The Wizard of Oz in Dolby Cinema - October 25, 2019

[Wayne_j]

Title: The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Tagline: We're off to see the Wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Oz!

Genre: Adventure, Family, Fantasy

Director: Victor Fleming

Release: 1939-08-15

Runtime: 102

Plot: Young Dorothy finds herself in a magical world where she makes friends with a lion, a scarecrow and a tin man as they make their way along the yellow brick road to talk with the Wizard and ask for the things they miss most in their lives. The Wicked Witch of the West is the only thing that could stop them.

The Wizard of Oz is coming to AMC Dolby Cinemas on October 25 for a one week engagement.

https://www.amctheatres.com/movies/the-wizard-of-oz-80th-anniversary-in-dolby-cinema-61932

Judging by the schedule for the location near my sister's house The Wizard of Oz will be occupying the afternoon showings, A Bruce Springsteen documentary is occupying the first evening slot and Joker is playing in the late evening.

 

[PMF]

A one week engagement bodes mighty well for classic titles.

Were I king of the forest and situated in the right arenas, I would have pushed for one week engagements long ago.
It is my hope that this continues and somehow plays of major influence on generating monies for film preservation;
as well as introducing newer generations to the glories of our film heritage.

As it is and was, Sunday/Wednesday showings of important films have admirably grown and taken hold;
but two days (with only 2, 3 or 4 showings) per week was too limiting for creating an expanded and wider audience.
After all, the current audiences for newly released titles aren't relegated to those same showtimes,
for if they were, then all films would be unable to report a higher revenue of ticket sales;
as we are a populace with a highly varied schedules of work, school, family obligations, etc.
IMHO, with so many screens within a multi-plex, there should always be one auditorium that's dedicated to a classic;
and for an entire week at a time with a multiple offerings of showtimes. Just as it is for all other films.
Anyway, you've got the tip of the iceberg to my point; and now, with "The Wizard of Oz" we've got our first real booking.
Thank You AMC !!!

 

[Josh Steinberg]

IMHO, with so many screens within a multi-plex, there should always be one auditorium that's dedicated to a classic;

I think if the market could support it, theaters would be all over it. Older films generally come on much more favorable terms to the exhibitor and they generally see a better percentage of the grosses than they do for a new movie.

So that it doesn’t happen more often suggests to me that there simply isn’t a widespread market for such a thing. By carefully curating and presenting the cream of the historical crop with limited showtimes, they can try to funnel that limited demand into something that they don’t lose their shirts on.

I really believe that this marketplace is changing so rapidly and the customer relationship to prerecorded content is shifting so heavily in favor of consumer preference for convenience and price that many people will have whiplash from these rapid changes when the dust settles.

I genuinely hope WOZ does well for Dolby Theaters. Its still a great time at the movies. But I also remember that recent one week revivals of films like Close Encounters and Forrest Gump played to almost entirely empty houses.

 

[PMF]

[...]I genuinely hope WOZ does well for Dolby Theaters. Its still a great time at the movies. But I also remember that recent one week revivals of films like Close Encounters and Forrest Gump played to almost entirely empty houses.

Impossible for me to comment on why Forrest Gump played out as it had, except to say that in my little borough this presentation was not even known to have played. My impulse question wants to go the way of asking about its advance advertising; or to suggest that a consistency of continuous one-week offerings might be the solution. But, again, this is just an impulse thought without a stitch of research on my part. With that said; and wishing to discover the key to ensuring a successful and ongoing attendance for such events; I must accept your sobering report that both CE3K and Gump had produced an empty hand.

One thing is for certain, Josh, we and all upon this forum know full well that anyone who attends this theatrical showing of "The Wizard of Oz" will rediscover the impact of this beloved classic and; if never seeing it beyond their homes; will see it anew. I, too, also hope that this AMC offering is a slam-dunk of success.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

anyone who attends this theatrical showing of "The Wizard of Oz" will rediscover the impact of this beloved classic and; if never seeing it beyond their homes; will see it anew.

I genuinely hope that’s the experience they have.

I could see it playing another way for some folks. Where I live, a Dolby Cinema ticket is $29. All of the Dolby Cinema screens I’ve been to (admittedly, only a handful of locations) were fixed aspect ratio screens of 2.40:1 with no masking. So anyone seeing Wizard of Oz here is going to pay nearly $30 a person to see an image which fills only approximately half of the screen real estate, which no making to de-emphasize the abundant blank space. They may discover that their fellow patrons are talking throughout the movie or playing with distracting smartphones/pads/watches, and may conclude that buying the movie on iTunes for $15 would have been the better value for them.

I think people like you and I who still have romantic notions of moviegoing and memories of great experiences will be inclined to have a great time. But I think it may not be a universal experience.

