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Topic: Westwood booking pattern shifting?
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Brad Erickson
Member
Posts: 117
From: West Hollywood, CA
Registered: May 2006
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posted April 10, 2007 03:59 PM
I went to see Music & Lyrics at the National on the opening Saturday afternoon. The theatre was almost empty. It is sad seeing it that way. MANN has no intentions on refurbishing it and my guess it will close sooner than later. I think that the arrival of the Arclight and Grove really hit those theatres hard. Not so long ago(2003) I went to see The Italian Job opening Saturday and the theatre was packed. Cut to 2007 and it is a grave yard. Funny what a few years will do.
I think Are We Done Yet was pulled because Paramount probably wanted Shooter to stay in theatres, and wanted a move-over to the National.
With the arrival of the Landmark 12 in June, I think Westwood Village will continue to dwindle. Pretty Much the Village and Bruin are safe. They make enough money from premieres and 'event' films. Films seem to move in and out very quickly. When I worked at the Village back in 1981 we had films forever.
My guess is the National will go eventually. But I think perhaps the Avco will go in the near future; Wilshire Blvd. property is a hot commodity. I feel bad for the Crest, The Landmark 12 will hit him hardest. Since the Crest is a indie theatre, Landmark will take bookings away from that theatre. Mann has WB, Paramount, Some Sony, Newline and Fox to keep bookings steady for them,
I don't think it is time to call it a day for Westwood though, it will resurge some day.
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Mark Campbell
Member
Posts: 437
From: Seattle, WA
Registered: Oct 2004
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posted April 11, 2007 07:05 PM
My guess is the Nuart will keep its pattern booking indie and restored films for one week only and then if they have enough box-office, move them to the Landmark 12.
Regarding the Landmark 12's impact on Westwood theatres: Landmark will probably book art and foreign fare only because they are too close to the AMC Century City 15 which books mainsteam and they cannot play day and date with them (I think). They can (I think) play day and date with Westwood, but since the AMC Century 15 will have all the mainstream films in Landmark's zone, Westwood should be able to keep most of it's mainstream bookings.
However, I think Landmark might try to steal away from AMC some of the more edgier/serious films from the majors studios. Think "Babel", "The Departed", "Children of Men" and "Pan's Labyrinth", all of which opened at the Century 15 this last winter. All of those would be at home at a Landmark Theatre.
That's what I think, but what do I know...
TRYING TO BE POSITIVE: Of course Music and Lyrics left the National mostly empty opening weekend, it's another Hugh Grant + younger-cute-American-star-that-Hugh-Grant-has-not-been-in-a-movie-yet-with film!!! But thank you, Brad, for your support or my favorite Westwood theatre!
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Brad Erickson
Member
Posts: 117
From: West Hollywood, CA
Registered: May 2006
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posted April 12, 2007 08:59 AM
I love the National. It is a theatre I grew up going to. Back when I was a teenager I used to take the bus to Westwood every Saturday to see a film. Films I saw at the National in the mid-late 70's - 1980 include The Bad News Bears, Fun with Dick and Jane, Islands in the Stream, FM, Heaven Can Wait, Superman, The Main Event, Star Trek The Motion Picture, Jaws (a filler in 1976 around the Oscar period), The Big Bus, The Front, The Nude Bomb, Urban Cowboy (to name a few).
In late 1980 through 1982 I worked at the Village. Back then the National and the Village were the "It" theatres. Studios fought to get bookings at those theatres. Usually Paramount won out for the National and Warner for the Village. During the Summer of 1981 Raiders of the Lost Ark played at the National while we had Superman II at the Village. It was a fun time to work there and in Westwood.
I'm hoping something keeps the National open. It needs some Tender Loving Care. A paint job, new seats, curtains and a nice scrub down is all it needs. If Mann put a little $$$ in it they could still make $$$ with it. A nice clean theatre would invite more premieres and would supplement the costs of running it. Both the Village and the Bruin make money from the premieres to make up for the lull's in the box office.
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Michael Coate
Member
Posts: 56
From: Los Angeles, CA
Registered: Feb 2004
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posted April 13, 2007 01:48 AM
quote:
During the Summer of 1981 Raiders of the Lost Ark played at the National while we had Superman II at the Village. It was a fun time to work there and in Westwood.
"Raiders" played at the National for 16 weeks, making it one of the longest-running bookings in the theatre's history. (I'd have to check some references and do some number-crunching, but I think only "The Exorcist" and perhaps one or two others played longer than the 16 of "Raiders.")
So popular was "Raiders" that it actually played three separate engagements at the National!
Eng. #1: 06/12/81-10/01/81
Eng. #2: Nov. '81
Eng. #3: Sep. '83
As for Westwood, "Raiders" also played at the Avco during summer '82 and the Bruin in Spring '83. (Both "Raiders" follow-ups also played their first-runs at the National.)
For more, see:
http://www.fromscripttodvd.com/70mm_in_los_angeles_1981.htm
As for the main thread topic and Westwood's current booking patterns, I wonder if anyone observed what I did regarding Disney's "Meet The Robinsons." Assuming the "Disney Digital 3-D" thing is the showcase version of the movie, anyone notice that Westwood (and Century City) are NOT playing the movie in that presentation? Not a big deal, really, since there are numerous 3-D bookings throughout Southern California, but the observation is that if this were the 1970s or '80s or even the '90s, you could bet that Westwood or Century City would've run the "best" version of the movie...and quite possibly as an area exclusive.
Westwood Village used to be my favorite place to see movies. It's really depressing to see how downhill it has gone. I feel little excitement to go there anymore.
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