Better Movie Viewing at Independent Cinemas...Here's Why

 

North Park Theatre, Buffalo, NY

Lane Brown, authored an article for Vulture Magazine, entitled "Bad Projection is Ruining the Movie Theater Experience".

Brown's premise is that multiplexes are failing at the most basic function: presenting a best on-screen image with great sound ... and he's right!

Aurora Theater, East Aurora, NY

The large cinema circuits are doing a great disservice to the industry. Dim images, bad sound, torn masking, poor general facility upkeep, and other issues make going-to-the-movies an expensive but unpleasant experience. Much of this has to do with money issues, which I'll discuss later, but a lot has to do with poor staff training and mismanagement of the business operations at major circuits.

Brown's article centers on, not smaller, independent cinemas but with flagship AMC and Regal (Cineworld) theaters in New York City.

Old, discolored screens, bad or no masking, out-of-calibration lighting and sound, over and under thrown on-screen images, it goes on and on. 

BarnZ's Meredith Cinema, Meredith, NH

Moviegoers can tolerate a lot, but the very poor quality of exhibition has reached a point where they are not showing up at the box office. 

I don't buy the argument that the pandemic is still impacting the current poor attendance figures. The large cinema chains, like all other businesses, were compensated for being shuttered - via salary recoupment, mortgage and/or lease payments, etc. So, equipment maintenance should have been maintained. 

Additionally, the theaters knew that the public was pent-up and yearning to return to the movies and offered very little showmanship on reopening. 

Capitol Theater, Rome, NY

Most of the large circuits let go of their projection staff upon the introduction of digital cinema projection. They under-train their staff and use ushers or assistant managers to act as projectionists, including movie setup, formats, cleaning of lenses and portholes, general maintenance of equipment. 

Luckily, Entertainment Equipment, recommended and installed NEC projectors which had, in my judgment the best light engine of all the digital projectors. Additionally, we have always impressed upon our customers that hours of usage be keep and lamps changed out within 50 hours before warranty expiration. 

Little Theater, Rochester, NY

I believe independent exhibitors present the best movie screenings. They are fastidious, are acutely aware of their clients' needs and likes, and know they must compete not only against the large circuits but with their customers' living rooms. 

People like going to the movies but the large circuits are making it very difficult to justify the cost/benefit of admission. If you have a local, independent cinema in your neighborhood or town, please plan a visit - you'll be pleasantly surprised. 

Apollo Theater, St. Mary's, PA

Throughout this post, I have inserted photos of several independent theaters that are long-time EEC customers. We service many independent, first-run cinemas, as well as art houses and university cinemas.

Notes on the Large Cinema Circuits 

The top five circuits: AMC, Cineworld (Regal), Cinemark, Cineplex Entertainment, and Marcus Corporation have a combined screen count of 21,867 out of a total of approx. 43,000 screens in North America, about 50%.

 If you look at them from an ongoing business perspective, it's a scary sight. For example:

•  AMC's share price is $6.50, it has a negative cash flow and outstanding debt of $6.8 billion.
•  Cineworld is worse, it had an operating loss in 2021 (last year financials are available) of $565 million and debt totaling $9 billion.
•  If you skip to Marcus (which is probably the best of the lot) their share price is currently $16. They reported a net profit of $3.7 million in 2022, however, their debt load is over $700 million. 

Support your local independent cinema. It's less expensive and the presentations are superior.

Cinema Mucho Gusto is a service of

 Entertainment Equipment Corp.