The studios don't guarantee any minimums for us but WE guarantee minimums for them!
So if we get a movie that does horrible and doesn't sell many tickets, we still pay a guaranteed minimum to studios and it's typically about $300. It's not too hard to meet that with any decent movie but some movies last year did badly and we didn't meet the minimum so studios took 100% of the ticket sales (under $300 total in ticket revenue) and we actually paid more than we collected to fulfill the minimum. That means we only made profit on concession sales. Moral of the story, ticket sales don't make theaters money. Only concession sales do. Now our prices are much more affordable than the big guys like AMC, Regal, etc. but it's still a struggle to run a theater. I wouldn't recommend anyone consider it as a way to make money. My WISP is at least 50x more profitable than this theater will ever be. But the theater is more fun than the WISP for the most part. Everyone is happy to be here! On Tue, Jun 28, 2022 at 1:28 PM Chuck McCown via AF <af@af.afmug.com> wrote: > Can't take it with you. Some folks gamble at the tables, others of us > like > to start businesses. > > -----Original Message----- > From: Robert Andrews > Sent: Tuesday, June 28, 2022 11:17 AM > To: af@af.afmug.com > Subject: Re: [AFMUG] Movie Review > > It's wonderful that you can do this for your community!! That said, it > sounds like the punch line in "how to make a small fortune in the movie > business" > > On 6/28/22 09:17, Darin Steffl wrote: > > Chuck, > > > > For big movies like top gun, batman, Disney movies, minions, the studio > > takes at least 62.5% from us on ticket sales. So examples below of our > net > > profit on ticket sales is listed and it isn't nearly enough to pay the > > bills. This is why concessions cost so much at theaters because we > > couldn't stay open on ticket sales alone. > > > > Regular $9 ticket with tax included > > Sales tax = $0.62 to the state > > $8.38 pre-tax > > Studio takes 62.5% = $5.24 > > Theater keeps = $3.14 net profit > > > > Child/senior $6 ticket > > Sales tax = $0.41 to the state > > $5.59 pre-tax > > Studio takes 62.5% = $3.49 > > Theater keeps = $2.10 net profit > > > > > > As a single screen theater, these small net profits per ticket barely > > cover property taxes, utilities, and payroll. Let alone the equipment > and > > maintenance costs of needing to spend about $70,000 per auditorium every > > 8-10 years to replace the projector and server. Add that we're replacing > > our roof this week at $65k, new siding to cover the cracking stucco at > > $70k, New marquee and EFIS on the front which will be around $100k, > heated > > recliners at $100k for the building, new concession stand and flooring > > $30k. > > > > It's easy to see how I may never pay off the investments I'm putting > into > > this theater unless we increase attendance. My hope is this hobby will > > eventually pay back my investments in 10 years so I don't have buyers > > remorse. I bought this as it was going to close during covid lost likely > > and the previous owners did not have the money or energy to keep it > going > > much longer. It's my childhood theater where I grew up and I love it so > > I'm trying to save it, restore it, and make it the best place to see a > > movie compared to the multiplex theaters that are dirty and have riff > raff > > people causing trouble. > > > > On Tue, Jun 28, 2022, 10:30 AM Steven Kenney via AF <af@af.afmug.com > > <mailto:af@af.afmug.com>> wrote: > > > > Small town local theatres are something I would support. But I at > > this point don't want to give a single penny to Hollywood, Disney or > > any of those other studios that have lost touch with reality. > > > > On Mon, Jun 27, 2022 at 9:32 PM Darin Steffl > > <darin.ste...@mnwifi.com <mailto:darin.ste...@mnwifi.com>> wrote: > > > > I'm biased because I bought a single screen theater in my > > hometown right before lockdowns in March 2020. > > > > I offered half the listing price because of covid coming and the > > sellers accepted. We've been open since Godzilla in March 2021 > > and things have been doing better. > > > > I can say with certainty that my $50k projector and sound system > > blows any of your home theaters out of the water haha! > > > > That said, I prefer to watch new releases alone on days we're > > closed or after the public shows because people are generally > > annoying. Getting up to use the bathroom, dropping things on the > > wood floor, talking, etc. All the things you all hate, I hate > > too. But we keep a clean theater, have the best popcorn I've > > ever tasted, we're friendly, and I'm renovating things slowly > > over 2-3 years to repair and upgrade this 1937 theater. > > > > We just added a small 2nd screen upstairs so we can show more > > than one movie at a time. 4k laser projector is coming next year > > with heated recliners too. > > > > The movie industry is not dead and continues to be resilient > > coming out of covid. The downside to this industry is we rely on > > good movies being released. If the studios release a bunch of > > duds, theaters don't do well. So we're at the mercy of the > > product that shows on our screens. > > > > Top Gun Maverick is one of my favorite movies now! I've seen it > > 3 times and we're bringing it back for a week again starting > > July 1 because it did so well for us in the first 2 weeks we had > > it. I'll watch it a 4th time. > > > > On Mon, Jun 27, 2022, 7:22 PM Bill Prince <part15...