Julian Schnabel, Best Director for “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.”
Cate Blanchett, Best Supporting Actress for “I’m Not There.”
Daniel Day-Lewis, Best Actor, Drama, for “There Will Be Blood.”
What do these movies have in common, aside from winning a Golden Globe last month and their good odds at also landing an Oscar? Aside from the latter, which finally did open locally last week, they did not grace a silver screen in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
NEPA encompasses several counties and not-so-small cities, including Scranton, the sixth most populous city in the state. Twice a year, tens of thousands of NASCAR fans descend upon Long Pond, and we don’t need to remind anyone how often Hazleton has been in the news the past few years. And, as shown by the 2004 election, NEPA is a major stumping ground for presidential hopefuls, so one might think that getting and showing first-run independent/art house/specialized films would be easy.
Not so, though, unless those films are showcased as part of a film festival, like those held every spring and summer at the Dietrich Theater in Tunkhannock or through a yearly film series, like the F.M. Kirby Center’s W. Curtis Montz Film Series, which kicks off next month.
“When I play an art film during [the] festival, I have great numbers. When I play outside of [the] festival, I don’t have any numbers or all,” said Hildy Morgan, executive director of the Dietrich Theater. “It’s a little frustrating.”
The Dietrich’s fall 2007 festival saw an estimated 6,000-7,000 moviegoers, but when “Atonement” and “Juno,” both up for a Best Picture Oscar, or the buzz-worthy “Waitress,” were shown as standalone pictures, Morgan found the numbers disappointing, especially because she found each film incredible.
“I know the people are there because they come to [the] festival … so why I can’t get 500 of them to come when I play it during the week drives me crazy,” she said.
This spring, the Dietrich will break ground for an expansion project that will take the theater from two screens to four. Morgan hopes that once construction is complete, she’ll be able to increase the number of indie films she shows — and the audiences for them — by dedicating one of the smaller theaters to those films.
This is, of course, not to say these films won’t eventually play at bigger theaters like Wilkes-Barre Movies 14 and Marquee Cinemas in Scranton, Endless Mountains Scranton in Dickson City and Cinemark in Moosic. Representatives for Endless Mountains and Cinemark did not return calls seeking comment.
“Juno,” the story of an unconventional teenager who gets pregnant, has taken off with audiences since opening late last year and is still playing in NEPA after an early January opening.
“The art film needs word of mouth — [‘Juno’] has been a phenomenon,” said Scott Cohen, president and CEO of R/C Theaters, which includes WB14. “It’s been doing very well in bigger markets like Wilkes-Barre, but in my small college towns, it’s floundering.”
Jeffrey Jacobs, the film buyer for the Dietrich Theater, attested to that after bringing in two of the highest grossing films from the art house market place, “Juno” and “Atonement.”
“They did half the business of any Hollywood star vehicle or action picture,” Jacobs said. “So I assume it’s just the interest of the audience and the size of the audience.”
Buying in the business
Jacobs, president of Jacobs Entertainment Inc., a film buying and marketing firm, has been involved in the movie industry since college, when he received an M.F.A. from UCLA’s School of Film and Television. He worked as a production editor and manager before moving to the “business side of the business”: films’ exhibition and distribution.
The Dietrich and all theaters have a film buyer, or several, depending on their size.
“These are the people who interface with distributors to set the deals and choose the pictures that will play on each individual screen across the country on a weekly basis,” explained Jacobs, whose clientele is independent theaters.
Each week, he and Morgan decide what movies they want to bring in according to trade papers and studio release dates.
“When you bring in a new film, you are under obligation to keep it four weeks so we have to make sure it’s going to be really, really good,” Morgan said, explaining that is the standard for all theaters, regardless of size and available screens. “That’s fine for big theaters because they can tuck it in the back, but if you’ve only got two [screens], you are so screwed.”
Once movies are decided upon, Jacobs will contact the distributors, who will tell him if the chosen movies will open widely enough to play in a town the size of Tunkhannock.
“Sometimes they don’t go out quite as wide, and they might not want to play a market any smaller than a suburban Philadelphia or a Scranton,” Jacobs said.
He will handle the certain rental deals with the distribution companies where a sum is paid for the length of the film’s engagement, as well as a total of the box office.
It wasn’t so long ago that it would take a year or longer for a film to be released on video or DVD. But these days, it’s possible to see a movie in the theater and from your couch within a year — or less. That factor also contributes to the four-week theater standard.
“The gross plays a big deal. If it’s still grossing, it’ll play longer,” said Jacobs. “If it’s a complete flop nationally, it can go shorter. Of course, theater owners do their best to either challenge that if the gross is warranted or extended.”
Festival of films
The Dietrich Theater’s spring film festival will be held in April and will showcase older indie films or films on the cusp of going to DVD.
“We don’t have high enough numbers to bring in newer art films,” Morgan said. “So by the time they get to the Dietrich, if you are an art film lover, you’ve already gone to Philly or Allentown or New York to see them.”
She does feel, though, that the chance to see the films on the big screen again is part of the festival’s draw.
The Kirby Center’s W. Curtis Montz Film Series will run every Wednesday from March 5 through September at 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
“We try to make sure that we select movies that may have not had a lot of play in the area or may not have played in the area at all,” said Mark Thomas, program director for the Kirby. He adds that the Kirby also likes to offer films nominated for Golden Globes, SAG awards or Oscars.
Over the years, Thomas has found the response to the film series good, particularly last year.
“I think that’s in part a reflection on the fact that the movie theater here in Wilkes-Barre has brought people back downtown for movies,” he said.
The series will start with “Becoming Jane.” Some features will be “The Savages,” “The Rape of Europa” and “I’m Not There,” a film inspired by Bob Dylan where six different actors play him at different stages of his life. The film will also play at the Dietrich’s festival.
When asked why he feels film festivals bring viewers out in droves, yet, those films don’t fare well when showcased on their own, Jacobs’ answer was very candid.
“I don’t know, it mystifies me.”
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