When considering the state of motion-picture exhibition, it’s worth recalling Norma Desmond’s admonition to Joe Gillis in the classic film “Sunset Boulevard.”
“You’re Norma Desmond,” says the failed screenplay writer. “You used to be in silent pictures. You used to be big.”
“I am big!” the faded star proclaims. “It’s the pictures that got small.”
In this acid-tinged exchange, the characters, played by Gloria Swanson and William Holden, were discussing how the advent of sound put Hollywood in “the popcorn business.” They might just as well have been discussing the decline of the great movie palaces and subsequent rise of the shopping-center multiplex.
If movies got small in the ’30s–an arguable proposition, to be sure–it took until the early ’60s for many theater owners to begin turning their auditoriums into something resembling shoeboxes with screens.
But, like the bloated budgets of the movies themselves, multiplexes lately have been expanding into megaplexes and entertainment centers that accentuate choice, convenience and comfort. The nation’s largest arena–a $17 million, 30-screen complex in Ontario, Calif.–will open this winter.
There also is the possibility that a similar megaplex soon could find a home in the Chicago suburb of Burr Ridge, though that project has met strong resistance. Only a week ago, an overflow crowd at a village plan commission meeting protested the idea, raising fears of traffic gridlock and increased crime in the area.
“With 30 screens, we give people the opportunity to shop for a movie,” said Richard Fay, president of film buying and marketing for AMC Entertainment Inc., developer of both projects. “In this movie-going era we’re in, people shouldn’t feel overwhelmed by the thought that we’re going to have 30 screens and 6,000 people flowing into an area like this at one time.
“You’d be surprised at how much more localized movie-going becomes when you have one of these megaplexes.”
In Los Angeles, the multiscreen environment has evolved dramatically since the introduction, in 1986, of the Universal City Walk entertainment complex. Arriving at a time when audiences were beginning to embrace the home-theater concept, Cineplex Odeon’s 18-screen Universal City Cinemas demonstrated that customers would return to a communal environment if they were offered something besides tiny theaters and postage-stamp size screens.
Instead, they found large screens, a high-quality sound system, staggered starting times for hot-ticket films, an airy lobby, a larger selection of concession fare and ample parking. And with trendy shops and restaurants–and, not incidentally, a giant theme park–a short stroll away, patrons also had no difficulty finding ways to kill time before and after a film.
“If you want to talk about the new generation of megaplex, then you have to consider Universal City Cinemas the granddaddy of megaplexes,” said Howard Lichtman, executive vice president of marketing for Cineplex Odeon Corp. “Now, all you’re seeing is the natural evolution of the creature comforts introduced in the ’80s.”
Since 1990, the number of screens nationwide has increased at a rate of about 700 a year. This comes at a time when film production is booming, with more than 450 titles released in 1995.
Kansas City-based AMC has said it intends to raise its Chicago-area profile beyond the Burr Ridge proposal, adding at least three more 30-screen megaplexes and four other multiscreen theaters in unspecified sites in the city and suburbs.
Toronto-based Cineplex Odeon recently announced plans for 14-screen theaters in Gurnee, Addison and in the Scottsdale Shopping Center; a 9-screen complex at 600 N. Michigan Ave.; and an agreement to operate the Imax 3-D Theater at Navy Pier.
“The theory always was that the movie-going experience started when you entered the theater, and you had the era of the grand movie palaces,” said Tim C. Warner, general chairman of the exhibition industry’s National Association of Theater Owners/ShoWest convention. “In the ’60s and ’70s, they started just putting up screens, rather than focus on glamorous lobbies or worrying about the presentation.
“There was a very negative public reaction to the kind of theaters that were being developed. Now, in the last four or five years, the emphasis has been to put the glamor and glitz back into the concept.”
In a theater like the new AMC Promenade 16 in Woodland Hills, Calif., this has meant introducing several innovative features. They include high-back loveseats, with lift-up cupholder armrests; grandstand seating in amphitheater-style auditoriums; wider spaces between rows; advanced digital sound; large, slightly curved screens; advance ticket sales; guest-services booths; and a frequent-moviegoer program.
