Do not go to AMC 20 in Fullerton CA for LOTR

Jon Paul · 12-21-2003, 04:14 AM

Below is a copy of a letter that I just sent to New Line Cinema. I'll also be phoning or mailing AMC Theaters...

[rant]Kudos on The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King. It was magnificent. It would have been nice to read the credits and listen to the end titles music. The AMC 20 in Fullerton, CA stopped the movie tonight right after the first end credit appeared (Directed by Peter Jackson). They then turned on the in-between movie advertising loop and turned up the lights. It was 11:53 PM Saturday 12/20/03... this was for an 8:30 showtime. Upon questioning the manager, who was cleaning up the concession stand, he said it must have been an accident... hard to believe since the movie was stopped, the ads turned on and then lights brought up. To add to this, the water had been shut off in the men's room and the paper towels had been removed (I could tell because they had been there when I used the restroom prior to the movie starting).

I'd like to encourage you to review your relationship with that theater and take whatever action you find appropriate. I will no longer see movies at that theater.[/rant]

Vickie_M · 12-21-2003, 04:24 AM

Ah yes, the "running the business for the benefit of the employees" syndrome. The manager/employees want to be out of there early, so they do whatever they can to herd people out. I've come across that often at restaurants and laundrymats too. I leave at closing time bub, not before.

If I'd been there I would have said I wouldn't leave until I saw the whole movie (which I consider the credits a part of) or if told that was impossible, I would have demanded a free pass to another showing so I could see the whole thing. I'm very stubborn about this kind of thing. Employees work for the customers.

Jason Whyte · 12-21-2003, 04:39 AM

Quote:

hard to believe since the movie was stopped, the ads turned on and then lights brought up

That could have been a mistimed automation cue that caused the projector and sound to shut off at the "lights up" cue rather than at the tail of the credits. I've seen this happen a few times before.

Jason

Kami · 12-21-2003, 11:19 AM

They're always anxious to get in and clean up. Nine times out of ten I am the last one in a theater because I always watch the credits if I enjoyed the movie...can't count the number of dirty looks I've gotten from theater staff who wait outside for everyone to leave. They must have a name for people like us by now...

David Norman · 12-21-2003, 02:11 PM

That could have been a mistimed automation cue that caused the projector and sound to shut off at the "lights up" cue rather than at the tail of the credits. I've seen this happen a few times before.

Jason

================================================== ======

Exactly that happened to me at the FOTR 2 years ago and it was middle of a Saturday afternoon. Frodo and Sam start going down the mountain and ....... no credits, no music, nothing except the lights and ads.

A very confused crowd sat around wondering if this was the end or if the equipment broke. Usually a pretty good manager went and checked it out as several groups hung around to see if we'd missed much. The manager thought it was a glitch in the automated end of movie sequence, apologized and offered the groups a discounted movie pass which was nice. I usually sit through the credits completely and wondered if it was just a cool way to end the movie getting ready for TTT.

I really wish the cleaning crews would just stay out of the theaters completely until the lights come up, but I've yet to find a local theater that does so -- noise, loud talking across to the other crew, they'll usually just walk in front of me with the sweepers like I'm not there despite some dirty looks and eye rolls from me -- rarely I've had a couple slink away and mumble an apology and even rarer will they avoid the couple rows in front of me until I leave.

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Robert Anthony · 12-21-2003, 02:17 PM

I used to work at the dirt theater (Keizer Cinemas) in Salem, Oregon, before Regal sold it. It's a car lot now. But we had snowblowers to clean the theaters, and we wouldn't have dared go in while someone was watching the credits and kick those babies on. We may have been snotnosed impatient selfish punks (and we were--we DID have names for the SOLE viewer of the 9:55 showing of EVITA, who stayed for every last INCH of credits) but that was just too much. Even if it was just a sweep and dustpan type thing, we just waited outside the doors until the last person left.

Which was fine with us, because the video games in the lobby were calling. Who can argue with getting paid for playing Mortal Kombat II?

Lewis Besze · 12-21-2003, 03:29 PM

Jon,
Ontario Mills have Edwards and AMC side by side[52 screens],and they were pretty good when I frequented them,at the time I lived in Corona.[00-02]Was there a real reason to drive to Fullerton?

Chad R · 12-21-2003, 04:16 PM

I wouldn't have cared personally. I have a little compassion for people that have worked very long hours on a very busy weekend (judging by LOTR's boxx office receipts) who want to get home and relax. I think I could sacrifice the end credits for their benefit. If this was the worst thing in my life I had to worry about, I'd feel pretty blessed.

Jesse Skeen · 12-21-2003, 06:55 PM

It's more trouble to stop a movie for the sake of saving time than it is to let it run through- somehow the end credits still have to be wound back onto the take-up platter (unless of course someone just cut them off completely!) It's good to let the studio know about any problem like that though- whether it was intentional or not, it's a breach of contract to omit ANY part of the movie. Funny that the pre-show crap came back on afterwards though- I always turned that off after the last show of the night started so when the last shows did end you were greeted with silence. I've never seen a theatre where the staff had to clean up after the final show BTW- they have janitors who come in the middle of the night and do a thorough cleaning.
If they do start cleaning up during the credits, just dump their trash can onto the floor on the way out and say "THAT'S for not waiting til the end!"

Aaron Garman · 12-21-2003, 07:18 PM

This is definitely a misplaced cue. We've had it happen, but when it does we don't just say "it's an accident", we FIX IT. It's a very simple problem to fix actually, just takes a couple minutes. Nevertheless, it sounds like management didn't really care. Kudos for sending that letter.

AJG

Henry Gale · 12-21-2003, 11:35 PM

Quote:

If I'd been there....I would have demanded a free pass to another showing so I could see the whole thing.

Been there and done that. I don't "demand" however. Just calmly explain the facts and wait for them to think of the obvious, "Give this person a pass and he'll go away."
And then I smile and thank them.
Try to keep the blood pressure down so you'll live through the really ugly situations, the talkers, the crying babies, the cellophane crinklers etc.