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Many of you have disagreed with my opinion of NATO, yet for all of your arguments it is clear this industry lacks a powerful and effective trade organization.

Each week we read of one film company or another reducing the theatrical window in some form. Yet all we hear from NATO is that it is a bad idea and that concession prices really aren't that high-yeah right. What proactive move of import has NATO achieved?

I keep waiting for the announcement of a new independent film company -controled by theater owners -with a committment to the theatrical experience. This might be a simplistic idea but the only long term solution to the "window " issue is to control some of the product flow as a bargaining chip against the studios. The studios know they have theaters by the short hairs, the reversal of this control is the only true way to achieve long term security. The sky hasn't fallen but it sure is a lot closer than it used to be.

NATO's weak point or failure has always been it's ability to deal with or apply pressure to distributors.

Guess we wait and see how much noise all the theatre owners make at the annual NATO love fest... show west.

Especially from the major chains who are members and the big dues payers. What they hear from us independents and small town owners won't mean much more than squat.

SEVSTAR speaks the facts... NATO has always talked a good game, but it bows and scrapes to the studios and the big chains... Anything good that happens to trickle down to the small operators is just a side result of pleasing the big chains, and when push comes to shove, NATO is spineless and caves in to whatever the studios and their "pet" chains choose to do... I haven't belonged for years because when you have a problem to deal with, they'll give you lip service but nothing more...

I guess this all begs the question..."what do we do with this info?" Should we try to let them know of our dissatisfaction or try to form our own national assembly? Do we have enough power to even give them an informed opinion. As much as I'd like to see something come from this, I have become pretty skeptical lately about the fruits of these labors.

But they always are on time with there renewal notices.
They are supposed to be for the little guys yet they charge a poor soul with one screen $100.00 casue that is there minimum,never understood that?
Some support for lil cinemas that is!

I recently heard that about 50% of the nation's screens are controlled by the "large chains", and that the other half is represented by smaller chains and independents. Anyone know if that sounds right? If so, the indie half probably has more potential clout than it realizes... something the other half probably wouldn't want you to figure out on your own.

Unfortunately its market share that counts not just number of screens. I'm guessing the chains control 80% of total boxoffice -a figure that carries a great deal of clout with the studios. I can live with a trade organization dominated by chains-I can't take an organization run by spineless suits without any vision of the future. NATO needs to lead and stay ahead of trends, rather than react and always playing catch up. The leadership at NATO needs to be terminated with a new group of
forward thinkers installed.