dcprules

With Pirates 3 now entering into multiplexes everywhere, the amount of movies playing at many theaters in my area has dwindled substantially. At my local Regal fifteen screen theater, only five movies (Pirates, Shrek, Spiderman, Bug, and Georgia Rule) are playing. At another six screen in my area, only Pirates, Shrek, and Spiderman are playing. While it makes it a bit easier to catch a showing of Shrek or Pirates, it's really annoying having such a limited selection to pick from. I still wanted to catch 28 Weeks Later, Fracture, and Disturbia to name a few (all of which are still in the top ten at the BO) but I'm unable to because the summer blockbusters are on so many screens.

I'm just wondering if this is really frustrating to other people. While I still want to see Pirates and would like to see Shrek eventually too, I'd really like more choices of movies to watch. Ahh well, I guess I'll just be making the 45 minute drive to the bigger AMC instead.

Arpeggi

It's ridiculous. Fucking blockbusters.

Brent L

Yeah, at my local theater (10 screens), they only have four movies showing - the "big three" and then...Delta Farce.

About 30 minutes away we have two more theaters, 14 screens each I believe, and they have or six or eight flicks right now. Then about an hour away at the Hollywood 20 they only have eight showing. One of those is Waitress though, so that's pretty cool. I'm thinking about driving up and seeing that one sometime.

DeanoBKN

Sadly, it does suck...I really wanted to check out Even Money, but the closest theatre that is playing it is all the way in NYC, and it might be gone by next week.

PopcornTreeCt

I'm hoping to see Waitress but it's nowhere to be found.

dadaluholla

Nope, I'm a blockbuster kind of guy, so it's all good to me. Going to see Pirates tomorrow. Probably won't make it back to the theater until my next blockbuster, which will probably be Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.

Sondheim

The local 12-screen multiplex is playing a total of 4 movies - the big three and "Disturbia". The next nearest theater, with 16 screens, is playing those four plus "28 Weeks Later" and "Georgia Rule". Unfortunately, I've already seen "Shrek 3" and "Spider-Man 3", and I'm planning on seeing "Pirates 3" next week. I may go see "Disturbia" or "28 Weeks Later" just because I'm in a movie-watching mood and there's nothing else playing.

One theater about 45 minutes from here is playing "Waitress" - and I doubt I'll be able to get to it before it leaves.

Patman

It's been pretty grim in my area too. After seeing PotC3 on Thursday night, it freed up my 3-day weekend from the theaters since I've seen everything else I was interested in seeing.

It should get a little better in the next couple of weeks with other films opening, but the number of different films isn't going to get significantly higher, I suspect.

Matthew Chmiel

Next week:
Gracie opens up on 1500 screens.
Knocked Up opens up on 2700-3000 screens.
Mr. Brooks opens up on 2000-2300 screens.
Day Watch and Rise open in select markets and will expand from there.

Week after next:
Hostel 2 opens up on 2500-2700 screens.
Ocean's Thirteen and Surf's Up open up on 3200+ screens.

matome

Yep, my closest 12-plex is playing 4 rotations each of Shrek and Pirates, 1 of Spidy and someohow Fracture managed to squeeze in two late night showings.

Patman

As those new movies open, the theaters will lose the stragglers, like Disturbia, Fracture, 28 Weeks Later, Georgia Rule, Bug, Waitress, etc. Just nature of the beast during the summer of blockbusters.

Zodiac_Speaking

I have no problem and not to brag.

Sure, Shrek, Spidey, and Pirates are sucking up screen action, but I still have the choice to see some indie films like Waitress, Wind that Shakes the Barley, Away from Her, and he other movies like all the ones released in the last month.

Where did you guys live? I find it now odd that in Omaha, NE I have those options and you guys don't. Well, only odd b/c Omaha was a once small market...glad its getting better big time.

movielib

Our Sundance Cinema (either the first or second in the nation) opened two weeks ago. Waitress was among the first batch and has now expanded to two of the six screens. We got the film way before many larger cities and I know if it were not for the new theater we'd probably have had to wait a couple of months. I consider us lucky because I'm sure we will continue to get these indy and foreign films much earlier now, and in a beautiful, brand new theater.

BTW, Waitress is wonderful.

conscience

I was surprised that HW 20 picked up Waitress, but every once in a while they will acquire a smaller type of film that has a small release schedule.

The most notable films that I can remember (because I was there to see them when they opened) were both of Woody Allen's recent films (there must be a Woody fan working there): "Scoop" (miraculously released here in limited release on opening weekend - 538 theaters) and "Match Point" (411 theaters when it opened here). Also, "The Painted Veil" (max of 287 theaters), but I didn't have the time to see it during the, probably, week long run.

There are scant others that I can't remember right now but I think it's pretty cool that we at least get the sporadic independent film in relatively good time instead of months down the road when it gets nominated for Oscars.

Supermallet

This is one of the many reasons I live in Los Angeles. I can't wait to see Day Watch on day 1.

Matthew Chmiel

I will agree with you -- except on Waitress. For the top ten of this weekend, Waitress had the third highest PSA. Right behind the big boys Pirates and Shrek. Theaters will drop showtimes of Spider-man before they do Waitress.

Not only that -- but it costs the theater less money to have a screen full of Waitress showtimes than it does Spider-man. Thank God for those rental fees and shorter run-times.

jfoobar

Heck, I couldn't even find a theater within 25 miles showing Hott Fuzz two weekends ago because of this. I decided to just wait until the DVD.

This is one of the many factors that leads me to virtually never go to the theaters anymore. I guess these theaters know better than us how they do and do not maximize revenues. More power to them, I'll just wait for the DVD.

redskull

The 8 screen multiplex that's just down the street from me is showing only 4 different films. That's topped by the 16 screen Kerastoes on the edge of town which has only SIX different films! Showings of Shrek and Pirates start literally every half hour all day. Overkill to say the least. There're only 130,000 people in this city, so I can't imagine any of these showings are packed.

I'm continually frustrated by the way box office records are tallied these days. Literally every big blockbuster that comes out claims to set some all time money making record. Of course they made a record amount of money; the tickets cost more this year than they did last. And next year they'll cost even more and another record will be set.

Far better that they count tickets sold rather than money earned. But that'll never happen, because as I understand it if they did that then "Gone With The Wind" would still be the all time champ.

mdc3000

It is like a draught...I can't remember a time when only 4 movies were playing in my area...literally only 4... I saw Pirates on Thursday night and really didn't know what to do this weekend...in fact, May has to have been one of the slowest months for movies I can remember...at least a theatre 25 minutes away got Waitress so I caught that this afternoon...it was a nice breath of fresh air from all the big blockbuster sequels...and thankfully Knocked Up comes out next weekend so I have something to look forward to.

MATT

Shannon Nutt

In defense of the theaters, don't many of the studios have some kind of deal where "X" percentage of your theaters in a cineplex have to be carrying the blockbuster in question if you want to have it first-run?

I know the studios get something like 75 percent of a theater's take for a blockbuster the first few weeks of a run...which is insane.

joefrog91

We have two 16 screen theaters here in Waco. There are only 8 movies showing on 32 screens. This is why I make the 98 mile drive to Dallas or Austin to watch quality indie/art house films.