In some ways, maybe we should be grateful that we even have a local movie theatre. Our area is borderline in being able to sustain - our population base is on the low end to sustain one. And they have spent substantial money on renovations, including some stadium seating, improved screen quality and 3-D capabilities. It's expensive, but not out of line with theatre prices you could find elsewhere.
So, yes, movie tickets and concession prices are high. A family of four going to a 3-D movie and eating popcorn and drinks could easily be set back 60 to 80 bucks. That is a problem, but not a focus of my thoughts today.
It is the type of movies that we get in Waycross. Many quality movies are not coming here. Cloud Atlas did not come here, even though it starred Tom Hanks and Halle Berry. Lincoln did not come here, even though it's set in the civil war period and directed by Steven Spielberg. And now, Les Miserables did not come here, despite being a hugely popular musical with a great cast and tremendously positive box office.
It is not the particular fault of local theatre management. They are apparently completely at the mercy of corporate management. The decisions to bring movies here are based on box office analysis of prior movies. So Les Miserables does not come here because the last musical in Waycross tanked, with virtually no one coming to see it, as if musicals are fungible goods like corn or wheat or oil. Lincoln is held out because it is deemed "too liberal" for our area. Hmmmph! I guess that explains why we've had no Michael Moore movie here, and yet the awful anti-Obama screed that was made recently ran here for weeks.
So we don't always get the best quality movie here because Waycross' tastes are too.......low-brow. That might be the courteous way to put it. I don't know. That may be true. But I do know this. Both my liberal friends and theatre friends (some overlap there, but many are either/or) go to the movies much more often than other groups in the community. And when quality movies don't come here, that money gets spent elsewhere, including any associated eating out or shopping that is done.
It has been gratifying to hear more noise and fuss about Les Miserables than I think the theater has experienced in a great while. I have seen it from several quarters. But it may be a little scatter-shot, with what to do about it varying. Those of us not happy with all the choices being made for us - let's get together, get organized and become more of a decisive force in the future to let the locals and corporate know that we want more to come here than the latest Grade Z thriller or low-brow comedy.
Anybody got any ideas, let me know!
In some ways, maybe we should be grateful that we even have a local movie theatre.
ReplyDelete