tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877371347086447490.post4027812300976834774..comments2024-03-28T20:37:08.491+11:00Comments on The Audient: Multiplex bluesDerek Armstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13750747272647975591noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877371347086447490.post-75968492048607672192010-07-21T00:30:48.447+10:002010-07-21T00:30:48.447+10:00a bad summer for movies?
how about a bad year? ;)...a bad summer for movies?<br /><br />how about a bad year? ;)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877371347086447490.post-20911316880590368432010-07-09T22:10:17.097+10:002010-07-09T22:10:17.097+10:00Man, thank God for the Landmark! Sounds like an aw...Man, thank God for the Landmark! Sounds like an awesome theater and I think we can all empathize with yer blues at the moment. Serenity now, Hollywood. Just give us Inception already.Aiden R.http://ctcmr.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877371347086447490.post-6181702353901647232010-07-09T13:52:44.909+10:002010-07-09T13:52:44.909+10:00Mike,
I think the economics you refer to are a co...Mike,<br /><br />I think the economics you refer to are a constant struggle for film fanatics, which is what I touched on briefly when discussing the supposedly "free" screening of Despicable Me. When you factor in that we drove about 15 miles to get there, and my wife had to work two fewer hours (she's a freelancer and she'll never get those hours back), it wasn't anywhere close to free. The only true way to beat theater costs is to do the double feature, where you sneak into the second after paying for the first. But that's not always possible, and in some cases, you respect the theater purveyors too much to do it -- especially in the case of the downtown indie theaters you are describing. It's a dilemma. Then add in the fact that the window to DVD is shorter than ever, and the theatrical screening seems so much less important than it once was.<br /><br />Movie Snob,<br /><br />Yeah, that drive gets you every time. I guess that's another benefit of living in Los Angeles -- most of us are not automatically scared off by being in the car for a long time, because of the world-famous traffic. If you told someone in Rhode Island that it would take an hour to get there, they'd expect to drive from one end of the state to the other. In LA, it might take that long to get from the west side to Hollywood in rush hour traffic.Derek Armstronghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13750747272647975591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877371347086447490.post-6137173360839270252010-07-09T13:40:19.506+10:002010-07-09T13:40:19.506+10:00This is an excellent point that I never really too...This is an excellent point that I never really took into consideration. Unfortunately in my neck of the woods theaters are all that way, save for a few that are a drive.Larry Taylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07778482073087773204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877371347086447490.post-13963049121582755822010-07-09T09:55:01.849+10:002010-07-09T09:55:01.849+10:00It's funny, George Lucas onced said the multip...It's funny, George Lucas onced said the multiplexes were going to be the future of movies because they would allow audiences the opportunity to see big movies in the same theaters as the smaller movies. That was apperently the dream of a man who put artistry before consummerism. <br /><br />The thing is though, in, and maybe I'm dreaming too, a lot of cases, if those small movies were given a chance at the big theaters they would do better business. I know they'd never distract people from the Twilights or Harry Potters but, look at my situation, I would glady go see Winter's Bone or Fish Tank or whatever film like that in a theater but, in most cases, I would need to go downtown for that. So figure it out: I drive, I have to pay parking which, depending on the location could be anywhere from 7 to 15 bucks or take the subway for like 6 bucks, then pay full price for the movie, so by the time I've searched out a movie like Winter's bone I'm out 25 or 30 bucks so I might as well just wait for the DVD.The Taxi Driverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04352371911592068643noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877371347086447490.post-58405605495544588122010-07-09T04:43:43.130+10:002010-07-09T04:43:43.130+10:00Hatter,
It's true, I'm very lucky. In fac...Hatter,<br /><br />It's true, I'm very lucky. In fact, I take it for granted that if a movie has been released anywhere in the country, I'm likely to find it without having to drive for more than a half-hour. (And the half-hour drive is not representative of being an actual significant distance from where the movie is playing -- it more represents LA traffic.)<br /><br />And because I DO frequent theaters like the Landmark so much more regularly than theaters like the Del Amo 18, I still have the capacity to be surprised by just how little variety they really do offer. Here's the worst part: I'm sure most of the people who go there don't notice, or if they do notice, they don't care.Derek Armstronghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13750747272647975591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877371347086447490.post-31382058133681582742010-07-09T04:30:56.827+10:002010-07-09T04:30:56.827+10:00Wow.
See I had a theory for how people could get ...Wow.<br /><br />See I had a theory for how people could get better moviegoing experiences this summer, but this story blows it all to hell.<br /><br />My thought was to look further down the line at The Multiplex. Walk in resigned to what crap might be playing in theatres 1-6 and focus instead on what smaller gems might be playing at theatre 10, 11, and 12.<br /><br />While I appreciate theatre managers' desire to sidestep the dreaded "Sold Out Screening" by running things on two or three screens - your story shows me just how far from the plot they have found themselves.<br /><br />There's no reason for them to be playing four titles on nine screens...or eight titles on seventeen screens!<br /><br />You're damned right to say that you're lucky to live in L.A. where you have options - I imagine in many smaller markets, what you described is the norm.<br /><br />If I were you, I'd become a dedicated patron of The Landmark, and personally thank the manager for providing people with better options!Ryan McNeilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00440134802928893661noreply@blogger.com