GUEST EDITORIAL: How a Movie Theatre Operates

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How a Movie Theatre Operates

by Kevin Gardner

With all of the easy-to-access streaming services that have popped up on our tv screens and computer screens in the last five years, it seems as though many have forgotten about movie theatres. However, there is still so much fun to be had at these spaces. Think about how much fun it was to wait in line at midnight for a movie premiere of your favorite series, or to sit in front of the gigantic screen with your box of popcorn anticipating the start of that film you have been so looking forward to seeing! There is nothing quite like the combination of buttered popcorn, a sugary soda, a cozy seat, and a good movie. It can be difficult to justify getting out of your comfortable home to see a movie in person, but it is so worth it. In fact, learning some information about how movie theatres work might get you even more excited to go spend time at one! In case you have ever wondered what it is like behind the scenes, then here is some information on how a movie theatre works!

History

Essentially, you can trace the beginnings of movie theatres to when movies began altogether. Motion pictures, as they were called back then and sometimes still are called now, began to gain popularity around the late 1800s. As they gained steam, old theatres that were also used for plays, ballets and other in person productions began to be converted into places where the public could pay to come and enjoy motion pictures in person. This new fangled technology caught fire and has not slowed down in popularity since. 

As time went on, more and more movie studios began to be formed, allowing artists to create, direct, act in and distribute their creations and stories nationwide using this technology inside of these theatres. In the 1940s, it became so popular that antitrust laws had to be established to break up the monopoly certain studios had on the movie theatres. Thus, the new era of movie theatres began. In order to draw in more customers, owners started buying up restaurant equipment in order to make snacks and drinks for movie goers. As technology evolved, so did movie theatre capabilities. Color pictures started showing, more and more studios began to come up in the industry and more stories were able to be told to a wider variety of audiences. This all culminated to where we are today, with at least one movie theatre in each town that offers snacks, drinks, and a fun experience for anyone.

The Basics

Nowadays, cinemas have to do certain things in order to get the hottest upcoming movie releases from the movie studios on their screens. Many people complain about the high cost of movie tickets, but this is primarily because of how movie studios set up their deals with the cinemas. Legally, the theatres are built around the concept that when a movie is released to the market, the theatres have a right to allow the public to see these films. 

The cinemas do not actually purchase the movies from the studio to own. Instead, they strike up a sort of licensing deal with those studios where the theatre is legally allowed to play the movies to the public so long as a portion of the ticket sale profits go back to the studios that made the movie. There is no set rate per movie or studio. In fact, the rate changes based on the projected ticket sales. if a big, upcoming movie with popular actors or a popular story is coming out, the theatre may have to even give the studio a majority of the ticket sales! This is why movie tickets can be kind of expensive.

The Technology

The way that the theatres show the actual movies is quite interesting. The big white movie screen is made of white vinyl, which is what the projector machine projects the movie film onto! This fascinating process has to be overseen by an employee just in case some part of the tech messes up. Overall, there is a lot of work that goes into getting your favorite movies up onto the screen for you to enjoy.