Boxoffice-April.2000

JEFF KAUFMAN, VP, Head Film Buyer,
Malco Theatres
What is your favorite film, 1920-2000?
I know it's the romantics' choice, but it has to be
"Casablanca." It is truly a legendary film with great writing,
great acting, beautiful cinematography and wonderful music.
Studios believe their percentage of gross should increase based
on the increased cost of moviemaking; exhibitors believe theirs
should based on the costs of building the multiplexes making
such wide releases possible. What do you think?
Todays business environment is in a period of transition.
Recapitalization, screen proliferation and increased building
costs (which provide value added amenities such as stadium
seating and gourmet concession items) contribute to
decreased exhibition earnings. The overall increase in film
terms is also a factor. As long as heavily front loaded pictures
in expensive new megaplexes generate staggering grosses at the
cost of once healthy conventional theatres, we will continue to
see film rentals increase and exhibitor earnings lag.
What strategy do you believe is or could be most effective to
help exhibitors keep their film costs low?
Making sure your house allowances are current is extremely
important. Diversifying programming in specific niche
areas can provide added grosses with smaller aggregate film
rentals. Strategizing new construction into non-competitive
areas also helps.
What is the secret to great film buying? (Besides, "picking
good movies?"|
Being lucky is sometimes more important than being good.
However, staying on top of current popular fads and the
hottest stars helps. Keep up with genre popularity
and trends. Know the demographics of each of
your theatres. Most of all, listen to the public
around you. They are the ultimate barometers of
our business.
In your experience for your markets, what makes
for a "good movie"?
Any movie that touches people on any level is a
good movie. People want to be transported by
movies: taken to places, times and emotions they would not
be able to reach without them. A "good movie" really is the
same for everyone—including us. It's a visceral tug at your
soul saying that the experience
at that moment was profound.
Laugh, cry or scream—we
want to be moved. Then
again, a great movie plays for
four months at 30 percent.
In your experience, what three
specific characterstics make
for a good film buyer?
An open mind; attention to
detail; the personality of a pit
bull.
What has been your "greatest"
and "least greatest" success
as a film buyer?
It's a problem when I have
not sniffed out a picture that
sneaks up to grab the attention
of the public. I mean, we
know the ship sinks. You
already know the ending—how big can it be?
What are your top three pics for summer 2000, and what is
your prognosis in dollar terms for boxoffice takes?
Looking at the summer in January, it's hard to tell. I think
"Mission Impossible 2" and "Dinosaur" are important and
both could go to $200 million plus. However, looking at last
summer's top three, is there anyone who had "Sixth Sense"
in that group? It's like picking Tennessee and St. Louis in
the Superbowl in August.
CASABLANCA (1942)
Warner Bros. 102 min. Starring Humphrey Bogart,
Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Peter Lone,
Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt and Sydney
Greenstreet.
The title is good at the moment. The story holds
up well enough. Seven featured players give their best to
roles which reward their efforts in the final accounting.
Mounted with careful attention
to its North African location
the story has moments of
charm, nostalgia and wit that
should cause it to take hold of
the audience's attention and
carry along to a happy finish.
It is fair Bogart, very good
Ingrid Bergman. Storywise it
deals with cafe life among
refugees from Nazi-dominated
Europe who seek exit visas
to America. Bogart, Bergman
and Paul Henreid play the triangle
game. Claude Rains
and Conrad Veidt are a couple
of cops, French-Nazi,
respectively. Bogart softens in
the last reel, gets Henreid and
Bergman out in a plane at gunpoint
and goes off to join the Fighting French with Rains.
Michael Curtiz directed.
SELLING ANGLES: The name values are quite obvious.
Round up the newspaper headlines on the recent war activity
in Casablanca. Feature large panel blowups of the colorful
cafe scenes in the lobby. Rig up a large map of Africa
with a red ribbon indicating Casablanca and leading to a
dramatic scene in the picture. Tie up with antique dealers
who handle North African coffee sets.
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