Whatever Happened To Dollar Theaters?
06-21-04 | 09:31 AM
#27
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
I like the theater in Warren, MI (Cinemark 16). Granted, I don't usually go on the peak the peak nights, Friday/Saturday but those nights are pretty problematic with kids/teens at all the theaters I go to. I like it because it has such a nice large selection of movies to see.
06-21-04 | 02:34 PM
#28
DVD Talk Limited Edition
We have a few in the Cincinnati area, which have between 8-12 screens and cost $2.50 ($1.75 on Tuesdays). None of them are in enviable locations, and I avoid them on Fridays and Saturdays as well, but the seats and screens aren't terrible.
The one closest to me even runs art films from time to time; I'm sure there are many more examples, but I specifically remember seeing Limbo and Swimming Pool there, neither of which played anywhere but the first-run art theater near the university.
We also have at least two drive-ins still in operation, although one of them is close to 30 miles away.
The one closest to me even runs art films from time to time; I'm sure there are many more examples, but I specifically remember seeing Limbo and Swimming Pool there, neither of which played anywhere but the first-run art theater near the university.
We also have at least two drive-ins still in operation, although one of them is close to 30 miles away.
Last edited by printerati; 06-21-04 at 02:37 PM.
06-21-04 | 06:41 PM
#29
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From: twin cities minnesota
Originally posted by Julie Walker
Well I guess I have been lucky at my screenings
I hate disrepectful audiences,which is another reason why I watch dvds more often..than venture to the theaters.
But anyway I was surprised at how 'polite' most of the audiences were at Friday the 13th.
The only time someone yelled out something was when Crazy Ralph was introduced,a person said "RALLLLPH" in some crazy voice and the group he was in laughed thinking they were so hip(oh how I hate those types of morons!). That was it,the rest of the time they were quiet and watching the film. Then once the credits started,they all applauded and only then did a few become noisey with "WOOOOOOOO".
The Goonies was a fun showing as well,the theater was sold out this time,that the film did not start until 12:30am,since the crowds were still piling in. It should have lead to a more noisey rowdy distracting experiance. But again,the crowds were pretty quiet throughout the film,only cheering when thier favorite charecter was introduced,or screaming with delight at the Truffle Shuffle and laughing at the jokes.
No disrespect theyre in my opinion..and again when the end credits hit,a huge round of applause and cheers. The type of audience I like.
Now I will admit to being highly annoyed at The Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Riverview. I've been one to actually enjoy the film itself,so until recently have never experiance the live midnight show audience. But went along as some friends persisted I go..they on the other hand never watch Rocky expect for the live show!..basically saying "it's boring watching it on dvd,you gotta experiance it in theaters man!"..basically to be as annoying and disrespectful as possible. The worst was when my friends took a 'smoke break' outside the theater for 15 minutes,then came back in to 'watch' the show. Where is the respect their?
While some of their remarks were amusing,the constant yelling out of stupid things making fun of the movie got annoying fast. Even worse,the audiences were pretty pathetic and uptight to actually get up and do the dance numbers. So you have the theater troupe trying to motivate the audience,which just was annoying as hell.
I did see it a second time though recently..and it was slightly better than my first experiance. The audience was actually motivated and doing all the Rocky things it is infamous for..unlike the first showing. The theater troupe actually had props and costumes this time..unlike the first time. So it was more lively and fun watching them reenact the film. But still the constant ripping on the film,yelling out something durring every second of the film was irritating.
I mean,I can understand a comment here & there..but by being so loud,as to not even hear the film..and thus get what they are joking about. It is annoying as hell!!
Like when the professors is narrating,they keep shouting out 'YOU HAVE NO NECK,WHERE IS YOUR NECK"..that you can't hear what the prof is saying at all. I don't think this is how a 'audience participation' show should go.
On the plus side,since the theater troupe have a larger cast including a few extras and prop handlers. I noticed plenty of gorgeous women in lingerie and such. Hmm maybe I should join the cast?...which my friends have said I should do.
Anyway I have never been to Block E yet,but then again I don't feel safe going alone late at night in Minneapolis,man the guys can be real pricks when I walk by trying to hit on me and such when I am away from my friends for a milisecond!!
I would love to see Animal House and stuff in theaters though,that would be a blast.
