Boxoffice Pro - Winter 2020

and 6,000 seats for $16.5 million. In a
speech at a NATO convention in 1988,
Drabinksy highlighted the rationale
behind the megaplex. He stressed “the
urgent necessity of formulating the
most felicitous motion picture viewing
ambiance that the present technology and
the most creative architectural designs
will permit.”
The megaplexes were meant to offer a
luxurious experience to moviegoers. They
were often inspired by the movie palaces of
yore, and those classic theaters’ visionary
architects—like Samuel “Roxy” Rothafel,
Thomas Lamb, and the Rapps—were
often referenced in megaplex profiles.
“Lobbies and auditoriums are leaning more
towards palatial furnishings rather than
the shopping centers crackerbox floor
plans of yesteryear,” wrote Dan Harkins in
1987. This state of mind perhaps explains
why so many pages of Boxoffice Pro
in the ’80s were dedicated to profiles of
restored movie palaces. The megaplexes
were also designed to optimize the patron’s
viewing and comfort, which meant that
Dolby Stereo surround systems and the
Lucasfilm THX sound system were a must.
To help exhibitors navigate the countless
innovations and new terms, the magazine’s
Modern Theater section ramped up its
coverage on sound, at a rate comparable to
the 1920s when sound was first introduced.
The whole idea behind megaplexes
and the fight against home entertainment
was to make moviegoing an “experience.”
Concessions became an integral part of
that strategy, as many theaters expanded
their menus to offer more specialty
concessions, like beer and wine, larger
sizes (32-oz. sodas were dwarfed by 45 and
60-oz. cups), and combos. Merchandising
tie-ins started booming. The Star Wars
licensing and merchandising success
made exhibitors jump on the bandwagon,
and many started selling licensed T-shirts,
posters, records, videocassettes, toys, and
other paraphernalia at the concessions
stand. Exhibitors hoped to increase their
profits and translate the “buzz” of satisfied
moviegoers into impulse buys once the
movie was over. This was especially
the case with children’s movies. As one
exhibitor put it in 1988, “We’ve sold a lot
of Roger Rabbit pins at our theaters. But
we tried to merchandise Rambo and just
didn’t have any luck.” Inspired by the
fast-food industry, Coca-Cola, which had
bought Columbia Pictures in 1982, was a
pioneer in that strategy and put in place
multiple promotional tie-ins on reusable
cups and popcorn buckets. “The more hot
properties developed for the screen, the
better. All the promotion and all the hype
on only one hot picture a year will cause
the theater industry to go painfully soft,”
explained Herbert Arnold, V.P. of Coca-
Cola USA in a 1980 interview.
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