BoxOffice® Pro - December 2011

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THE CUT THAT COUNTS Back row, left to right: Eric Kullander, Southern Theatres; Jack Wagner, Southern Theatres; Doug Whitford, Southern Theatres; Jodi Pine, Southern Theatres; Ron Krueger II, Southern Theatres; Greg Silvers, Entertainment Properties Trust; Monica R. Alonzo, Dallas Council, District 6 (cutting the ribbon); George Solomon, Southern Theatres. Front row: Ellias Vanegas, Southern Theatres (left, holding film reel and ribbon) and Artela Lofton, Southern Theatres (right, holding film reel and ribbon). … bigger landscapes, bigger skies, bigger movie theaters. Naturally, the exhibitors of the Lone Star state were the first to coin the term “megaplex.” When AMC rolled out the Grand Cinemas 24 in May of 1995, the 5,000-seat Dallas theater was monolithic even by today’s standards. “We bought The Grand in 1997, but it was a division of the leadership of AMC at the time,” says Brian Moriarity, vice president of corporate communications at Entertainment Properties Trust. “There was an opportunity to bring together and create a theater destination and it wound up being very successful—and a model that’s played out over and over and over.” Perhaps the Grand’s model was too successful. In no time, other jumbo cinemas dotted the landscape, drawing away the numbers vital to keeping the massive construct rolling. And as the prosperous economic climate of the late 1990s became tenuous, the megaplex concept began to lose viability as a business model. After nearly 15 years in business, rows of empty seats became a common sight at the Grand 24. Though patronage was thin, a wave of sadness passed over the community when word hit the newswire that the Grand 24 would be closing its doors in the spring of 2010. However, instead of shuttering their doors forever, current owners Southern Theatres L.L.C. partnered with Entertainment Properties Trust took stock of the Grand 24’s position in the community and AmStar 14 hopes to bring not only joy and entertainment to the community, but also ample employment opportunities. began an intense reevaluation to develop a leaner, more economical AmStar 14. Rather than blame the local economy for the Grand 24’s closing, owners of the new AmStar 14 chose to see the space as one in a process of evolution and refinement, a place ripe for right-sizing. “I think it’s important to look at each operator individually and understand that each has its own separate set of business circumstances and to not generalize too much from a category perspective,” says Moriarity. “When you look at category growth and revenue growth, it’s really done an outstanding job. The area has changed with competition coming in and the demographics of the area changing.” “We’ve got a good understanding of the economics of the area as it is now,” says Ron Krueger II, Southern Theatres Chief Operations Officer. “Because of a greater understanding of attendance levels, we felt it was still a very viable location to come back in and right-size and reinvest.” The question arises: when right-sizing a facility from 24 to 14 auditoriums, what’s to be done with all the surplus real estate? Enter Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar and Grill. The country-singer-turnedrestaurateur’s food-and-a-show venues have been a tremendous success from Las Vegas to Massachusetts, making it an ideal neighbor for the re-purposed cinema. Opening a few months in advance of the Toby Keith’s, anticipation of the pairing is high. “No doubt there will be some opportunities to find ways to work together,” says Moriarity. “For example, mom and dad might decide to spend the 18 BOXOFFICE PRO DECEMBER 2011
evening with a concert and a meal over at Toby Keith’s while the kids are hanging out on the other side watching a movie.” One unforeseen selling point of facility’s rebirth was nostalgia. “Every Dallas native who was living there from ‘95 until today who came through that theater last week when we were giving our sneak peak tour said ‘I came here every Saturday in high school or college,’ or ‘This is where I had my first date!’” says AmStar Media Contact Justin Scott. Needless to say, the rightsizing of Amstar 14 also includes state-of-art exhibition niceties like stadium highback rocking chairs in all its 14 auditoriums, six of which are built for 3D digital projectors controlled from an iPod Touch. In redefining its place as an entertainment hub, AmStar 14 anticipates becoming a more culturally diverse venue and seeks to meet the needs of Dallas’ growing Hispanic community. “They have voiced their appreciation that we and our partners are reinvesting in the area, and through that hopefully revitalizing the area,” says Moriarity. “We believe in it and we think it’s going to be a cool and unique experience and will demonstrate definitely our commitment.” Case in point, on AmStar 14’s October 14 opening weekend, the theater featured nostalgic new reboots like Footloose and The Thing alongside screenings of the Spanish-language film Labios Rojas (Red Lips). AmStar 14 also hopes to bring not only joy and entertainment to the community, but also ample employment opportunities. “We’ve initially hired up to 80 total employees at this point and as we get into the holiday season we expect that to get into the low 100s,” says Moriarity. Whether AmStar’s right-sizing process is the shape of things to come, or just a great experiment, only time can tell. “I know that it’s not extremely common and so to some degree we may be proving out a theory,” says Moriarity. “But we’re confident that it will work. It just requires the right combination of partners and design and the right area.” THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME? Former Grand 24 megaplex, the AmStar Cinemas 14 could be the glimpse of things to come, as former large-scale cinemas right-size for tomorrow. For five generations the Cretors family has been making concessions more profitable. The new MACH 5 popper is our latest combination of innovation and ease-of-use that can give you years of higher-margin popcorn sales. The MACH 5’s exclusive one-piece lid ensures maximum corn expansion. Its clean-in-place kettle makes cleaning fast and easy. And the optional, programmable LED sign can flash any sales message. You can choose the MACH 5 that’s most efficient for your spot: 3 ft., 4 ft., 5 ft. and 6 ft. cabinets are available, as well as a counter model. Add a 32, 48 or 60 oz. kettle, then customize with some of the dozen options. Call Shelly Olesen for all the details: 777-433-7425. www.cretors.com MACH11 DECEMBER 2011 BOXOFFICE PRO 19
Page 1 and 2: BOOK IT! WE’VE PICKED THREE FILMS
Page 4 and 5: DEC 2011 VOL. 147 NO. 12 BOXOFFICE
Page 6 and 7: INDUSTRY BRIEFS In keeping with ann
Page 8 and 9: EXECUTIVE SUITE JOHN FITHIAN NATO P
Page 10 and 11: RUNNING NUMBERS PATRICK CORCORAN NA
Page 12: FRONT LINE AWARD RAISING THE BAR Po
Page 15 and 16: MOVING PICTURES. FORWARD. More than
Page 18 and 19: MARQUEE AWARD Less is More Downsizi
Page 22 and 23: NEW BUILDS DO YOU BELIEVE IN MAGIC?
Page 24 and 25: NEW BUILDS > FLATSCREEN AND FABULOU
Page 26 and 27: new builds > sure that the projecto
Page 28 and 29: SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS
Page 30: BIG PICTURE > SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GA
Page 33 and 34: imagine how I walk for women at the
Page 36: BIG PICTURE > SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GA
Page 40 and 41: BIG PICTURE > SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GA
Page 42 and 43: BY SARA MARIA VIZCARRONDO ON THE HO
Page 44 and 45: BY SARA MARIA VIZCARRONDO THE SITTE
Page 46 and 47: SMALL FILMS, BIG POTENTIAL BOOK IT!
Page 48 and 49: BOOK IT > BOX[UR]SHORTS MAN ON A MI
Page 50 and 51: INSPIRED BY TRUE EVENTS, KILLER ELI
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Page 55: SOUND QUALITY. sound decision. Intr

BoxOffice® Pro - December 2011

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