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Post by Kyle Mitchell on Nov 4, 2013 8:43:02 GMT -6
This town does not need another movie theatre. The one we have is not supported. In case you haven't noticed, our city needs more jobs, tax revenue and occupied buildings. I know that they wouldn't be high paying jobs, but it would need a local manager and several part time employees. It could create more tax revenue for our city and would be one less vacant building. I bet if opened, they would paint over the graffiti on the front. An open business without graffiti improves the image of our community in my opinion. I also think that competition can make businesses try harder, creating better conditions for the public. Going out to a show is kind of a habit; many times, people come out and see a preview for another film and come back to see it later. It creates top of mind awareness. There are many different types of movies and different tastes; not many people go out to a show they they aren't interested in seeing. A wider selection of films playing in town could get people in the habit of going out to the show more often and help both places. I wasn't afraid of competition for customers when I opened the Majestic. I knew that I could provide better customer service and felt that people would like the Majestic better. The only competition I feared was that my competitor was booked by Wehrenberg, a large theatre chain. The illegal "buying power" used by large chains often keeps independents from being able to exist, despite being able to perform better, as was the case for us in Flagstaff. However after being open only a few months and reminding the studios of my complaints from Flagstaff, I was feeling more comfortable with that. Even though I was denied the huge summer blockbusters, when I took a relatively small film like Hairspray and redefined how much money movies made in Streator, some of the film companies were having a hard time denying my claims that they ignore the 1948 Supreme Court decision saying that films are to be booked based on the merits of individual theatres. Opening weekends are very important to the film companies. Bringing in 234 people on a Sunday evening (The Big Hair Contest) to finish off a busy weekend compared to the competition's maximum seating of 100, made a strong impression on them. I was upset when Northpoint closed. In the Fall of 2007, after our first summer, I called the RMC owner's brother, Michael, who I had done business with for years, and asked if I could help them try to improve their performances and customer service and if we could work together to try to get people going out to the show more often. Danny never called me back though. I think that two theatres could survive here, but what would I know with my lack of business sense (since no one else came to Streator and invested so much to open businesses in these vacant buildings), right Oldtimer?
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Post by Kyle Mitchell on Nov 4, 2013 8:58:22 GMT -6
This town does not need another movie theatre. The one we have is not supported. A digital 3-D theatre could be considered uniquely different than a typical theatre. Maybe you can get you buddies at City Hall to contact Evans Digital Cinema and tell them that industrial zoning is required for that.
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Post by gijane on Nov 4, 2013 9:31:04 GMT -6
I thought this thread was about Taco bell vs a liquor store....
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Post by Kyle Mitchell on Nov 4, 2013 9:54:18 GMT -6
Would this be the first time that something other than the opening subject was discussed on a thread?
I wasn't the one that brought up theatres. Do you not like talking about them?
It seemed to me that people were done talking about Taco Bell, but we can.
Why did the one that was here before close?
Maybe if they sold liquor too we would get another one here?
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Post by dumdave on Nov 4, 2013 9:56:16 GMT -6
I am as guilty as anyone about sidelining threads.
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Post by OutlawwithaSnipeSniper on Nov 4, 2013 10:13:21 GMT -6
Kyle, there is one thing I think you might not have thought out regarding your 2 theaters surviving theory.
Have you taken into consideration the influx of high speed Internet, Netflix cheap movie service, and the prevalence of dirt cheap large format televisions?
Don't get me wrong, I love the whole movie going experience, but the cost differential versus getting 95 percent of the same thing for a much lower overall cost in the comfort of your living room has to have an impact.
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Post by Kyle Mitchell on Nov 4, 2013 10:38:27 GMT -6
There is a whole list of reasons to stay home to watch movies, but I think that many people still get out of the house for some of their filmed entertainment.
Most teenagers certainly don't want to stay home and watch movies. That is probably why there is so much product geared towards that crowd.
Some people like to be talking about the new films and don't want to wait months to see it. The shrinking video release window and illegal downloads/streaming work against that though.
Sometimes you get more out of a show without the interruptions there can be at home.
There really is something to be said for the social aspect of going to a show too. A comedy is usually funnier when a whole crowd is laughing. Sometimes the girl in the row behind you letting out a scream can scare you more than the horror film on the screen.
I should check more recent national statistics, but a decade ago it was less than 3% of the population that was considered frequent movie-goers, going to the movies at least twice a month.
I wonder how much that has changed with better home theatres now.
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Taco Bell
Nov 4, 2013 15:37:15 GMT -6
via mobile
Post by bryanm1982 on Nov 4, 2013 15:37:15 GMT -6
So is that Evans Digital Company going to open the theater or did they give up?
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Taco Bell
Nov 4, 2013 15:37:33 GMT -6
via mobile
Post by bryanm1982 on Nov 4, 2013 15:37:33 GMT -6
So is that Evans Digital Company going to open the theater or did they give up?
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Post by OutlawwithaSnipeSniper on Nov 4, 2013 16:07:00 GMT -6
There is a whole list of reasons to stay home to watch movies, but I think that many people still get out of the house for some of their filmed entertainment. Most teenagers certainly don't want to stay home and watch movies. That is probably why there is so much product geared towards that crowd. Some people like to be talking about the new films and don't want to wait months to see it. The shrinking video release window and illegal downloads/streaming work against that though. Sometimes you get more out of a show without the interruptions there can be at home. There really is something to be said for the social aspect of going to a show too. A comedy is usually funnier when a whole crowd is laughing. Sometimes the girl in the row behind you letting out a scream can scare you more than the horror film on the screen. I should check more recent national statistics, but a decade ago it was less than 3% of the population that was considered frequent movie-goers, going to the movies at least twice a month. I wonder how much that has changed with better home theatres now. I know my kids certainly go to the movies much more than I do, so you may have something there. One thing that I used to love about the theater in the town I lived in Florida was that they had the lower level with conventional seating, and the Balcony was for the adults, seating was around tables, and they served real food and adult beverages. Made for a better experience for the adults, and it showed, the balcony was rarely ever empty.
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