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Started By
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Opening up an independent art house theater in Baton Rouge
Posted on 9/12/13 at 9:30 am
Posted on 9/12/13 at 9:30 am
Basically, a theater pretty much like the Prytania:
-one theater
-show one or two wide release movies
-midnight movies
-director retrospectives e.g. Having a "Hitchcock month"
-film festival specials e.g. showing previous Cannes winners during the week of the Cannes film festival
Who else would love this idea? For me personally, it is one of the major things missing from the campus area. I don't know exactly how big the market would be for it but I wish someone would step up. I would try but I have no money, though, maybe some day in the future. Or, it could be how the Nickelodeon is in South Carolina where it is partially funded by the Arts Council and then memberships/donations filled in the gaps, more or less.
-one theater
-show one or two wide release movies
-midnight movies
-director retrospectives e.g. Having a "Hitchcock month"
-film festival specials e.g. showing previous Cannes winners during the week of the Cannes film festival
Who else would love this idea? For me personally, it is one of the major things missing from the campus area. I don't know exactly how big the market would be for it but I wish someone would step up. I would try but I have no money, though, maybe some day in the future. Or, it could be how the Nickelodeon is in South Carolina where it is partially funded by the Arts Council and then memberships/donations filled in the gaps, more or less.
16
Posted on 9/12/13 at 9:32 am to ColaTiger
Would quickly fail in BR. I would go there though.
Posted on 9/12/13 at 9:35 am to ColaTiger
quote:
Who else would love this idea? For me personally, it is one of the major things missing from the campus area.
That would be really cool. I still can't believe someone in BR hasn't has the idea to either open an art house cinema or something similar to the Alamo Drafthouse like we have in Austin.
Posted on 9/12/13 at 9:37 am to ColaTiger
It would last for a few months (maybe longer depending on the price point), but it would be unsustainable due to a lack of market. There's just not enough of an audience in BR to make money doing it all year round. A great location close to campus on the South side with good parking and convenient access (i.e. minimal traffic congestion) could change that.
Posted on 9/12/13 at 9:40 am to ColaTiger
if one can survive in Shreveport (Robinson Film Center), one should easily be able to survive in Baton Rouge
Posted on 9/12/13 at 9:40 am to ColaTiger
Remember, even Criterion has to release the occasional Michael Bay film. I live in Dallas, which has some great art house theaters, and they still showed Twilight just to make money.
Posted on 9/12/13 at 9:54 am to ColaTiger
They used to have one, which was the former UA Essen 6 theater when it got sold in the late 90s.
It obviously didn't survive long.
It obviously didn't survive long.
Posted on 9/13/13 at 6:37 am to ColaTiger
quote:I would but I seriously doubt BR could support it enough for it to be profitable.
Who else would love this idea?
Posted on 9/13/13 at 8:01 am to ColaTiger
you make it BYOB, and you may be onto something
Posted on 9/13/13 at 8:46 am to ColaTiger
They have one like that in Dallas right next to my house called the Inwood Theatre. It's really cool
Posted on 9/13/13 at 8:48 am to ColaTiger
Do they still have the theater in the student union at LSU, the Colonade or something like that? They used to show art house stuff and classics back in the day.
This post was edited on 9/13/13 at 8:49 am
Posted on 9/13/13 at 9:07 am to ColaTiger
It is very, very difficult for a single screen theater to succeed long term. At one point, not too long ago, the Prytania was about to be sold and go under the wrecking ball. However, a wealthy "benefactor" came along, invested money in renovating the place, and allowed the Brunet family to remain as the tenant.
They have survived in a few ways. For one thing, often they pick up wide releases in the second or third week when the distributor receives a lesser percentage of the take. They also have developed a relationship with a couple of distributors that help them out with first runs or with films they know will make money Uptown.
The Prytania also partners with the New Orleans Film Society's New Orleans Film Festival in the fall and its French Film Festival in the summer.
I have serious doubts about a single screen art house theater making it in B.R. without being subsidized by someone. You would be surprised at the low margins involved between revenues and operating costs.
They have survived in a few ways. For one thing, often they pick up wide releases in the second or third week when the distributor receives a lesser percentage of the take. They also have developed a relationship with a couple of distributors that help them out with first runs or with films they know will make money Uptown.
The Prytania also partners with the New Orleans Film Society's New Orleans Film Festival in the fall and its French Film Festival in the summer.
I have serious doubts about a single screen art house theater making it in B.R. without being subsidized by someone. You would be surprised at the low margins involved between revenues and operating costs.
Posted on 9/13/13 at 1:58 pm to ColaTiger
quote:
Nickelodeon
not exactly thriving
they are perpetually on the brink of extinction and begging for donations
Posted on 9/13/13 at 2:16 pm to ColaTiger
I've heard rumors that Alamo Drafthouse is looking at eventually opening a Baton Rouge location. I think they would do gangbusters business.
We've gone to the Manship Theatre a few times to see movies. They get a good selection of current indie flicks and crowd-pleasers, like The Goonies, The Big Lebowski and A Clockwork Orange. Plus, they sell beer, wine and liquor. The one drag is that the movies usually show for one or two nights, with just one showtime per night.
We've gone to the Manship Theatre a few times to see movies. They get a good selection of current indie flicks and crowd-pleasers, like The Goonies, The Big Lebowski and A Clockwork Orange. Plus, they sell beer, wine and liquor. The one drag is that the movies usually show for one or two nights, with just one showtime per night.
Posted on 9/13/13 at 3:56 pm to ColaTiger
Long post warning .... All you have to do is go to any theater in Baton Rouge on opening night for something other than a typical/trendy movie to see that this idea would fail in BR.
I saw the highly acclaimed documentaries "The Cove" (which won the Oscar btw) and most recently "Blackfish" both on opening nights in BR and was the only couple in the theater. Now you could argue that it was because they were documentaries being the reason, but that's not true.
People in BR and Louisiana in general are typically dirt cheap. It's not that people don't have the money, they just want everything for next to nothing. If you have a nicer, single screen theater then you are going to need to charge more to keep up with overhead. Most people around here bitch about having to spend $10 on a coke and popcorn the small handful of times they actually do get up and go to a movie .... So just imagine trying to stay afloat with that type of crowd dominating the area. Even if you did show the blockbuster films.
Good idea, just not for Baton Rouge. It does work in many bigger cities.
I saw the highly acclaimed documentaries "The Cove" (which won the Oscar btw) and most recently "Blackfish" both on opening nights in BR and was the only couple in the theater. Now you could argue that it was because they were documentaries being the reason, but that's not true.
People in BR and Louisiana in general are typically dirt cheap. It's not that people don't have the money, they just want everything for next to nothing. If you have a nicer, single screen theater then you are going to need to charge more to keep up with overhead. Most people around here bitch about having to spend $10 on a coke and popcorn the small handful of times they actually do get up and go to a movie .... So just imagine trying to stay afloat with that type of crowd dominating the area. Even if you did show the blockbuster films.
Good idea, just not for Baton Rouge. It does work in many bigger cities.
This post was edited on 9/13/13 at 4:00 pm
Posted on 9/13/13 at 5:30 pm to ColaTiger
I would attend. I can't say that I'm sure that BR has the culture or maybe layout for it to succeed though.
Posted on 9/13/13 at 8:45 pm to ColaTiger
You mean like the Varsity before it became a band venue? I saw some awesome flicks there in the early 80's.
Why wouldn't an Alamo or Studio Movie Grill work in BR? They are all over Houston, the 'burbs included.
Why wouldn't an Alamo or Studio Movie Grill work in BR? They are all over Houston, the 'burbs included.
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