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Elin TW wrote:
I know enough about the business and I know there are still a number of 35mm theatres running successfully and having kept abreast of the industry through publications and websites such as this one since leaving exhibition that I can safely tell people they still have several years before 35mm will no longer be available. I believe your assumption that film will not be available after this year is totally wrong. Are you calling me a liar about the 90%? The deal was made either by the previous manager or the non-profit board but I paid 90% for "Cars". I would never make such a deal but that is evidence that such deals do exist. You can't say "...nothing personal..." then call me a liar and tell me to shut my mouth about what I believe. We are all entitled to express our opinions here. It is up to those who look for answers to sort it all out. I am currently working on financing to open an 80 seat cinema where I live and, if successful, I will install 35mm equipment to use for the next few years.

Bob,

Two questions that you have not answered:

1) for Cars & the 90% film rental you paid, were your ticket prices $1?
2) for the whole year, what was your average film rental that you paid?

Thanks

Hey Jack: Ticket prices at that theatre were and still are .99 cents. Average rental prices were 55-65%. Disney was always the highest.

55-65%????

That theater is about fifty miles west of mine so I know about it. They always played stuff way after me and my theater doesn't pay that much, closer to 40-45%. You must have been getting screwed by them or were getting bit by the minimums on a regular basis.

revrobor wrote:
Thanks Bob.

Most studios are not interested in doing $1 shows (besides summer shows where the movie is already on DVD), especially Disney.

leeler wrote:
It is the Sunset in Sumner, Iowa Leeler. I hope they have made new arrangements with the distribs. Like I said I didn't set the deals. I thinl the distribs didn't like the low ticket prices but it sure packed the place. I played stuff about 4 weeks after the break and people waited for them rather than going to Waterloo.

It's common to relate a singular experience as if it can easily be replicated elsewhere. I do not believe that to be the case.

OK... Bob knows of one... maybe two or (gasp) three theatres that might be getting by at $1 a head. Nationally, those are drastic exceptions... not something I'd get too encouraged about. If that was such a great idea, why haven't more people succeeded at it?

No, the studios do not like dollar houses. If you care at all about the supply side making a profit, then this is perfectly understandable. Now, I didn't say anything about what a fair price would be... that's too subjective to nail down. If your relationship with the studios works for you, fine. It's also understandable that they don't care for you giving their multi-million dollar product away, regardless what you might think of them personally. I don't care for some of the bills I get, but they're not that much higher than any other wholesale product I sell, and the public doesn't seem to have a major problem with it.

I also have many years in this business. In 45 years I have never paid 90%. Given the low house allowances of everyone I know of, I can imagine that nobody would be happy to get a bill like that. Apparently, it's uncommon enough that it's not that much of a concern for theatres at our level. That makes anyone's recollection of a 90% bill pretty much anecdotal... certainly nothing to point out as a likelihood. You might be able to say it's happened, but people get hit by lightning, too.