Movie Theater Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Why didn’t you get (name movie here)? 
   Picking out movies to show is quite a bit more difficult than it seems. First off, there are sets of rules that independent theaters (like Andrews Twin Cinema) need to follow. First off, anytime we get a new release (a movie on it’s national opening day), we must hold it for at LEAST two weeks. That means that if a movie comes out on a Friday, that movie must be on that screen for at least two weeks, so if something is coming out the following Friday, you can’t get it unless you have another screen available. Andrews is a twin cinema, meaning that we have two screens from which to choose. So, if something opens one Friday, we can get another new movie the next Friday on the other screen, the following week, another new one on the opposite screen, and so on. All would be fine with that except when a movie does really well at the box office (the folks that count the tickets nationally to see how a movie is doing). If a movie is doing really well at the box office or nationally, the company providing the movie can force a theater to hold that movie for an additional week or longer. This helps to answer question 2, which is:

Why did you hold (name movie here) so long?
   In a small town like Andrews, we’re at a disadvantage when it comes to National Averages. When a movie, like “Meet the Fockers” is doing really well at the box office, the movie company can force the theater showing the movie to hold it longer than the initial two week showing. This is why we occasionally have to hold a movie longer than two weeks

How do you decide what movie to show?
   Another tough decision. Even though many folks think it would be easy, there are often very hard decisions between movies being released on a certain day. The large movie companies often release movies in competition of one another. Also, with a twin cinema, we have to be aware of the movies coming soon, so that we don’t knock one out that could potentially do very well. This seems confusing, and that’s because it IS! We’re continually reading reviews, watching trailers, and talking with customers to see what they want to see. If a movie seems to be high on everyone’s list, we’ll bring it in. If we haven’t received any feedback on a movie, we might not bring it in. It’s completely subjective, but is driven by the hopes that we’ll entertain the most people as possible (and in turn do the most business as possible).

How do the projectors actually work?
   To answer that here in the FAQ would be quite difficult, so I will refer you to another site that handles the technical data very well!  Just click here and the site will open in a new window.

Why are concessions at your theater more expensive than a store?
   Theaters make very little if any money off of ticket sales (admission). Most of our money is made from concessions. However, we don’t have the foot-traffic that most stores do, so we stock far less than most stores. Our costs on items are higher, therefore we must charge more to the customer. Also, we do have the price a bit higher for the convenience of having the foods right there, and the variety we offer (such as Dippin’ Dots). We greatly appreciate when people follow our rules and don’t bring their own food into the theater. Without your purchase of our concessions, we would not survive as a business.

How does the movie company make its money?
   When we as a theater agree to show a movie, we enter a contract with the movie company to split the profits of the film. When we show a movie on it’s opening day, that split can be quite dramatic. For example, when many blockbusters (movies expected to do VERY well at the box office) open, the money is split with 70% of the total ticket sales going to the movie company, and only 30% going to the theater showing that movie. As you can see, most theaters really can’t make much money doing that, which is where the concessions come into play!