Kerasotes, Other Movie Theaters Try, Fail with "Special Events"

What about seeing UFC 111: St. Pierre vs. Hardy?

Or better yet, what about The Black Eyed Peas: The E.N.D. World Tour live?

Your answer is most likely 'yes' to at least one of these and possibly all of these. Now what if I tweaked the question and asked who wanted to see these events at their local movie theater? The answers may change.

This is exactly what Kerasotes Theaters are doing. The Boondocks Saints can be seen tonight (March 11th) at 7:30 PM at various locations around the city. UFC 111 will be showing on March 27th and The Black Eyed Peas concert will be held on March 30th. Let me first state that I completely understand movie theaters trying to capitalize on their resources. There are only so many movies which will draw people into the theaters on a consistent basis, other events could be successful in this type of venue. My biggest issue is how Kerasotes and other similar companies are going about the implementation of this new idea.

The Boondock Saints is a cult classic. Recently, a sequel has been released to the joy of fans all around the world who had been up in arms for years. Today, Kerasotes Theaters will be showing a movie which is ten years old. Granted, it has additional features to commemorate the special anniversary, but this does not take away from the issue that the movie is ten years old. I can buy the movie for under ten dollars. What does a ticket cost for this "special event"? $12.50. Wait, it costs more than a new release at the same theater? It costs more than what it would to buy the DVD? I think I'll pass.

An event like a UFC pay-per-view makes slightly more sense than an old movie because it can capitalize on the "crowd" atmosphere. It may feel like more of a big event if you would watch it with similar minded fighting fans. Watching this type of event is always more enjoyable in a group, this is the reason why almost every bar will be crammed with overly excited, inebriated UFC fans come March 27th. Even if the event is a better fit, the execution is again lacking. First, no matter how pure these fans may be, they will still want to have some alcohol in their systems. This is the second reason why the bars will be packed. Mixed martial arts and alcohol go hand in hand. The crowd is typically male-centric and males are destined to want to drink with their sporting events. Kerasotes (or at least most movie theaters) does not offer this combination of booze and fighting which any two-bit bar can provide. The second strike against the theaters is that they plan on gouging the customers for $20.00 tickets. The price of watching in a better atmosphere at the local bar? Zero dollars.

Hollywood had its most successful year in 2009. Record numbers of people are going to see movies and they are going more often. Even with this success, it is in the theaters' best interest to be able to draw a different crowd on certain occasions. Concerts and sporting events seem like the most logical choices for this type of "special event" marketing. Here is what I would recommend: We all know that theaters make their real killing on the concessions. There is also little doubt that those who would show up for a concert or sporting event would be willing to buy a soda, some popcorn and some candy (I will assume that the alcohol factor will be too much to ask for, even though it is available at many theaters). So why not reduce the price of admission to around $5.00 or even lower? Draw the crowds in and make the revenues on concessions. 

Only time will tell whether this new push to get the public to go to theaters for beyond just their movie-watching needs will work. As someone who already deposits more than his fair share of money into the pockets of the theater owners, I know that it will take something special to draw me away from my own TV or the local bar. Maybe 3D effects will be the answer. Until then, my couch looks mighty comfortable and doesn't cost a penny to sit on.

GR