The future of movies will be all digital. With high speed internet links, there will ultimately be no need for even sending disks. This will help control counterfeiting through the use of encryption so only the intended receiver can show it at their theatre. There is too much cost involved in traditional film duplication, handling and storage.
Don’t get me wrong though. I hate digital today. They need to put some of the traditional film glitches into it to make it realistic. Just like digital music which has been all cleaned up from the actual recording, it just isn’t the same.
Good thing is that old equipment will continue to decrease in price while theatres going digital upgrade and as long as film is still around. This can also create a new business opportunity for those people who fixed and maintained projection equipment to support the small theatres around the country.
To build a business plan, begin with your public library. I am not sure what business model a movie theatre would fall under but would probably have both retail and service orientations.
In any plan, you will need an overall goal of what you want to accomplish. Then start with a brainstorming session of all the needs you can think of for your location. When you approach for financing, you will need to support how you arrive at your estimates. There is often free busienss plan help from anorganization of retired businessmen. You can usually find out about it through the library or local community college.
Make sure that you check with you local government entities about the location you are thinking of leasing. Find out about about all the code requirements you will be subject to as a new owner. The building/planning department and fire department should be able to provide current code information and probably have past reports.
Always remember that the fixed costs of hardware are the easy ones to estimate and control. It is the costs that can be highly variable that are too often underestimated. Lease, labor, insurance, advertising. Labor costs can be affected by a variety of things such as type of projection equipment and how automated it is, hours of operation for the theatre, and the availability of local help.
If you aren’t in a rush, try a business management class at a community college that includes a project of building a business plan. I have a friend who is an assistant manager of a theatre who is going to do just that. Although he has worked at the theatre for 6 years, he has found that his knowledge is only of his own theatre and equipment and is having to do research on different options. I know he has been talking to his local projectionists to gain insight into other equipment. The projectionists sometimes like the older equipment since that keeps their job.
Might be worth a call to Classic Cinemas chain in the Chicago suburbs. They run some very successful second run theatres as well as their first run. They have a wonderful family owned large operation. I think their headquarters are in Downers Grove, Illinois. Some of their Theatres are the Tivoli in Downers Grove, the Ogden 6 in Naperville and Charlestowne in St. Charles as well as a number of others. Odgen 6 is a wonderful 6 screen theater with second run (often still first run at the big chains) and charges $3.00 admission with the bonus of free refills on all size popcorn and sodas. They also send out weekly e-mails to those who sign up for all upcoming movies with times and an occasional free popcorn coupon. They have a nice website also at http://www.classiccinemas.com/
Episode II is Attack of the Clones. I believe the red-faced villain you are referring to is Darth Maul who was introduced in Episode I, The Phantom Menace.
Waited for many hours for the midnight premiere of Star Wars Episode II in digital format on the wide screen. It was a night to remember. Every television station from Chicago was on hand. Some of our friends camped out in front for over two weeks.
Reading Lowell’s post brings back the memory of that WWII photo of the Bataan Death March in the lobby. I used to go to this theater in the late 1950s when I was a kid and visiting my aunt in Maywood. I remember that the price was 25 cents for a kid for a double feature with included cartoons and newsreels. It was a great theater and remember seeing some of the Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin classics and some of the early science fiction movies like Earth versus Flying Saucers and The Day the Earth Stood Still. I always loved when they had the balcony open.
The future of movies will be all digital. With high speed internet links, there will ultimately be no need for even sending disks. This will help control counterfeiting through the use of encryption so only the intended receiver can show it at their theatre. There is too much cost involved in traditional film duplication, handling and storage.
Don’t get me wrong though. I hate digital today. They need to put some of the traditional film glitches into it to make it realistic. Just like digital music which has been all cleaned up from the actual recording, it just isn’t the same.
Good thing is that old equipment will continue to decrease in price while theatres going digital upgrade and as long as film is still around. This can also create a new business opportunity for those people who fixed and maintained projection equipment to support the small theatres around the country.
To build a business plan, begin with your public library. I am not sure what business model a movie theatre would fall under but would probably have both retail and service orientations.
In any plan, you will need an overall goal of what you want to accomplish. Then start with a brainstorming session of all the needs you can think of for your location. When you approach for financing, you will need to support how you arrive at your estimates. There is often free busienss plan help from anorganization of retired businessmen. You can usually find out about it through the library or local community college.
Make sure that you check with you local government entities about the location you are thinking of leasing. Find out about about all the code requirements you will be subject to as a new owner. The building/planning department and fire department should be able to provide current code information and probably have past reports.
Always remember that the fixed costs of hardware are the easy ones to estimate and control. It is the costs that can be highly variable that are too often underestimated. Lease, labor, insurance, advertising. Labor costs can be affected by a variety of things such as type of projection equipment and how automated it is, hours of operation for the theatre, and the availability of local help.
If you aren’t in a rush, try a business management class at a community college that includes a project of building a business plan. I have a friend who is an assistant manager of a theatre who is going to do just that. Although he has worked at the theatre for 6 years, he has found that his knowledge is only of his own theatre and equipment and is having to do research on different options. I know he has been talking to his local projectionists to gain insight into other equipment. The projectionists sometimes like the older equipment since that keeps their job.
Might be worth a call to Classic Cinemas chain in the Chicago suburbs. They run some very successful second run theatres as well as their first run. They have a wonderful family owned large operation. I think their headquarters are in Downers Grove, Illinois. Some of their Theatres are the Tivoli in Downers Grove, the Ogden 6 in Naperville and Charlestowne in St. Charles as well as a number of others. Odgen 6 is a wonderful 6 screen theater with second run (often still first run at the big chains) and charges $3.00 admission with the bonus of free refills on all size popcorn and sodas. They also send out weekly e-mails to those who sign up for all upcoming movies with times and an occasional free popcorn coupon. They have a nice website also at http://www.classiccinemas.com/
Episode II is Attack of the Clones. I believe the red-faced villain you are referring to is Darth Maul who was introduced in Episode I, The Phantom Menace.
Waited for many hours for the midnight premiere of Star Wars Episode II in digital format on the wide screen. It was a night to remember. Every television station from Chicago was on hand. Some of our friends camped out in front for over two weeks.
Reading Lowell’s post brings back the memory of that WWII photo of the Bataan Death March in the lobby. I used to go to this theater in the late 1950s when I was a kid and visiting my aunt in Maywood. I remember that the price was 25 cents for a kid for a double feature with included cartoons and newsreels. It was a great theater and remember seeing some of the Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin classics and some of the early science fiction movies like Earth versus Flying Saucers and The Day the Earth Stood Still. I always loved when they had the balcony open.