The Cinemas Now Hiring Out Their Screens To Gamers (bbc.com) 20
Some movie theaters around the world are renting out their screens to gamers to bring in a new revenue stream amid the coronavirus pandemic. The BBC reports: With many cinemas across the country closed due to coronavirus restrictions meaning that they can only open with 50% capacity, and far fewer movies being released to tempt cinemagoers, CGV [South Korea's largest cinema chain] came up with the idea of renting out its auditoriums to gamers to bring in a new revenue stream. Before 6pm up to four people can hire a screen for two hours for around $90. This then rises to $135 in the evening. Users have to bring their consoles, games and controllers with them. The auditoriums being hired out have between 100 and 200 seats, and by comparison CGV movie tickets cost around $12 each. So a 100-seat screen half filled for a film would bring in revenues of $600, rising to $1,200 for a 200-seat one at 50% capacity. And that is before the filmgoers buy their drinks and popcorn.
Yet while CGV isn't making anywhere as much money from the gamers, it is bringing in some additional income. The scheme is called Azit-X after "azit," the Korean word for hideout. Since the new service launched at the start of this year, auditoriums have been booked more than 130 times so far. While the majority of customers are said to be men in their 30s or 40s, couples and families have also taken part.
Korea's CGV is not the only cinema chain now letting gamers book cinema screens, as U.S. group Malco Theatres has been doing the same since November. Memphis-based Malco allows up to 20 people to hire a screen at its 36 cinemas across Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee. The prices for service, which is called Malco Select, are $100 for two hours or $150 for three. Other U.S. chains, such as AMC and Cinemark, have been allowing customers in small groups to book auditoriums for private screenings.
Yet while CGV isn't making anywhere as much money from the gamers, it is bringing in some additional income. The scheme is called Azit-X after "azit," the Korean word for hideout. Since the new service launched at the start of this year, auditoriums have been booked more than 130 times so far. While the majority of customers are said to be men in their 30s or 40s, couples and families have also taken part.
Korea's CGV is not the only cinema chain now letting gamers book cinema screens, as U.S. group Malco Theatres has been doing the same since November. Memphis-based Malco allows up to 20 people to hire a screen at its 36 cinemas across Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee. The prices for service, which is called Malco Select, are $100 for two hours or $150 for three. Other U.S. chains, such as AMC and Cinemark, have been allowing customers in small groups to book auditoriums for private screenings.
can you hire them to show dupes? (Score:5, Insightful)
I'd like to hire a movie theater to show duplicate news articles.
Re:can you hire them to show dupes? (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:3)
Ticket prices mostly go to the studios (Score:4, Informative)
by comparison CGV movie tickets cost around $12
And for first run films at least $11 of that goes straight to the studio that produced the movie. That's why popcorn and drinks cost so much; the cinema makes all its profit there, not from your ticket.
Re: (Score:1)
And for first run films at least $11 of that goes straight to the studio that produced the movie. That's why popcorn and drinks cost so much; the cinema makes all its profit there, not from your ticket.
and also movie merch...
Should have been done when TV's were small... (Score:2)
... then the attraction value would be sky high.
But today, when you can get 75" TV's for as little as 600-1000$ the attraction of a cinema game for rent diminishes quite fast. 86" are getting cheaper than 2000$ now, and soon you'll have 98" TV's cheap too. Projectors are fun, but noisy and often require total darkness in order to get proper black-levels, even the best of them, so they aren't so relevant in this anymore.
Besides - the biggest appeal that cinema had (at least for me), was all the people laughi
Re: Should have been done when TV's were small... (Score:1)
Haven't you always wanted to know... (Score:2)
Haven't you always wanted to know what Minesweeper would look like on the big screen?
Re: Haven't you always wanted to know... (Score:2)
with pixels the size of your fist
Not just a new thing (Score:2)
Starwars night! (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Could you not just hire it out and throw a Starwars DVD on??
Cool idea, but I'm thinking movie theaters know a thing or two about licensing and broadcast rights, which could become an issue.
Re: (Score:3)
A limited audience showing a studio only cares if the check clears. 65% of 100 tickets sold minus some projection fees.
The producer not the theater building owner is responsible for paying the writer of a musical. The billboard owner is not responsible for the clearing the rights of the artwork, the ad agency's job.
Re: (Score:2)
Education (Score:1)
bbc vs singawinata go (Score:1)