Sorry I haven’t posted in a while. I do work for the Ziegfeld, but only when I’m at home (i.e. not when I’m upstate attending college, which is where I am right now). The theater is open right now, showing Flightplan, which is probably at least doing better than The Baxter. That one tanked worse than anything I’ve seen – and I was working there when we got “2 Fast, 2 Furious”.
I am pretty sure the Ziegfeld will be getting Rent, but can’t absolutely guarantee it. No idea about The Producers, but you all are exactly right – it would be perfect. Rent one month, Producers the next? The Ziegfeld could clean up, for once! Our theater never, ever makes money – it is always in the red. The rest of the Clearview multiplexes around the area keep us afloat…it’s been like that for a while, and probably will be for long to come.
As for why the theater is being run the way it is, well, I don’t have a good answer for you Vincent. The managers of the Ziegfeld just do as they’re told, and show the movies that Clearview sends us. I know at least one of the managers would love to see Clearview doing more with the theater, but there’s not much they can do about it. Switching over from a standard first-run theater to a place that shows classics would require a lot of changes. Clearview probably feels it isn’t worth putting in the money, time, and research to seriously consider a switch like that, when they can just throw the latest Hollywood claptrap up onto the screen. I know it’s a shame, but corporate-types are not easily swayed away from their familiar territory, and we all know it.
I wouldn’t expect any changes anytime soon. Just hope that the Ziegfeld will get at least a few solid films during the course of a year.
Yeah, The Baxter pretty much killed us at the Ziegfeld. As far as I know, the theater is going to be closing down for a little while soon, except for a couple premieres and special functions, then will reopen with Flightplan on the 23rd. I think.
The premiere of The Wedding Crashers is here on Wednesday, and next week (I think it’s Monday but don’t quote me on that just yet) is the premiere of Bad News Bears.
“Do the employees go on unemployment between "major first run engagements”?"
We either get placed in another Clearview theater around town, or we just don’t work. I worked there a couple years ago, and I’m thinking of working there again when I come back from college for the summer, but if they’re only going to be doing limited engagements, I may have to go with a place that’ll guarantee me more hours. It’s a shame that such a wonderful theater isn’t getting used as much as it could be.
When I worked there, the A/C didn’t work for half of the summer, so we’d have to bribe people into the theater with discount tickets and free drinks. And a friend of mine who attended the “Kingdom of Heaven” premiere there the other night told me that part of the backlighting on the marquee was out. Little maintenance issues like that should not be plaguing one of the greatest movie houses in the world. I told the managers many times what I thought of how the place was being run, and all they could do was look at me and say “I wish it were up to me to change things”.
Sorry I haven’t posted in a while. I do work for the Ziegfeld, but only when I’m at home (i.e. not when I’m upstate attending college, which is where I am right now). The theater is open right now, showing Flightplan, which is probably at least doing better than The Baxter. That one tanked worse than anything I’ve seen – and I was working there when we got “2 Fast, 2 Furious”.
I am pretty sure the Ziegfeld will be getting Rent, but can’t absolutely guarantee it. No idea about The Producers, but you all are exactly right – it would be perfect. Rent one month, Producers the next? The Ziegfeld could clean up, for once! Our theater never, ever makes money – it is always in the red. The rest of the Clearview multiplexes around the area keep us afloat…it’s been like that for a while, and probably will be for long to come.
As for why the theater is being run the way it is, well, I don’t have a good answer for you Vincent. The managers of the Ziegfeld just do as they’re told, and show the movies that Clearview sends us. I know at least one of the managers would love to see Clearview doing more with the theater, but there’s not much they can do about it. Switching over from a standard first-run theater to a place that shows classics would require a lot of changes. Clearview probably feels it isn’t worth putting in the money, time, and research to seriously consider a switch like that, when they can just throw the latest Hollywood claptrap up onto the screen. I know it’s a shame, but corporate-types are not easily swayed away from their familiar territory, and we all know it.
I wouldn’t expect any changes anytime soon. Just hope that the Ziegfeld will get at least a few solid films during the course of a year.
Yeah, The Baxter pretty much killed us at the Ziegfeld. As far as I know, the theater is going to be closing down for a little while soon, except for a couple premieres and special functions, then will reopen with Flightplan on the 23rd. I think.
For anyone interested:
The premiere of The Wedding Crashers is here on Wednesday, and next week (I think it’s Monday but don’t quote me on that just yet) is the premiere of Bad News Bears.
“Do the employees go on unemployment between "major first run engagements”?"
We either get placed in another Clearview theater around town, or we just don’t work. I worked there a couple years ago, and I’m thinking of working there again when I come back from college for the summer, but if they’re only going to be doing limited engagements, I may have to go with a place that’ll guarantee me more hours. It’s a shame that such a wonderful theater isn’t getting used as much as it could be.
When I worked there, the A/C didn’t work for half of the summer, so we’d have to bribe people into the theater with discount tickets and free drinks. And a friend of mine who attended the “Kingdom of Heaven” premiere there the other night told me that part of the backlighting on the marquee was out. Little maintenance issues like that should not be plaguing one of the greatest movie houses in the world. I told the managers many times what I thought of how the place was being run, and all they could do was look at me and say “I wish it were up to me to change things”.