Comments on: Reaching a Bigger Audience

By: Larry Elie

Larry Elie — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 17:18:14 +0000

Yeah, our pricing is better in the US. I’m at the other end of the chain; our theater is free… even concessions. It’s a ministry; how many times do you recall having to pay to be ministered too? No, it’s not a tiny screen either; it’s a 24′ wide screen in the fall, winter and spring, and a bitter 27′ wide screen in the summer, when we have a full free outdoor drive-in, complete with stereo transmitter. Check out the web-site. A few are under CVLI licence, but not that many. The problem is that while the movies show free, we still pay to get them. Some, like Big-Idea are very nice, just $25 for public performance. Others are $3 per person, and we don’t collect the money; we just pay it…. Funny thing is, I’ve talked to a VP at Fox, and I pay MORE per person for some films AFTER they are out on DVD (Amazing Grace for example) to Swank for the rental to stay legal than many of the real theaters had to when it was still in broad release! I wish I could show more features a week or two before the DVD was in general release, the way I can for any new Veggie-Tale, because than both I get a good audience, and they WILL sell more DVDs when it hits the market as well; the kids see to that!
I don’t want to make it sound negative; I think there is a real place and a business case for both DVD’s and theaters, and not just the ‘tier-1′ and ‘tier-2′ theaters!

By: Leslie I T Assih

Leslie I T Assih — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 08:59:40 +0000

Compared to the US we pay about $16.00 per cinema ticket here in London. The cheapest we have in London is about $8.00 per ticket (but you will hate the atmosphere). You guys in America have it good. London, UK is expensive but there are ways around it. Plus you guys have better viewing quality than we have here in the UK. Your theatres are twice as big as ours but I don’t know about the viewing experience. There are some cinemas you go to especially the pricey ones and you know that you will enjoy it as there won’t be any nuts in the cinemas - but you will pay from $19.00 up to $41.00!!! I would be aiming to surprise my wife soon with the expensive type cinema experience because she likes those type of things once in a while. At the moment we have not had any theatrical release of Christian movies since The Passion so we are praying that will change soon.

By: Leslie I T Assih

Leslie I T Assih — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 08:42:35 +0000

Compared to the US we pay about $16.00 per cinema ticket here in London. The cheapest we have in London is about $14.00 per ticket. You guys in America have it good. London, UK is expensive but there are ways around it.

By: Angela Walker

Angela Walker — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 00:56:32 +0000

Actually movie tickets here in California are upwards of $9.50. I was shocked to find the average movie ticket on BoxOfficeMojo listed at $6.78. I’d like to find that place!

By: David Mackey

David Mackey — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 00:42:04 +0000

I agree that this might be a better path for some Christian films. I only go to the theaters on rare occasions - it is far too expensive. Also, $7 is what you pay for movie tickets? Thats an amazing price. In NY, where I grew up we pay $10/ticket, and the same is true where I live now (outside Philadelphia).

By: Angela Walker

Angela Walker — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 01:59:54 +0000

Thanks for the corrections, Peter. Giants did have a far greater return on their budget spend; that’s why it sticks out in my mind. But there were others with more box office, as you mentioned.

By: Peter T Chattaway

Peter T Chattaway — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 01:55:36 +0000

FWIW, the top-earning evangelical movie of all time is Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie, which grossed $25.6 million in 2002. Facing the Giants is #5, behind One Night with the King (2006, $13.4 million), The Omega Code (1999, $12.6 million) and End of the Spear (2006, $12 million). What makes Facing the Giants so impressive is that it had an infinitely lower budget than any of those other films.