Boxoffice-June.1989

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" Mark Bennett and the Bay Theatre By David H. Chadderdon On the Front Line is an ongoing column on theatre management from the manager's point of view What is it like to be on the front line of theatrical exhibition? What types of unique problems do managers face m the day-to-day operation of a movie theatre^ How do managers promote their theatres and their films, how do they develop long-term relationships with their employees, what do they do to make their theatre survive in today's hectic and competitive entertainment environment^ Contributing writer David H Chadderdon, with IS years experience as a projectionist and manager for the Goodrich and Redstone circuits, will regularly profile theatre managers and their operations, bringing their success stories, "hands-on" experiences, and "secrets of the trade" to the pages of <strong>Boxoffice</strong> THE Bay Theatre on Main Street in Seal Beach, California is a typical "art house." It's an old neighborhood theatre situated in one of the most beautiful locations in the country. Strollers saunter by, enjoying a quaint seaside shopping district located about a mile from the beach Mark Bennett has worked there for a year and a half Bennett says he has a lot of regulars who come to every show. "Of those, most live within walking distance. Seal Beach is a great place to take a walk at night. Most of our customers don't like standing in line. We don't get big audiences, so there's never a line. We've just had the biggest Saturday night we've had in a year and a half and I think it amounted to 380 people." There are both AMC and United Artists' six-plexes just down the road, and according to Bennett, "We usually try to get movies they wouldn't ordinarily get. 'Jean de Florette,' the French films, that type of product I don't think it's possible to compete with the mutliplexes on the big movies. I think we're better off sticking with the films they don't get and appealing to a completely different audience." The Bay's owners, Richard and Jane Loderhose of New York, put in an organ that came out of the Paramount Fox theatre in New York. "We've had organ concerts here with some fairly famous organ players," says Bennett. "When we hold organ concerts we show Laurel and Hardy films. In this age of mcgacolor and Dolby Stereo, it's really neat to see that sort of thing." Bennett has a small but loyal staff: three concession people, an assistant manager, a union projectionist and a janitor. "We have one guy who comes in every single day. He's been doing it for eight years and he really keeps the place clean. It's definitely nice that I don't have to take care of that." The Bay uses two concession people on Fridays and Saturdays and Bennett finds he doesn't have to do a lot of training. "It's extremely simple work. The only thing you really have to leam is how to use a cash register. All the prices are kept simple: my staff can add up sales in their heads even if there's a crowd." Bennett doesn't have a problem with storage either. "We have one closet that holds all of our candy and concession supplies. We don't have to order that much: we don't sell a hundred drinks in a week. So we'll order one box and it'll sit there for a month or so According to Bennett, the best thing about being the manager is being the boss. "I don't have somebody breathing down my neck all the time. The owners will be gone for months at a time. There's an apartment on the third floor and most of the time I don't even know when they're in. They split their time between here and New York." Bennett also likes the challenge of leading and directing others. "It's real tough to be able to get people to do what you want and not be tyrannical. There's a real fine line between being a jerk and getting what you want done. It's definitely a good experience. You've just got to kind of feel your way through it at first. No one can tell you how to do it; you have to experience it for yourself." Bennett's biggest dislikes are unruly customers and bad prints. Used prints are the norm with the Bay Theatre's slate of attractions and patron complaints escalate when there's something wrong with the print. "I really hate it when you get a bad print from a company, put it on, and it sounds or looks horrible, and there's nothing you can do — you can't get another print until the exchanges open. 'Sorry sir, want your money back?' " Like all managers, Bennett sometimes gets complaints from unreasonable customers. "Some people just seem to be there to yell at you. They just want to get out their frustrations and you pretty much have to not take it personally. You have to have a good sense of self because people are going to yell at you and tell you what a horrible person you are because you've ruined their evening. But it's part of the job. "The kind of movies we get here don't really attract an unruly crowd. I saw 'Eddie Murphy Raw' at another theatre and I couldn't imagine being the manager there. There was screaming and yelling and people were throwing things, and I'm sitting there seeing it all from the manager's point of view. There were ushers walking up and down the aisles the whole time. For me, that would be horrible. I can't imagine having to do that." Bennett attends Cal State University Long Beach and is studying business administration. But being a theatre manager is "The best job I can possibly think of" Bennett takes much pride in his theatre. "A lot of people I talk to have never been here. They think of it as a dark dingy theatre and they never actually get in and see that it's nice and that it's got class. We keep this place really clean. That's foremost, because when people come in, that's the first thing they look at. "These days most people want to go to a Cineplex-Odeon multi-plex. To me it seems like your're being herded in and out like cattle. Totally impersonal. It's definitely a different atmosphere here. We try to make people happy and accommodate them. Make them walk out wth a good taste in their mouth, so when they think of the Bay Theatre again they'll want to come back That's our way of competing: making it a nice, pleasant experience" ^ ^2 BOXOFFICF.
,isv 1 hanges ^ NEW PRODUCTS The Dinet DVA-1000 Showtime Announcer, which premiered at NATO/ ShoWest '89, is a 100 percent sohd state (tape-less) multi-telephone line, digital message announcing device that is microprocessor controlled and software driven. All message recording is accomplished through a hand-held microphone and is digitally recorded and stored using random access memory chips. According to the company, marketing and design research was conducted with the participation of theatre managers and personnel who currently use show-time announcing $10,000,000 Senior Secured TermLoan And Revolving Credit National Theatre Holdings Core ofMayfield,Ohio The undersigned represe- Tills notice appe COMMUNICATIONS EQUITY ASSOCIATES r(|uipment. A unique feature of the systi 111 allows the operator to record or edit thr serial announcement in up to ten segments; this saves time when re-editing in any part of the message, makln^ the creation of seatiiless messages an and quick process. Other features nil hide maintenance free design (no lapi-s to purchase and no record head to \M ar out), built-in speaker, 4.5 or nine minute recording time, answers three or six incoming lines on the first ring, battery backup for power failures. For more information, contact Dinet, Inc. at 619- 724-5355. Response No. 300 Response No 46 OVER 460 SCREENS IN MORE THau in THEATRE COMPLEXES EQUlppL^ WITH O'BRIEN'S SOUND SOrE?" "acoustical WALL PANELS Isaly's Klondike Miniature Ice Cream Nuggets have been designed and manufactured exclusively for theatre concessions. Each 4.5 ounce package contains eight one-half ounce pieces of vanilla or chocolate premium ice cream double dipped in real milk chocolate. For more information, contact Donald P. Salvatore at 401-738-0615. Response No. 301 SOUND SORBIC technically is the ideal acoustical wall panel system to work with 70 mm Dolby Stereo; 35 mm Dolby Stereo' and mono. SOUND SORBIC is also rated to meet acoustical criteria in houses equipped with Lucasfilm's THX' system. For full information on SOUND SORBIC call 1-800-821-3595. Or write: 0'BRI(2n* 5301 East 59th Street, Kansas City, MO 64130 Dolbv Stereo' /s a registered trademark ol Dolby Laboratories Corporation
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