'Star' booking miffs exhibs
Chinese, Ziegfield winners; AMC upset
Many theater execs were grumbling Thursday over what they saw as unfair allocations made by LucasFilm and Fox execs, who had the unenviable task of divvying up the most highly anticipated film of the year.
Los Angeles theaters lucky enough to get the prequel include the Mann Chinese in Hollywood, the Mann Village in Westwood, the Loews Cineplex Century Plaza 4 in Century City, Mann Criterion 6 in Santa Monica and the General Cinemas South Bay 16, according to sources.
In Gotham, "Menace" is so far only set to play at the Clearview Ziegfield in Midtown and the United Artists Union Square 14 in Greenwich Village.
Fox and Lucas have said all along that the picture would be given to only best theaters, in terms of presentation, in each market. But in many situations, "best" is a judgment call, and one on which the studio and theater owners understandably disagree.
AMC was among the chains said to be disgruntled about allocations on "Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace." The Kansas City-based circuit was passed over in such key competitive Southern California zones as Century City, Santa Monica, Pasadena, Orange and Ontario.
Fox has yet to work out a deal in Manhattan with Loews Cineplex, which controls a number of important Gotham sites, including the 84th Street 6 and a soon-to-be-completed Kips Bay multiplex. Fox and Loews are apparently at odds over whether the theaters will pay Fox a minimum percentage of the box office, or "floor" for the pic.
The Sony sites, along with several other Gotham theaters, don't typically pay a floor and are said to be loathe to set a precedent, even for a "Star Wars" movie.
One way or the other, most observers expect Fox to book "Menace" into more Gotham theaters in time for the pic's May 19 opening. Loews execs did not return phone calls. A senior Fox exec declined to comment.
As it had promised, Fox is limiting the number of runs of the film, which means some smaller, non-competitive towns will not be getting "Menace" on May 19.
It was almost inevitable that some exhibitors would be disappointed by the number of runs they were allotted. "You can never go into a situation like 'Star Wars' and expect anything like 100% coverage," said one veteran film buyer.
Still, the pressure on film buyers to bring in as many locations as possible has been intense. The problem has been exacerbated by the current box office slump, which many theater chains are counting on "Menace" to counteract.