I enjoyed both of my Oak Street visits though,the audiences were more respectful of the films. You'd expect a crazy insane disrespectful audience for Beyond The Valley of the Dolls,but nope,everyone appreciate the film itself,got the jokes,laughed..but where never purposely going out of their way to be as annoying and attention getting as possible.
I think some people mistake cult films as being 'ok' to be a dick and rip on the films...well some people actually appreciate the films dammit. So stick to being a dick in your own homes!
Well I guess I have been lucky at my screenings
I hate disrepectful audiences,which is another reason why I watch dvds more often..than venture to the theaters.
But anyway I was surprised at how 'polite' most of the audiences were at Friday the 13th.
The only time someone yelled out something was when Crazy Ralph was introduced,a person said "RALLLLPH" in some crazy voice and the group he was in laughed thinking they were so hip(oh how I hate those types of morons!). That was it,the rest of the time they were quiet and watching the film. Then once the credits started,they all applauded and only then did a few become noisey with "WOOOOOOOO".
The Goonies was a fun showing as well,the theater was sold out this time,that the film did not start until 12:30am,since the crowds were still piling in. It should have lead to a more noisey rowdy distracting experiance. But again,the crowds were pretty quiet throughout the film,only cheering when thier favorite charecter was introduced,or screaming with delight at the Truffle Shuffle and laughing at the jokes.
No disrespect theyre in my opinion..and again when the end credits hit,a huge round of applause and cheers. The type of audience I like.
Now I will admit to being highly annoyed at The Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Riverview. I've been one to actually enjoy the film itself,so until recently have never experiance the live midnight show audience. But went along as some friends persisted I go..they on the other hand never watch Rocky expect for the live show!..basically saying "it's boring watching it on dvd,you gotta experiance it in theaters man!"..basically to be as annoying and disrespectful as possible. The worst was when my friends took a 'smoke break' outside the theater for 15 minutes,then came back in to 'watch' the show. Where is the respect their?
While some of their remarks were amusing,the constant yelling out of stupid things making fun of the movie got annoying fast. Even worse,the audiences were pretty pathetic and uptight to actually get up and do the dance numbers. So you have the theater troupe trying to motivate the audience,which just was annoying as hell.
I did see it a second time though recently..and it was slightly better than my first experiance. The audience was actually motivated and doing all the Rocky things it is infamous for..unlike the first showing. The theater troupe actually had props and costumes this time..unlike the first time. So it was more lively and fun watching them reenact the film. But still the constant ripping on the film,yelling out something durring every second of the film was irritating.
I mean,I can understand a comment here & there..but by being so loud,as to not even hear the film..and thus get what they are joking about. It is annoying as hell!!
Like when the professors is narrating,they keep shouting out 'YOU HAVE NO NECK,WHERE IS YOUR NECK"..that you can't hear what the prof is saying at all. I don't think this is how a 'audience participation' show should go.
On the plus side,since the theater troupe have a larger cast including a few extras and prop handlers. I noticed plenty of gorgeous women in lingerie and such. Hmm maybe I should join the cast?...which my friends have said I should do.
Anyway I have never been to Block E yet,but then again I don't feel safe going alone late at night in Minneapolis,man the guys can be real pricks when I walk by trying to hit on me and such when I am away from my friends for a milisecond!!
I would love to see Animal House and stuff in theaters though,that would be a blast.
I enjoyed both of my Oak Street visits though,the audiences were more respectful of the films. You'd expect a crazy insane disrespectful audience for Beyond The Valley of the Dolls,but nope,everyone appreciate the film itself,got the jokes,laughed..but where never purposely going out of their way to be as annoying and attention getting as possible.
I think some people mistake cult films as being 'ok' to be a dick and rip on the films...well some people actually appreciate the films dammit. So stick to being a dick in your own homes!
06-22-04 | 07:09 AM
#31
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Originally posted by Rammsteinfan
We still have a $2 theatre near my town... I go there every so often. Its always too crowded to go though.
We still have a $2 theatre near my town... I go there every so often. Its always too crowded to go though.
