Boxoffice-September.1997

14 BoxoFurK
TRUE BLUE: The lobby of General Cinema's Framingham 14 in Framingham, Mass. (PHOTO: Richard O'Rourke)
special guests in conjunction with the feature showing. Ronald McDonald
and Chuck E. Cheese made appearances, and demonstrations were
given by a local fire department. For the low admission price of $2.50,
the kids got a full show as well as free popcorn and a drink.
'To service the community," says Mack, "we try to provide tie-ias
with vendors for discount coupoas at the concession stands as well as
tie-ins with the adjacent stores in the mall." Through this type of
exchange, fxjsitive relations are also
built with area businesses. He adds,
"We are really reaching out to what the
customers expect when they go to see
afilm. It's very important that everyone
get their money's worth. People come
to the movies as an escape and they
want two hours ofenjoyment—and everything
has to be perfect. It has to be
fine-tuned to make the event special,
with excellent customer service. The
presentation mast be flawless and employees
and management must be focused
on the fact that the moviegoing
experience must be second to none."
Calling his chosen line of work "enjoyable,"
Mack notes that, while the hours are sometimes long, he enjoys
working with the public and his staff" to create the enthusiasm that's needed
to make the theatre successful. That quality, says Del Rossi, is an essential
element in the people who work for General Cinema. "One of the things I
try to do is find the best pos.sible managem and give them an opportunity
to go as far as they can in the bu.sine.ss," he says. In that rcgard, Del Rossi
says, "We've always been known as a fertile training gn)und for entertainment
industry executives," pointing to a li.st of distinguished Cicncral
Cinema alumni, including Chuck Viane, senior vice presidcnl and general
sales manager of Buena VLsia Pictures Di.stributing; Jim Tharp, president of
DreamWorks distribution; Tom Sherak, chairman of 2()th Centuiy Hjx
Domestic Film Group and senior executive vice pnwident of Fox Filmed
Entertainment; and Bany Rcardon, president of Wamer Bros. Distributing.
Given the track record of sonw of General Cinema's former employees'
"The movies have always been
a place of enjoyment, fantasy,
escape. Our role in the industry
is to perpetuate that. I
want
our company to be recognized
as the 'best in class.'"
success in the entertainment business, Del Rossi says the Smith family
has created a company where the f)eople hired are top-flight "I think
[the caliber of GCT's personnel] is really the hallmark [of the company],
and it shows by where these people have ended up," he observes.
Of General Cinema's long-term success in exhibition, Del Rossi says.
"We are part of one of the mainstream cultural themes in the country:
the movies. The movies have always been a place ofenjoyment, fantasy,
escape. Our role in the indusU^ is to
perpetuate that. I want our company to
be recognized by theatregoers, our competitors,
and the .studios as the 'best in
class.' We want to be right up there at the
top when they think of companies that
exemplify the moviegoing experience."
In keeping with the Smith family 'squest
to be innovative, this December, GCT
opens their newest multiplex: a 16-screen
theatre (renovated Itxmti a former six-.screen
theiitre) located at Chicago's Yorktown
Mall. "Rvo of the
16 auditoriums will be
"premium" thejUres with deluxe accommodations
for 1 50 patrons. With very large,
over-stuffed chairs and extra leg nxim, the
theatres are being built with comfort in mind. Tickets will be av;iilablc
by advance reservation, and food and beverage service will be provided
by cafe Iwated between the two theatres. Seat-side food service will
also be available, with orders taken right at the scats. Del Rossi likeas
this experience to "flying finit class." Based upon the demand for this type
oftheatre. General Cinemas wi 11 be kx>king to dupl icate the premium theaane
concept, retrofitting some of their existing tlicatres.
With innovation always in the forefront of CiCT's plans. Del Rossi
notes thai their basic philosophy hasn't changed since the business was
founded in the '20s. "At the end of the day in this indusu^ it's pretty
simple: create the best possible moviegoing experience. Sometimes it's
the technology, sometimes it's what's on the screen, sometimes it's
customer service—making a person feel welcome. Those things really
haven't changed."