Entertainment : Reminiscing 25 Years at the Palace

By Marcy Horst

"Sonic 3," rated PG and running 109 minutes, was confirmed on last week's booking sheet to open this Friday, January 24, and will play in our regular schedule on Friday and Saturday at 2 pm and 7 pm, and Sunday at 7 pm. The event will be for sale at www.vintonpalace.org Tuesday morning. Unless it changes Monday night.

THE MOVIE BUSINESS IN 2024

Why can't you purchase your tickets sooner if we know a movie has been confirmed? Because so often in today's film business, many previously agreed upon bookings change after the weekend run. Decisions to let the schedule stand, or not, are based solely on economics - algorithms and percentages, our totals versus the national numbers - and the will of the film studio.

I work with a booker, Frank Rash, the son of Frank, who you may recall was our original booker beginning in 1999. Frank has a wealth of experience in the film industry, working as a VP of strategic development and marketing for AMC Theatres for 14 years, Dineplex International, and Playport Gaming before taking the helm at Theatre Booking Services (TBS), the company his father began in 1975.

A note about my favorite Frank attribute. Indeed, both Franks have distinguished themselves to me on the phone by their gentle, calming voices. Phone calls only happen for serious movie business decisions and problem solving. Most of our communication takes place via email or text messages. When Frank speaks to you on the phone you know all will be well.

Frank spends his Mondays negotiating booking deals for independent Midwest theatres like ours. Often well into the evening. Abby and I wait impatiently. Sometimes she can't wait and texts me: No schedule yet? Nope. Sigh. I finally receive that comprehensive 4-page booking sheet in my email at 4 pm if we're lucky, 7 pm, or even 10 pm. Occasionally, it finally arrives (phew) on Tuesday morning.

And then we scramble. I immediately forward the email to Abby, Charley, and Gerald. I create and load the event on the website, and change the answering machine. Abby creates and schedules all the social media advertising for the movie. Gerald changes the film graphic on the website. And Charley programs the marquee.

Over the next 24 - 48 hours I receive two sets of emails - a notification that the film has arrived on our Deluxe storage array (a series of eight hard drives connected together), and multiple emails with keys (dated permission to play the movie) that I forward to Charley, who then ingests the movie (copies it from the Deluxe to the server) and builds the playlist of digital packages, including trailers and the feature.

Sometimes the studio forgets to send the keys. Or they send the wrong kind of key. Or they send them but don't enter the action into the system. But Frank is always on it. He checks the system regularly. He'll text me: Sorry to bother Marcy, but have you received your keys?

Charley may have to cut his lunch a bit short, but the movie is always ready to go by 2 pm on Friday.

Incidentally, it's the type of key provided that allows our assisted visual and audio devices to work. Some small studios do not yet have the capability to provide that assistance, but please inquire at the box office if you'd like to try a closed caption device or headset.

During the week Frank reads the trades, studies the numbers, and watches films. He knows this business. And he loves to debate and discuss decisions with me. He offers choices, explains the studio point of view, and is generous with his knowledge and expert opinion. Often the answer is, as was the case with "Mufasa," "Sorry, Marcy, you guys are trending higher than the national average. Disney won't let you off the hook. You'll have to take it another week."

He did, however, negotiate with Disney to let us have "Wicked" (a Universal picture) as planned, if we agreed to an encore of "Mufasa" after that run.

All this is to explain that while we may certainly ask for a particular film, we do not always get what we want. And don't know for sure until Monday night (or Tuesday morning) what we'll be playing on Friday.

As a result, it is no longer possible for us to create monthly calendars and newspaper ads with any degree of accuracy. Instead, Abby socializes our projected films for the month on Facebook and Instagram. Abby is also in charge of our Text Club. If you have a cell phone and have not yet joined our Text Club, I greatly encourage you to do so. Abby sends out a THIS WEEKEND text on Tuesday morning. This brief text contains the name of the movie, a link to the trailer, and a link to buy tickets. She also schedules a NOW SHOWING reminder on Friday morning. You will also receive texts regarding our Wednesday Night Special Showings and our 25th Anniversary Flashback Special Showings.

Our Text Club is the best way to stay up-to-date on our movie schedule. It's easy to join!

text: movietext

to: 844-947-6017

After you send that text, you'll start receiving the twice-weekly notifications. If you have trouble signing up, ask your grandkids or neighbor kids for help. Or bring your phone to the box office and we'll happily do it for you.

Thanks for your many 25th Anniversary Light Up the Palace donations and notes of encouragement and memories. We love hearing from you! It's not too late to join the campaign and help us reach our final goal. Donations may be made online at www.vintonpalace.org, or checks written to ACT I/Palace Theatre, 210 W 4th St, Vinton.

As always, the best way to support the Palace is to come to the movies! It's been fantastic to see so many of you throughout the holiday season, and we expect our busy trend to continue with "The Complete Unknown," "Brave the Dark," "Captain America: Brave New World," and "Dog Man."

See you at the movies!