Does Cineplex hate indie cinema?

M

MaximusXXX

Booking screenings for my film and everything is going rather smoothly. Most of the venues are understanding and reasonable.

Then there's Cineplex.

After talking to them in detail they give me this price breakdown:

$300 per hour with minimum 3 hour booking ($900)
$500 projection fee
+taxes

That being off prime hours.


If you're doing the numbers, you'd need a good 200 tickets sold at $10 or 100 at $20 to break even.


It's a Cineplex though right? Not that great of an argument however.


I have walked into a Cineplex theater many a time in prime hours and seen under 20 people. The Big Lebowski was playing on a Wednesday with tickets costing $6 and 10 people showed up, 2 of them being me and my girl.


So the conclusion seems clear, the pricing is made to deter indie filmmakers from wasting their time. It's just big studio presence. However you'd think money is money no? So why not yank a box office bomb on a Thursday that's going to net you $120 in ticket sales and put in an indie film for $500? I'd pay $500, but not $2,000.
 
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I'm not convinced they hate indie cinema. I get the impression they
are adverse to risks. Showing "The Big Lebowski" may have seemed
like a low risk because it has a bit of a following. Clearly they were
wrong.

You make a good argument. Have you sat down with the manager
and tried to work out a deal for a mid-week showing of your movie?
I know that even here in Los Angeles the rates are negotiable. Perhaps
you can work out an agreement that says you will get 100% of the
ticket price until you make your $500, they will get 100% until they
hit the $2,000 mark then you split 60/40 in their favor. AND... they
keep all the concessions.
 
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You might want to check with the booker of a chain. Sometimes if they like the film they will do a special showing without you having to 4 wall it. Not sure of the split though. It has been many years.
 
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MaximusXXX said:
So the conclusion seems clear, the pricing is made to deter indie filmmakers from wasting their time. It's just big studio presence. However you'd think money is money no? So why not yank a box office bomb on a Thursday that's going to net you $120 in ticket sales and put in an indie film for $500? I'd pay $500, but not $2,000.
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You're missing an entire piece of the puzzle. I used to be a manager for AMC a long long time ago. The contract between the theater and the big studios and distributors inhibit the idea of screening one off indie films. The theater agreed to show the big hollywood movie 5 times a day on that screen. They can create a hole, but then they have to change the show times on all websites, all print media, etc. and it becomes an enormous hassle, one that isn't being compensated by a small rental - which the manager and employees do not see any extra $$$ from.

Small indie theaters don't have the same level of restriction.
 
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I must note again the "off-prime" hours.

As in, this would literally be the times theaters have NOTHING showing. They're making $0 so they're setting the bar at $2,000 or $0. Which is their business practice but it's not financially beneficial in the traditional sense. The pricing I was told is standardized unless you have numerous screenings in the region of 10+ and even then I doubt the discount would be substantial. You would also need to probably have multiple screenings the same day from say, 11a.m. to 5p.m.

In Canada, the cineplexes are notorious for blocking our best movies. There are rough deadlines for Canadian content to be in a Cineplex, regardless of their box office intake. Goon for example was making good returns and was taken out a couple of weeks in to make room for crap American films that did not do any better financially.

We all know the big studios own the cineplexes and this is a way for monopolizations. The last thing a company like Paramount (Viacom) want is outer film productions gaining a fanhood and eating into their profits when people choose those films over garbage like Tammy.

What gets me though is how they completely roadblock indie films. An $800 price tag for example would be difficult to break even but possible. A $2000 price tag is essentially a rejection. They're just throwing out numbers so you can't technically say they're blocking you.

I would be willing to do multiple screenings at a reasonable price btw. Such as maybe 3 for $2,000. There are no deals to be made unless you have a good relationship with the manager and you do it discreetly.
 
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MaximusXXX said:
In Canada, the cineplexes are notorious for blocking our best movies. There are rough deadlines for Canadian content to be in a Cineplex, regardless of their box office intake. Goon for example was making good returns and was taken out a couple of weeks in to make room for crap American films that did not do any better financially.
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I understand better now. You are not actually asking if Cineplex hates
indie cinema. You know for a fact that they do. That's too bad. I'm
sorry to hear that. So Cineplex is out.

It's good that most venues are understanding and reasonable. At
least you have those venues to book your film. How many screenings
are you doing?
 
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directorik said:
I understand better now. You are not actually asking if Cineplex hates
indie cinema. You know for a fact that they do. That's too bad. I'm
sorry to hear that. So Cineplex is out.

It's good that most venues are understanding and reasonable. At
least you have those venues to book your film. How many screenings
are you doing?
Click to expand...

5 in region and a 6th out of region.


The big studios do NOT currently own any theaters. That monopoly was broken up in the 1950's and has not come back as it is still illegal.
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I meant to say they have contracts and heavy pull over the cineplex chains. Mainstream studios have guaranteed earnings and they don't want to piss them off.
 
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I meant to say they have contracts and heavy pull over the cineplex chains. Mainstream studios have guaranteed earnings and they don't want to piss them off.
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Think about it... of course they don't want to piss them off, but it isn't as simple as that. Studios do more than make movies. They market their movies. It's this marketing that drives audiences to the cinemas. It's rare for independents to have enough capital to compete at this platform.

Independents also rarely have deep enough pockets to be able to play the longtail game, where the cinema release is often the loss leader and earn back the investment and make a profit on the subsequent windows.

You're better off going for the point of least resistance (cinemas that often book independents), than worrying about the cinemas that aren't open to you and your movie. I know it sucks and I'd prefer if all cinemas were open to independent films but that isn't the world we live in.

Have you considered hiring a booking agent? They're not cheap but they may have the connections to help you through your plight.

I listened to this a year or so ago and was a little informative and gave me a particular perspective on the subject. It isn't a freebie but if you have the cash spare, it may fire up your hatred of the current distribution system even more.

Mark Kermode - The Good, The Bad and The Multiplex
http://www.amazon.com/The-Good-Bad-Multiplex-Modern/dp/0099543494
 
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