Movie screening locations?

[tt25]

Not sure where to post this (maybe the main forum?), so I post my question here.

I've been wondering if screening theatres are selected by the sponsors or by the studios. I know most independent movies have sceenings in Midtown Landmark, which is understandable. But for other movie screenings I have attended, the locations vary a lot. Do they have any preference in selecting theatres other than reservation availability? Can you SF people answer this question, please?

Maybe we can vote for our favorite theatres so we can see a rough geographical distribution of SF boarders :).

I vote for AMC Pkwy Point :).

[pandora]

Unfortunately sponsors have no say in where a screening will be. We usually find out right before we email the people who got passes. The film studios are the ones that choose the theaters screenings will be held. I'm not sure exactlly how they choose: price, seating, repeat business. But if we ever get to choose the location we will be taking a poll to see what theater people would like.

[tt25]

Unfortunately sponsors have no say in where a screening will be. We usually find out right before we email the people who got passes. The film studios are the ones that choose the theaters screenings will be held. I'm not sure exactlly how they choose: price, seating, repeat business. But if we ever get to choose the location we will be taking a poll to see what theater people would like.


Thanks for the answer, pandora!

[Terri218]

Very often a film (especially an independent) can only be screened in the theater where it will be playing. If it's close to the release date, they have it at that theater so the print is already there and assembled. This particularly applies to Landmark, Tara and the Lefont Theaters.

[malaikah]

Although AMC parkway has more concessions
I do like Regal Hollywood 24 ... the seats are much better and last week i went to Parkway and they had us in a small theater for the screening .. and you wonder why people get upset ... when they can't come in .. although the should have been there earlier ..
anyhow ... next week .. they will be playing .. resident evil 2 .. at the same day .. at both as free screenings ...
and i don't think the sponsor has something to say about it .. cause at the Village ... there were a lot of sponsors .. and they divided the people into two theaters .. sometime this happens ..

[Peter Oberth]

people get upset when they can't get in, but I still don't understand that/ it's a free screening and it says to arrive early and there is a change you will not get in. ??

[Nicsmall]

It does suck to get all the way down there and then not get in, and some people do have jobs that are far away from the theater, so I have sympathy for them...Luckily I am chronically early to EVERYTHING, so I have always been able to get in. The worst thing was the screening of Napoleon Dynamite that I went to, where they were letting the back of the line go in at the same time, so people in the middle had terrible seats, that just wasn't fair.

[flame]

I have seen folks who got into the theatre two minutes before the start time and insisted their party sit together and asked everyone already sat in the row to move :mad: ... I have seen folks sit in the studio rep seats and refuse to leave when the rep asks them to. Poor gal, she just finished managing the screening and couldn't even get a seat for herself when this is her screening. Those people should be escorted out by security. But they didn't since the rep is too nice.... These people are hard to please. I understand folks got jobs to do, children to feed, things to attend to, but if they are late and can't get in, they should not get upset as if this is the organizers' fault, like this is their right to be served. This is a FREE screening afterall. The attendees DO NOT OWN the screening. If someone couldn't get there in time, then buy their own tickets (since they have a job and all) and see it anytime they like. It had happened once to me for not able to get in a screening even I got all the way down there about an hour before the screening. But I would not be complaining to the organizer because I understand it's a free screening and the pass clearly stated there is a chance anyone could not get in. Do you know the studio even reserve the right to refuse anyone's admission to the screening without giving any reason or even if you have a pass?!

[pandora]

Do you know the studio even reserve the right to refuse anyone's admission to the screening without giving any reason or even if you have a pass?!
Luckily I have never seen this rule enforced. I do feel bad for some people when they get held late at work and didn't know it would happen. My suggestion for everyone would be when you get a screening email and see what time and location it is at and feel there is a chance you might not be able to make it, email screenings@shakefire.com and let us know their is a chance. That way we will have your name on the list; but if you didn't make it we will not mark you as a no show. I know we mentioned that we have a tally system before but just as a reminder I will go through it real quick. If you receive a pass from us and do not let us know you will not be there and do not show you receive a -1. If you do show to a screening you receive a +1. And if you notify us you could not attend your points do not change. This is the only way we have found to keep up with who attends and who doesn't so the people that really want to see a movie gets passes. But don't start emailing me if you missed a screening or two, we still want you to let us know if you can not attend but we do understand things come up. We do have some people that are in -6's or -7's though. I'm not trying to scare anyone I just wanted to go through this again because I have noticed new people on the boards and requesting passes. I thought it would be fair if everyone knew. Hope this helps some.

[Terri218]

I have seen this rule enforced once and it was one of the worst nights of my life. The rep was in a bad mood and one of the obnoxious, ungrateful regulars apparently said something or did something to set her off even further. It was a very crowded screening so they barred all of the regulars from going in. That is certainly their right but they were SO nasty about it. Apparently it caused such a big stink that the agency lost the studio's account. I hope nothing like that ever happens again.

And as bad as the people who come at the last minute are, they are still WAY BETTER than the ones who come after the movie has started and stand around talking very loudly about where they should sit or stand in the aisles blocking seated people's views of the screen. Talk about self-absorbed. And some of them even get mad if you ask them not to stand in the aisle. They feel as if they have the right to do whatever they want.

I know no SFer would ever exhibit such bad behavior!

[Terri218]

I just noticed this "distinguished road" thing. What is that?

[flame]

Luckily I have never seen this rule enforced. I do feel bad for some people when they get held late at work and didn't know it would happen. My suggestion for everyone would be when you get a screening email and see what time and location it is at and feel there is a chance you might not be able to make it, email screenings@shakefire.com and let us know their is a chance. That way we will have your name on the list; but if you didn't make it we will not mark you as a no show. I know we mentioned that we have a tally system before but just as a reminder I will go through it real quick. If you receive a pass from us and do not let us know you will not be there and do not show you receive a -1. If you do show to a screening you receive a +1. And if you notify us you could not attend your points do not change. This is the only way we have found to keep up with who attends and who doesn't so the people that really want to see a movie gets passes. But don't start emailing me if you missed a screening or two, we still want you to let us know if you can not attend but we do understand things come up. We do have some people that are in -6's or -7's though. I'm not trying to scare anyone I just wanted to go through this again because I have noticed new people on the boards and requesting passes. I thought it would be fair if everyone knew. Hope this helps some.


Thanks for the explanation, Pandora. It's more clear now. But one quick question, what if a person receive the screening invitation and could not show up late minute, but he ask his friends to show up to claim his pass and let his friends use that pass? How do you count that? Will he get penalized as "did not notify you and did not show up " and receive a -1?

[pandora]

No, if they send someone in their place and they claim the ticket by giving your name we do not give a -1 for that. Just make sure if you do that, that your friend does show up and tells us your name. Otherwise at the end of the night if your name is still on the list and there is no email in the morning from you the night before we will issue -1. We do have a heart though, and know sometimes you may get called out of town for family problems. We know that Shakefire will not be at the top of your list, so sometimes we get emails from people weeks after a screening who just got in town explaining where they were, and we add back the negative points they may have gotten. But I will warn you, we do know that most people do not have 15 Grandmother's that some how all decide to pass in 15 consecutive weeks. This isn't excuse to get out of homework. :D