I wrote about this seven months ago, but it just won’t go away.
And let’s be blunt here: Carmike Theatres is doing a lousy job serving Decatur.
Films are regularly being bypassed, apparently for one more screen of the blockbuster du jour.
Hey, there’s nothing wrong with playing the big films. Patrons are going to expect to have an opportunity to see “Shrek the Third” and the new “Pirates” and “Spider-Man” films. “Ocean’s Thirteen” joins the crowded movieplace this weekend.
But you know what they have an opportunity to watch in Effingham? “Gracie,” a film that looks like “Bend It Like Beckham,” a female-empowerment film based in part on the teenage life of actress Elisabeth Shue.
You know what opens in Mattoon today? “Waitress,” a critically acclaimed film with a truly heartbreaking story behind it. (Director Adrienne Shelly was murdered in November, even as a letter informing her the film had been accepted for showing at the Sundance Film Festival was finding its way to her in New York.)
Neither film has appeared in Decatur yet. (The Avon Theatre’s Web site lists “Waitress” as one of its upcoming films, but with no date.) Earlier this spring, “Hot Fuzz” opened in Mattoon a couple of weeks before showing here.
Look, this isn’t to say Mattoon and Effingham shouldn’t get these films. I’m thrilled those folks have a choice. And I’m not arguing that “Gracie” or “Waitress” are “Citizen Kane” for film buffs, or “Titanic” from a butts-in-the-seats point of view. Personally, I’m interested in seeing “Waitress” sometime, and don’t really care if I ever see “Gracie.”
But maybe one of them is a great film, and maybe both would be popular hits. The point is, we don’t know anything about how well they’ll do if they’re not here.
If you wish to register any complaints with Carmike, see their Web site’s comment form here or e-mail them at film@carmike.com.
June 8th, 2007 at 7:42 am
I am not sure I should comment on this, but when has good sense ever stopped me?
Do the simple math: Carmike has 22 screens, and The Avon has only 3—Carmike would have plenty of screens to present more diverse material, but they are obsessed with putting as many screens against The Avon as possible when certain films are played “day-and-date” with The Avon and them…
The problem for Carmike is this: They don’t realize that The Avon will continue to carve out its tiny piece of the pie in spite of all the heavy artillary they bring on!
Say what you will about Decatur, but one thing is for sure: Decatur Takes Care of its Own.
When SPIDER-MAN 3 opened at both Carmikes and The Avon, they put a total of 11 of their 22 screens against us!
When SHREK THE THIRD opened at all of the above, they did the same!
Ditto with PIRATES!
Today OCEANS 13 opens at all Decatur theaters, and they put 4 screens against The Avon!
It sounds like they are incapable of recognizing the concept of a fair fight, huh?
The real loser of this fight, as you, Tim, have pointed out, is the local public. We would be playing WAITRESS right now if we had more than 3 screens and weren’t locked into mandated 4week runs for the big movies!
What is Carmike’s excuse?
They can’t free up more screens because, Heaven forbid, The Avon may gain some ground??
Some say that is already happening because of their very actions!
Maybe “someday” I will be able build 5 more screens on The Avon block, and then we will show them what should be done!
Until then, the battle rages…
It’s called “the Wal-Mart” approach to eliminate the locally-owned movie houses by the “McTheaters”!
Except, it ain’t working for them here!
June 8th, 2007 at 1:49 pm
Do not get me started on HOT FUZZ!! I was almost in the car ready to drive to Springfield to see it 2 weeks after the US release date but with gas prices I passed. In January I had to drive all the way to Peoria to see El Laberinto Del Fauno because it wasn’t playing in Decatur. Hey Skip, any chance of getting Grindhouse for a weekend or so before they re-release the films separetly to make MORE money?
June 8th, 2007 at 8:09 pm
I want to see GRINDHOUSE too, but our 3 screens at The Avon are now booked solid until mid-August.
As far as the separate release of the two films, I don’t think that’s going to happen. The Weinsteins kinda’ freaked at the failure of it and were thinking aloud as to what to do next.
My feeling is it will be released to DVD exactly as it appeared in the theaters, and maybe with some extras too.
I always had doubts about the success of GRINDHOUSE, since so many who have never lived in big cities know what a “grindhouse” really is.
I am sure I will like it when I finally see it, but I wasn’t about to go to Carmike to see it!
(No time to drive to Springfield).
June 11th, 2007 at 7:35 am
My son went to see Pirates 3 at the Strand on the Thursday it opened…Said the place was virtually empty.
The Avon was packed on the next night I saw it.
Do the math.
June 23rd, 2007 at 2:56 pm
Long lost AVON patron here.
I am always glad to read that Skip and The AVON Theatre basicly beats the CARMIKE folks at their own game, because Skip knows what he is doing.
About the GRIND HOUSE failure at the box office; I am really saddened that it bombed. My opinion is that people could not grasp the concept of a studio sanctioned double feature. DISNEY did it, and the truly missed American International Pictures did it all the time when a major studio film made it really big, if A.I.P. owned the rights to films featuring the star(s) of that film, they would put out a double feature. A.I.P. put out a double feature of FEARLESS FRANK (Jon Voight) and MADDIGAN’S MILLIONS (Dustin Hoffman) due to the popularity of MIDNIGHT COWBOY.
Anyways, back to GRIND HOUSE. How much simpler than the concept of “You pay for one movie ticket and you get to see two movies” can you get? Who would not want to see a double feature?
How about the people who grew up during the video age, the people who didn’t go to theatres like The AVON, ROGERS, The LINCOLN, and the DRIVE-IN’s because they were, or were pending to be closed.
The ones who don’t like wide screen DVD’s due to the fact that “The picture doesn’t fill the whole screen”.
Today’s youthful movie-going audience have never felt a feeling of joy when hearing the words “double feature” except when going to the video department of theie favorite store and seeing double-feature DVD’s as a way to save money, and nothing more. The very same people who buy a issue of PEOPLE magazine due to the fact of “Look!! SHREK’s got kids!!!!! and there’s PICTURES!!!!”
So far, the bombing of GRIND HOUSE signals the death of the theatrical double feature as we, the movie fans, know it, and it’s sad.
The aftermath of the GRIND HOUSE failure in the ST. LOUIS area was this: ten days after the release of GRIND HOUSE, it was split up at certain theatres and the advertising went from a “double feature” presentation to a “see the want you want, or see them both!! (double feature engagement at selected theatres)” theatrical run.
The day after GRIND HOUSE ended it’s run in Decatur, which I really thought would last longer than 2 weeks, I was talking with some friends at work about the end of GRIND HOUSE in Decatur.
I said:
“It’s sad that GRIND HOUSE ran such a short time back home, but if my friend Skip at the AVON THEATRE got a hold of it, it would have lasted more than two weeks at the theatre, because Skip would have pulled them in to see it.”