“It was a real surprise to walk into the theater and see this,” said Thomas Brondum, 44, of nearby West Hills. “I stopped going to mall theaters. If I wanted to see special effects, I would go to a bigger theater, so this is much nicer than I’m used to.”
Both Lichtman and AMC’s Fay emphasized that, when it comes to seating capacity, even the largest of today’s multiplexes don’t come close to meeting the combined total of seats once available in any two of the Loop’s old palaces. When those historic venues were packing them in, movies were practically the only game in town and their bookers often could command exclusive engagements.
Still, when a movie bombed in a 3,500-seat auditorium like the Chicago Theatre or Oriental, it really bombed.
While the number of total screens in a multiplex might seen daunting to local community groups, exhibitors are working hard–and spending promotional dollars–to allay fears about congestion, property values and crime.
Gridlock, they contend, can be avoided by staggering starting times, then providing ample parking and other retail diversions. As multiscreen theaters multiply, it also becomes less likely that groups of young people will converge on a specific theater complex as opponents fear.
When discussing the Burr Ridge proposal, which includes restaurants and retail outlets, Fay said, “It’s not the only mall around or the only theater, it’s a competitive zone.
“We’re not necessarily trying to entice X number of people from a 10-mile radius to come to the theater; we’re trying to get people to come back to the theater.”
“There’s nothing magic about the 25-plex,” said Lichtman. “It’s not appropriate for every city. You have to evaluate every situation: How many other screens are in an area, what are the demographics, what are the conditions of the other screens, seating capacity?
“Why aren’t we putting a 25-plex in Scottsdale, near Ford City, in Chicago? Because, down the road, our competitor GCC (General Cinema Corp.) has a 14-plex and, with both complexes, there will be about 7,000-8,000-seat total. That’s the capacity for the area.”
In Los Angeles, several megaplex projects have helped revitalize struggling neighborhoods and shopping centers.
AMC’s Promenade 16 was built on the site of an earthquake-ravaged department store whose owners decided not to rebuild. Even though 19 other screens can be found within a four-mile radius of the theater, car traffic at the once-sleepy mall was up 160 percent in the first weekend.
In Pasadena and Santa Monica, once-destitute business districts also have sprung to life with the arrival of several multiplex projects.
Another dramatic turnaround was realized when the Magic Johnson Theaters opened here last summer in Crenshaw Plaza, near the epicenter of the 1992 riots. Almost immediately, the 14-screen complex became an entertainment mecca for the largely African-American South-Central community.
“The complex is in the top 10 of Sony theaters nationwide,” said Kenneth Lombard, president of Magic Johnson Theaters, which is affiliated with Sony. “We effectively had a trade zone of 600,000 people with very few quality movie-going options available to them. This was a home run from the beginning.”
Farther south, in Orange County, moviegoers may decide to attend shows at “The Big One”: the Edwards Theatre Circuit’s 21-screen, 6,400-seat megaplex in the Entertainment Center at Irvine Spectrum. It has just added a 6-story IMAX screen to a complex that already featured a 15,000-square-foot lobby, eight concession stands, a 100-foot snack bar and walls holding several TVs, all showing different videos.
Situated around the theater are several well-known Southern California restaurant franchises, a food court, a Barnes & Noble bookstore and other retail shops and kiosks. It also offers valet parking.
“Shopping centers traditionally have been driven by big anchor department stores, but now–since the Wal-Marts have started to compete head-on with the shopping centers–they’re (developers) looking to drive the mall traffic with an entertainment concept,” said Warner.
Lichtman concurred, adding, “Developers have realized that a movie theater draws people, that studios are spending up to $25 million per film to launch them.”
As the number of these megaplexes continues to grow, consumers will be able to chose among them as they do supermarkets.
“Boomers want convenience, variety, no long lines or parking problems, and they want selection,” said Nora E. Dashwood, an AMC vice president in operations. “Our new theaters are addressing that and the response has been phenomenal. It’s like giving people a bigger present than they expect. . . they’re pretty overwhelmed.”