Hopefully not going too far off topic, but the Film Forum in NYC regularly shows WOZ as part of their kids’ series. I think they show it every few months on Saturday and Sunday mornings at 11am, with a reduced ticket price of $7 and (at least in the past) gave out free popcorn or discounted popcorn to the kids. They also have proper screen masking. Even though their projector isn’t as good as Dolby’s, even though the screen isn’t as large or the chairs as comfortable, it almost always sells out and I think that it’s a great way to experience the film. Screenings like that emphasize more of the ritual and joy and communal feeling of going to the movies, and are clearly priced to encourage people to share that experience. And for the cost of one Dolby Cinema ticket, four people can see a Film Forum Jr showing.

Again, don’t get me wrong - Dolby Cinema has some of the best presentation equipment being used today and it’s fantastic on a purely presentation level to see this new state of the art presentation playing on state of the art screens. But I think the commerce part of that, along with the perceived hassle of going out to see something you could just as easily enjoy at home, may make it a harder sell for a more general audience.

 

[JediFonger]

sounds like amc and places like that should offer classic era film titles then allow consumers to vote just my 2cents.

that way (in theory) the one that has the most vote should get the most audiences?

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I would absolutely be in favor of theaters doing something like that. It would make sense if they could get people to show advance interest in an older film and then schedule it if it hits a certain number of votes or advance reservations.

My schedule won’t permit me to attend this screening but it looked spectacular in 2013 and should be pretty great now too.

 

[EricSchulz]

As a film buff who grew up watching the classics on TV I relish these presentations! I saw WoO in 1999 for the 50th anniversary and was stunned seeing it on the big screen. And I'm SO HAPPY this runs for a week rather than just one inconveniently timed showing. Definitely going AGAIN.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Yeah, I'm debating on whether to make that 130 mile roundtrip to see this in a Dolby Cinema theater. If I do then I want to watch another new movie too that why it makes the burning of gas more tolerable. Thankfully, I'm still an A-Lister.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I have to admit that when Dorothy sings "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" at my Dolby Cinema's showing today, some goosebumps appear on my arm. There is such sadness in Judy's voice that really emotes in her singing of that song.

 

[Tino]

I have to admit that when Dorothy sings "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" at my Dolby Cinema's showing today, some goosebumps appear on my arm. There is such sadness in Judy's voice that really emotes in her singing of that song.

How was the presentation?

 

[Robert Crawford]

How was the presentation?

It was what I expected. There was some cropping at the top.

 

[Tino]

It was what I expected. There was some cropping at the top.

I mean how was the picture and sound?

 

[dpippel]

I have to admit that when Dorothy sings "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" at my Dolby Cinema's showing today, some goosebumps appear on my arm. There is such sadness in Judy's voice that really emotes in her singing of that song.

Gets me almost every time.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I mean how was the picture and sound?

That's what I'm talking about. In spots, it looks a little soft on such a big screen, but, I expected that after I watched it on iTunes in 4K/Dolby Vision a couple of months back. As expected, the audio was fantastic.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Gets me almost every time.

Whenever I'm watching it at home, I always play back that sequence more than once.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I pulled out my 3D disc back when this thread was first started and it got me then, too. It’s so deceptively simple but beautifully done. The song just kinda sneaks in there and then you just realize you’ve witnessed one of the all time great movie moments.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I pulled out my 3D disc back when this thread was first started and it got me then, too. It’s so deceptively simple but beautifully done. The song just kinda sneaks in there and then you just realize you’ve witnessed one of the all time great movie moments.

It's a scene that I didn't pay much attention to watching it back in the 1960's during its CBS showings. However, as an adult, the sequence resonates with me like few do in cinema.

 

[benbess]

Yeah, I'm debating on whether to make that 130 mile roundtrip to see this in a Dolby Cinema theater. If I do then I want to watch another new movie too that why it makes the burning of gas more tolerable. Thankfully, I'm still an A-Lister.

For me it's a 110 mile drive each way to AMC's Newport on the Levee 20, which is the nearest place with a Dolby Cinema. So, did you think the drive was worth it? I do have audiobooks and siriusXM radio for the drive there and back, plus I could probably go to a museum in Cincinnati before my show. Having never before experienced a Dolby cinema before I'm thinking of doing it tomorrow.

 

[Michael Elliott]

For me it's a 110 mile drive each way to AMC's Newport on the Levee 20, which is the nearest place with a Dolby Cinema. So, did you think the drive was worth it? I do have audiobooks and siriusXM radio for the drive there and back, plus I could probably go to a museum in Cincinnati before my show. Having never before experienced a Dolby cinema before I'm thinking of doing it tomorrow.

I'd say it's worth it if you're a fan of the movie. I took my wife and daughter to this exact theater today and the presentation was terrific. If you like classic movies you might want to check out the Esquire Theater, which is about twenty-minutes away. They're playing ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN tomorrow if you'd want to do a double feature to make up for the drive.