06-20-06 | 12:31 PM
#32
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May be better to just start a new thread, but I do a fair amount of traveling, due to contracting, and am always on the look out for dollar theaters. I can never seem to find a decent list of them. The current location I'll be looking for is the Maryland area south of DC. Anyways, I'll post the ones I know about and have been to (all Cinemarks) and others post theirs maybe we can compile a decent list.
Cinemark Movies 10 (75¢ all day on Tuesdays)
3700 Candlers Mountain Road
Lynchburg, VA 24502
Cinemark Carriage Place Movies 12 (50¢ Tues)
2570 Bethel Road
Columbus, OH 43220
Cinemark Movies 10 (50¢ Tues)
27613 Chardon Rd
Willoughby Hills, OH 44092
Cinemark Movies 8 Washington Market (50¢ Tues)
10455 East Washington
Indianapolis, IN 46219
The ones in Cleveland and Indy aren't in all that great of an area, but the ones in Columbus and Lynchburg, are near colleges and pretty decent. Lynchburg is really easy to get to, as well, right off of a major 4 lane bypass.
Cinemark Movies 10 (75¢ all day on Tuesdays)
3700 Candlers Mountain Road
Lynchburg, VA 24502
Cinemark Carriage Place Movies 12 (50¢ Tues)
2570 Bethel Road
Columbus, OH 43220
Cinemark Movies 10 (50¢ Tues)
27613 Chardon Rd
Willoughby Hills, OH 44092
Cinemark Movies 8 Washington Market (50¢ Tues)
10455 East Washington
Indianapolis, IN 46219
The ones in Cleveland and Indy aren't in all that great of an area, but the ones in Columbus and Lynchburg, are near colleges and pretty decent. Lynchburg is really easy to get to, as well, right off of a major 4 lane bypass.
06-20-06 | 12:47 PM
#35
I have a $1.50 near my apt. Been there only once, and it was to see Sin City. It's an okay place. But it is crowded all the time.
I'm sure they sell loads of tickets, and make their money off of food and drinks like the regular theaters.
I'm sure they sell loads of tickets, and make their money off of food and drinks like the regular theaters.
06-20-06 | 05:41 PM
#37
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
I have a 2 dollar theater about 3-4 miles away from me. They usually get movies 2-3 weeks after they are released. They have dollar hot dogs (all other food is full price though), and on wednesdays they have Date Night (2 tiks, 2 hot dogs, 2 sodas) for 10 bucks. Thursdays are Insomniac Cinema in which they play older films and classics for 6-8 bucks, like Godfather, Fight Club, Full Metal Jacket, Rocky Horror, etc etc.
http://regencymovies.com/theaterInfo.php?theaterId=14
http://regencymovies.com/theaterInfo.php?theaterId=14
06-20-06 | 08:31 PM
#38
DVD Talk Special Edition
Simple Answer:
Theatrical to DVD window has gone from about 6-9 months to roughly 4 in the past several years. There simply is no time, or point, for second run theaters anymore.
Theatrical to DVD window has gone from about 6-9 months to roughly 4 in the past several years. There simply is no time, or point, for second run theaters anymore.
06-20-06 | 09:46 PM
#39
DVD Talk Legend
Still one in my area that does $1.50 all M-Thurs. and $2.00 on the weekends. But like someone else said, most of the time the DVD is out about the time it hits the second run, so they are becoming pointless. I would probably go there only to experience stuff I liked on the big screen one more time before DVD, like Star Wars or King Kong.
06-20-06 | 10:03 PM
#40
DVD Talk Reviewer
There was one back home that was a Cinemark dollar theater. It offered the $.50 Tuesday nights as well. 
Go there just about every time I go back.
It would be great to go and see a flick that I was contenplating buying on DVD ... usually the movies at the dollar theater were showing at the same time the DVDs were released. Then, I'd go and see the movie at the dollar theater for $.50-$1 (if it wasn't one I could justify shelling out to AMC), and if I enjoyed it a whole lot, I'd run and pick up the disc during Wal-Mart's new release value pricing (back when it was a better discount).
Go there just about every time I go back.It would be great to go and see a flick that I was contenplating buying on DVD ... usually the movies at the dollar theater were showing at the same time the DVDs were released. Then, I'd go and see the movie at the dollar theater for $.50-$1 (if it wasn't one I could justify shelling out to AMC), and if I enjoyed it a whole lot, I'd run and pick up the disc during Wal-Mart's new release value pricing (back when it was a better discount).
