Sawickipedia

What I Wish Movie Theaters Really Were

First off this isn’t another Google/YouTube v. Cuban fan post.  And I swear this will be the last post about him or his businesses for a while.  However as a fan of Mark since our days of doing business together, I’ve followed his post broadcast.com ventures with interest.  One of the more interesting was Mark’s purchase of the Landmark Theaters movie chain.  Mark likely saw the same opportunities to shake up the old ways in the movie presentation business as he saw with professional basketball.  Mark has also invested in content production both movies and HD content.  One area Mark has been pushing hard on the movie side is that movie companies should be simultaneously releasing movies on DVDs and in theaters as a way to maximize on interest and marketing in a movie.  Mark has also asked for ideas on how to get people into theaters more efficiently - despite some time in the media business I didn’t have a great answer (or I likely would have started my own company if I did have it).

After attending a showing of Music and Lyrics at a local Landmark Theater in Seattle (Metro) - I came to the conclusion that the theater business has really missed something.  Films are clearly one area of our culture that we share in common and like to talk about - look at the incredible rise in Flixster from nothing to millions of users over the last year.  Like books - people like to talk, debate and share their movie experiences.  And going to the movies is definitely one of those experiences.  That is why even as home theaters have grown in their sophistication - people still and will always go to the theaters - there is something special about watching a film with hundreds of other fans.

Looking at a similar business - what was one of the reasons that Barnes and Noble took over the book retail business?  They latched onto the experience of browsing, sharing and reading books.  They but into cafes, couches, expert staff and community areas and wouldn’t you know people started wanting to go to the book store to spend a lot of time and the more time they spent the more books they bought.  You could find other book lovers at Barnes and Noble, you could talk about books, you could share your passions.  And even better once that concept took off Barnes and Noble had something all companies want - viral marketing.  Even today - I think to go to Barnes and Noble before the library for a lot of the reasons listed above.

And this is where theaters and especially Landmark completely drop the ball.  Landmark is unique in that it is a chain of historical theaters that were built before the rash of the big box cineplexes in the 80 and 90’s.  Every theater is unique and offers its own experience.  (Ed. note: Landmark isn’t alone - their are even independents like Paul Allen’s massive one-screen Cinerama here in Seattle the absolutely best place to see summer blockbuster movies with perhaps the largest screen in the U.S. and seating capacity - a few thousand seats).  But as a sat in the lobby of that Landmark Theater looking at a half-ass cafe and a few scattered tables and more importantly a TON of empty, under-utilized space it hit me. 

Why aren’t theaters as natural a place to go to talk about and socialize over movies?  Why isn’t there a cafe (a real cafe or coffee shop not the excuse for one at the Metro)?  Why aren’t there tables so a friend and I can chat about the movie we saw last week or want to see tonight?  Why isn’t there a DVD store?  A movie memorabilia store (seriously movie posters would be a natural)?  Why aren’t there small group movie areas where I can meet with some other buffs and watch and critique a film real time? 

Why do I have to just go to this theater once a year when they just happen to show a movie I want to see - why isn’t there a reason for me to just drop in when I have some time to kill?  Imagine a theater that invited you back for all the ancillary reasons that you like about movies?  Now that would be a great business.  Here’s where Landmark can excel - it’s theaters aren’t cookie cutter.  They are inviting, they are in cultural centers in cities, they show interesting films, but they could be so much more. 

Someone is going to likely put two and two together - movies are social and the places that show them are destinations.  Figuring out how to put the together seems as natural as chocolate and peanut butter.