@gmail.com > > <mailto:part15...@gmail.com>> wrote: > > > > Not quite everything for me. For live events that have CC, > > the CC is about 10-15 seconds behind the actual dialog, so I > > turn it off because it becomes distracting. > > > > Sometimes when they have CC, there is silence after the > > person has said something that appears to me to be a > > complete sentence, yet the CC adds some pithy little thing > > that (I think) they didn't actually say. > > > > > > bp > > <part15sbs{at}gmail{dot}com> > > > > On 6/27/2022 4:37 PM, Chuck McCown via AF wrote: > >> I have CC on everything anymore. > >> *From:* Nate Burke > >> *Sent:* Monday, June 27, 2022 5:23 PM > >> *To:* AnimalFarm Microwave Users Group > >> *Subject:* Re: [AFMUG] Movie Review > >> Closed Captions, so you can understand what is being said, > >> and Being able to pause for snack breaks (or rebooting the > >> laundry) far outweigh the draw of the big screen for us. > >> > >> Although, When I stream, is it truly using my 9.2 surround? > >> > >> On 6/27/2022 6:15 PM, Bill Prince wrote: > >>> > >>> . And rolling jawbreakers down the isle. > >>> > >>> Now that's funny > >>> > >>> bp > >>> <part15sbs{at}gmail{dot}com> > >>> On 6/27/2022 2:17 PM, Steve Jones wrote: > >>>> I detest the movie theater. theres always fools with > >>>> phones on, smacking their lips, talking. God only know > >>>> what communicable diseases youre catching off the seats. > >>>> they dont even use real butter anymore. > >>>> I remember seeing movies like Airplane and whatnot in > >>>> the theaters and watching people get up and leave at the > >>>> credits and missing the funny stuff in them. And rolling > >>>> jawbreakers down the isle. > >>>> On Mon, Jun 27, 2022 at 12:08 PM Bill Prince > >>>> <part15...@gmail.com> wrote: > >>>> > >>>> I've found for the last 10 years or so that "going > >>>> to the movies" adds zero to the quality of my life. > >>>> > >>>> Am I an outlier? > >>>> > >>>> bp > >>>> <part15sbs{at}gmail{dot}com> > >>>> > >>>> On 6/27/2022 9:53 AM, Steven Kenney via AF wrote: > >>>>> Go see Maverick. Everything else out there from > >>>>> Hollywood is garbage. > >>>>> On Sun, Jun 26, 2022 at 12:05 AM Chuck McCown via > >>>>> AF <af@af.afmug.com> wrote: > >>>>> > >>>>> Elvis > >>>>> Meh > >>>>> Wait for streaming. > >>>>> Didn’t like how they did the first half. > >>>>> I really thought Elvis ditched Col. Tom Parker > >>>>> before he died, guess not. > >>>>> -- > >>>>> AF mailing list > >>>>> AF@af.afmug.com > >>>>> > >>>>> http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com > >>>>> > >>>>> <http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com> > >>>>> > >>>>> > >>>>> NOTICE OF CONFIDENTIALITY This communication, > >>>>> including any attachments, is intended only for the > >>>>> use of the addressee(s) to this email and is > >>>>> confidential. If you are not an intended recipient > >>>>> or acting on behalf of an intended recipient, any > >>>>> review, disclosure, conversion to hard copy, > >>>>> dissemination, reproduction or other use of any > >>>>> part of this communication is strictly prohibited. > >>>>> If you receive this communication in error or > >>>>> without authorization, please notify the originator > >>>>> immediately and remove it from your system. > >>>>> > >>>> -- > >>>> AF mailing list > >>>> AF@af.afmug.com > >>>> http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com > >>>> <http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com > > > >>>> > >>>> > >>> > >>> > >> > >> > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > >> -- > >> AF mailing list > >> AF@af.afmug.com <mailto:AF@af.afmug.com> > >> http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com > >> <http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com> > >> > > -- > > AF mailing list > > AF@af.afmug.com <mailto:AF@af.afmug.com> > > http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com > > <http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com> > > > > -- > > AF mailing list > > AF@af.afmug.com <mailto:AF@af.afmug.com> > > http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com > > <http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com> > > > > > > > > NOTICE OF CONFIDENTIALITY This communication, including any > > attachments, is intended only for the use of the addressee(s) to > > this email and is confidential. If you are not an intended recipient > > or acting on behalf of an intended recipient, any review, > > disclosure, conversion to hard copy, dissemination, reproduction or > > other use of any part of this communication is strictly prohibited. > > If you receive this communication in error or without authorization, > > please notify the originator immediately and remove it from your > > system. > > -- > > AF mailing list > > AF@af.afmug.com <mailto:AF@af.afmug.com> > > http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com > > <http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com> > > > > > > -- > AF mailing list > AF@af.afmug.com > http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com > > > -- > AF mailing list > AF@af.afmug.com > http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com > -- Darin Steffl Minnesota WiFi www.mnwifi.com 507-634-WiFi Like us on Facebook <http://www.facebook.com/minnesotawifi>
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