Marcus Theatres on the Attack

I have been looking forward to the release of Terry Gilliam's latest film, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus since I heard that shooting had started. It opens tomorrow at Sundance and Eastgate. Well, Eastgate's website says it will, anyway - the new Isthmus doesn't list it. Also opening tomorrow out at Point is 3 Idiots, a Bollywood offering from last year. And when I say "opening", I mean it. The film is actually going to make a run of at least a week at Point instead of a lone Market Square screening. Marcus Theatres, the owner of Eastgate and Point, is doing a fair job at trying to capture the Sundance crowd and is also doing some counterprogramming.

For a week or two now, Sundance has not shown anything that hasn't also been playing at a Marcus megaplex. This trend looks to continue next week. In addition, Point has been showing the likes of concerts and (ugh!) Glenn Beck tirades. For example, on the 27th of this month, you can head down there to see The Metropolitan Opera perform Richard Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier. This kind of "alternative content" is a growing market for cinemas.

Nancy, if you're reading this, then know that I'm not trying to be critical of your employer. Instead I hope that Sundance tries to pull a little counter-programming move of its own. The prices of tickets and concessions are not going to come down so more theatres showing the same films doesn't benefit the viewer a whole heckuva lot. Instead they'll do good by us when more cinemas means a greater variety of films to watch. Hopefully that invisible hand will stir things up.