06-20-06 | 10:53 PM
#41
Thread Starter
DVD Talk Legend
Originally Posted by Mittman
Simple Answer:
Theatrical to DVD window has gone from about 6-9 months to roughly 4 in the past several years. There simply is no time, or point, for second run theaters anymore.
Theatrical to DVD window has gone from about 6-9 months to roughly 4 in the past several years. There simply is no time, or point, for second run theaters anymore.
06-20-06 | 11:29 PM
#42
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And sometimes the studio wants to hold back a video release, for whatever reason. Cinderella Man is a good example, they wanted to release the DVD closer to the Oscars, November or so. I wasn't interested in it enough to see it at full price, but I caught it at the dollar theater, 6 months before the DVD release.
06-20-06 | 11:30 PM
#43
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From: Los Angeles , California
Originally Posted by Matthew Chmiel
Considering that most films barely last 4-6 weeks now in first-run theaters, in my opinion, it's a great time to own a second-run theater. You could potentially get a theatrical release in your theater a month after it has been released (if not sooner or later).
True, Basic Instinct 2 made it to a dollar theater near me 2 weeks after release.
United 93 made it 4 weeks after release.
06-21-06 | 12:37 AM
#45
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Originally Posted by SPiRAL
United 93 made it 4 weeks after release.
06-21-06 | 12:56 AM
#46
DVD Talk Legend
When a theatre hits second-run, it is basically at end of life. $2-4/head isn't enough to invest in capital improvements to the facilities, so everything just starts to slowly decay until it finally becomes too expensive to maintain.
06-21-06 | 12:29 PM
#47
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From: Iowa
Originally Posted by Joe Molotov
Yeah, they charge more for the food than the regular theater does.
It's been awhile since I have been, but it was somewhat rundown and maybe food is more now. But, in Ames, Cinemark was the only game in town and the main 12-theater joint was the most expensive for everything (tickets, food, etc.). The third theater, in our campustown, was about $5 per movie and had student discounts.
I think Cinemarks might be cheaper in general, anyone else notice this? My wife and I recently moved and we have a Carmike about 10 minutes closer than the Cinemark now. The Carmike is about $2 more for tickets, and about the same for concessions (It now costs me more than $10 for large pop/popcorn, when I could get the same for about $7 at a Cinemark). Of course, this Carmike is a bit fancier, stadium seating, etc., so that may be where the cost goes.
06-21-06 | 12:52 PM
#48
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From: San Antonio
We have at least one here in San Antonio. I think it's $1.50 for regular shows and like $50 for first shows on weekdays.
In the past few years, I've seen V for Vendetta, Sin City, Robots and at least one or two more there. It's a nice diversion...but I have no idea how they stay in business.
In the past few years, I've seen V for Vendetta, Sin City, Robots and at least one or two more there. It's a nice diversion...but I have no idea how they stay in business.
06-21-06 | 12:56 PM
#49
DVD Talk Special Edition
Originally Posted by Matthew Chmiel
Considering that most films barely last 4-6 weeks now in first-run theaters, in my opinion, it's a great time to own a second-run theater. You could potentially get a theatrical release in your theater a month after it has been released (if not sooner or later).
The cost involved to open a theater is high. Nobody is going to build a theater from the ground up only to act as a second run theater. It doesn't make sense financially.
Theaters that do end up decaying into a second run theater are typically privately owned theaters that don't have the corporate capital to be able to upgrade their facilites on a regular basis. (Stadium seating, digital projectors, etc.)
Take a look around. It's a lot harder to find a "non-chain" theater anymore. They're all AMCs, Regals, Lowes, and a handful of other national chains. Those theaters don't want to taint their good name, for the most part, with second run theaters. Why would somebody pay $10 for a ticket at an AMC first run when they could wait 4 weeks and pay $2 at an AMC second run?
The fact is a lot of the decline of second run theaters can also be attributed to the decline of independently owned and operated theaters.
06-21-06 | 02:39 PM
#50
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Originally Posted by chess
We have at least one here in San Antonio. I think it's $1.50 for regular shows and like $50 for first shows on weekdays ... It's a nice diversion...but I have no idea how they stay in business.
