By Patrick Donges
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wamc/local-wamc-977668.mp3
Pittsfield, MA – In an article published earlier this week in the Berkshire Eagle, Richard Stanley, owner of Pittsfield's Beacon Cinema, came under fire from community critics for what they described as the six-screen theater's deficit of, "adult- oriented, artistic, (and) independent," films.
The Beacon opened in November 2009 after a six year long renovation that included $3 million in funding from the City of Pittsfield, $12 million in tax credits, and financing from five local financial institutions.
In an interview this week, Stanley, who is also the co-founder and owner of the four-screen Triplex Cinema in Great Barrington, which is known in the region for showing independent and art-house films, responded to the critics.
"These are two distinct markets. You need to understand your market and give the vast majority of your market what they want. We're doing the best we can to fill the needs of the vast majority of people both in the Pittsfield market and the Great Barrington market."
Stanley said it was important for theatergoers to understand how the film industry works for smaller, independently operated theaters. Cinemas must commit to screen a film for a certain length of time, usually measured in weeks, before studios allow them to schedule screenings.
For smaller theaters, like the Beacon and Triplex, it's difficult to commit to screening a film that may not stay popular for the length of the run, as Stanley explains.
"In order to make the economic work, so that we can pay our bills, we have to maximize the income for every one of those only six theaters."
He gave an example of how this works for a small theater, citing a programming decision at the Triplex in the 1990s not to show a film that went on to become one of the highest grossing of all time.
"When 'Titanic' came out, we decided not to take it at the Triplex because it was going to be a ten week run. However if you have a 14 or a 20-plex it really doesn't matter. You just move it down to your smaller auditoriums and you've got room for new stuff coming in."
While Stanley said business at both theaters is still good despite the financial realities of both the film industry and the effect of the recession on consumer spending, Matt Heuer, general manager and part-owner of the Lyceum Cinemas in Red Hook, one of a chain of three independently owned cinemas operating in the Hudson Valley, said he's seen an overall dip in ticket sales.
"I think there has been a slight decrease in business over the last five (or) six years. The price increases especially with the 3D may have offset that, so you may not see that when you see total box office numbers for the year. But I would suspect that total patronage is probably slightly down if you looked at an overall trend."
Heuer said while he doesn't usually hear complaints about the types of films the theater shows, he understood how difficult it can be to please everyone given the economics of the industry. Just a few miles away from the Lyceum is Upstate Films, a dedicated art-house theater.
"They'll get the art films before we can. We can't get whatever we want from the film studios, particularly as an independent owner. They only make a certain number of prints because it's fairly expensive, it can run up to $2,500 to produce a 35'' film and ship it out. They don't like to play them two miles away when they're that expensive to make and ship."
In Pittsfield, the Berkshire Museum operates the Little Cinema, which shows foreign, art-house and documentaries only blocks away from the Beacon.
Karie Bible, a box office analyst with theater consultants Exhibitor Relations Co. in Los Angeles, concurs that the industry is geared towards large scale, blockbuster releases.
"Even in Los Angeles there was a multiplex out here that was supposed to be dedicated solely to art-house, and now at least 50 percent of what they show is 'Harry Potter' and 'Transformers'."
"I was kind of upset about that, but I understand their dilemma. They have to put butts in seats, they have to sell popcorn; they have to make money, and they know for a fact those films can do that."