings.

The exhibitors screenings that we held in
Los Angeles. We would get 20-50 people
for most of the screening in the morning.
The best part was the studios would serve
a small breakfast before the show. Warner, Paramount and Universal did the best trade
screening. Now here in New York, I get 10
to 20 people for exhibitor screenings.