General Discussion : What is the cinema market like in your location?

[nauru]

At the moment I'm in a place where there is one big conglomerate which is basically buying up all the other cinema chains. There is now very little choice when going for a night out at the movies. Normally I am not interested in the tiny independent theatres but I'm starting to consider focusing on them and waiting for DVD release of the blockbusters, just because I don't like the idea of supporting further concentration of the cinema market. In the long run a cinema monopoly will just result in even higher ticket prices (which are already at rip-off levels) and less choice.

What about your local areas? Any problems with concentration of ownership, and have you adjusted your viewing habits as a result?

[edkrak]

You can find some answers here: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=3002

[3dRevelation]

Well as far as blockbusters and wide releases go, it is pretty good in my area. I have an MJR pretty much down the street (about 2 miles), and another one is about 10-15 minutes away that is newer and nicer, so sometimes I'll choose that one just because of that. There is also a AMC about 20-25 minutes away, that I've only been to a couple of times because it costs more than MJR. As limited releases and smaller movies go though, the area is really bad. One of the only independent theaters I can think of is around 45 minutes from me. There is a film theater at an Art Museum in Downtown Detroit, that I am really close to when I'm at school, but have never been to and I think they only show one film, and for the most part I think they are pretty obscure. I think there probably is some small indie theaters in downtown Detroit, but I don't really know.

[stuie299]

I live in a suburb of Harrisburg PA and here there are 3 movie theaters about 10 minutes away from where I live. One is a small, slightly less expensive theater that only shows mainstream blockbusters which are sure to draw decent sized crowds. The second one is a bigger newer theater that shows mostly mainstream blockbusters while sometimes showing bigger name indie films (Moonrise Kingdom, To Rome With Love) Then in Harrisburg they have a small 3 screen movie theater that shows Indie films. This one is the best for watching new documentaries and some smaller Indie films. Usually though there is some crossover between the Indie theater and the bigger theater. I try to support the Indie theater when possible so they can continue to bring in lesser known films (though their showtimes aren't as good). If I want to drive an extra 5 minutes there is a one screen $2 movie theater that only shows 2 films a night. So basically we have 2 theaters owned by smaller chains (actually one of them used to be an AMC) and 2 independent theaters. If I want a big chain movie theater I have to drive at least 25-30 minutes to get there.

[Jehan]

What we've got in the center of Sofia. They're all in walking distance from one another.

Several cineplexes where they show the new blockbusters, 3d, imax, etc.
Two cinemas that are rather alike and play new European films, short programs, new Bulgarian films. Basically anything that could be considered different from the usual Hollywood pictures.
A cinema that plays classics - silents, Hollywood golden age, stuff like that. It usually has around 20 people for a projection, so the cinema itself is on a verge of collapsing. Literary.
The cinema of the Film Academy, which has interesting films throughout the week. They're for the students, but if you're interested in film history, you could go and watch the movies for free.

[nauru]

What we've got in the center of Sofia. They're all in walking distance from one another.

Several cineplexes where they show the new blockbusters, 3d, imax, etc.
Two cinemas that are rather alike and play new European films, short programs, new Bulgarian films. Basically anything that could be considered different from the usual Hollywood pictures.
A cinema that plays classics - silents, Hollywood golden age, stuff like that. It usually has around 20 people for a projection, so the cinema itself is on a verge of collapsing. Literary.
The cinema of the Film Academy, which has interesting films throughout the week. They're for the students, but if you're interested in film history, you could go and watch the movies for free.

Wow that sounds really good. I would go to the movies more often if I had such choices nearby.

[Jehan]

Yeah, it's nice if you have enough time and money and live closely to the center.
But the situation in the country is awful - there are cinemas in the 5-6 bigger cities, but they all play only new Hollywood films. The cinemas in the rest of the cities are have all bankrupted and closed in the past 10-15 years, thanks to the Internet.

[Just1n]

Here in South Africa it's pretty much as stated above. We have cinemas situated in America style malls that play all the latest Hollywood blockbusters. The licenses for these cinemas/films are monopolised by two chains called Ster Kinekor and Nu Metro. They have the right to everything and besides the blockbusters they also run smaller "arthouse" cinemas that show indies and foreign films - Cannes and other festival films.
We dont have drive-in cinemas anymore and absolutely non that show classic or cult film. There are a couple of independants that show arthouse and documentaries but they are really few and far between.
I was thinking there could be a gap in the market for cult/classic/genre films but when i compare my viewing tastes to my mates then i seem to be in the minority. I would love to start something but after doing a small amount of investigation it seems like a bureaucratic nightmare with dealing with our censor board and the two big players who have the monopoly.

[Luna6ix]

there are three movie theatres in my town, they only play movies that are new and expected to gross a lot. when it comes to indie movies or foreign films it's a ghost town. frankly, i think rightfully so, there doesn't seem to be much of a market for that kind of stuff, even though i would support an indie theatre in this area.

[stuie299]

Actually, I learned today that with the mandatory switch to digital on January 1st of next year the arthouse movie theater might not be able to afford it, and subsequently might have to close. That would be a huge loss IMO. I hope they can at least generate higher attendance so they can apply for a grant/loan.