Studio 28 to cut some matinees
October 29th, 2008 at 9:10 pm by Laff at the Movies under Entertainment
Some changes are coming next for a Grand Rapids movie theater… there are a lot of rumors out there… but here’s what we know at this point:
** Studio 28 will be eliminating some matinees starting Monday, November 3rd **
A spokesperson tells me that’s because “Studio has a centalized location and has had to share its part of the matinee market with the other theaters for a few years now.” Steve VanWagoner says “we do 90 percent of our business at Studio during evening shows”.
So starting next Monday, November 3rd - Studio 28 will begin eliminating two matinees each day Monday through Friday, one matinee on Saturday, and one on Sunday.
But, there is some good news for movie fans: during the week, the shows between 5pm and 6pm will still be considered matinees.
Tags: Grand Rapids, Laff at the Movies, matinees, movie, movies, Studio 28, theater
Aaron Lafferty covers the film industry. Favorite movies include Star Wars, Indiana Jones, The Matrix, Clear and Present Danger, Tombstone, Rounders, Enemy of the State, Rear W...
October 29th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
So what?
October 30th, 2008 at 9:09 am
Its news to some of us!
And this news is surprising to who? They purchased their two nearest competitors… the two Cinemarks. Then dropped the prices at the one at Woodland to $3.00 movies effectively turning it into a bargain house. The matinees they share are with themselves as their own competition. They certainly are not losing hordes of customers to Star Theater which seems to have a pretty empty parking lot on most days.
Studio 28 at this point is the oldest cinema in the city with the loss over time of other cinemas like the Northtown, the Alpine, The Movies at Northkent and Woodland. Jack/John Loeks Theaters pretty much has this market tied up. The only outside venue is the Star Theater and its not that great a theater anymore.
I think the truth is closer to this…. they have oversaturated the market by owning every theater in town save one… and now MY favorite theater is eliminating matinees because of someone’s eagerness to over extend their reach in Grand Rapids. That’s just lovely.
Studio 28 IS the only theater in town with a large auditorium (Studio One) and its the only place I’ve continued to return to in order to see films. Now my options are to race over to the theater after work hoping to catch a matinee price before 6 PM, or I’m forced to pay the huge expense of an evening show ticket. That’s just grand… Or on my days off… I just camp out and wait for the place to open because no NEW TIMES OF OPERATION HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED IN THIS PIECE!
How about you knock out the first matinee at ALL YOUR THEATERS and share the hurt equally. Or… to bring people in offer a less expensive matinee for the first two shows you are eliminating and see if that brings the people in that you are losing to your competition… oh wait… that would be YOU!
That also causes me to question…. how do you eliminate TWO MATINEES a day wth showtimes that run…. 11:30, 12:15, 1:00, 1:45, 2:30, 3:15, 4:00, 4:45, 5:30 and so on? Does this mean the theater opens at 1:00 PM? Or are you talking about the OLD FASHIONED TIMES when you had shows at 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9. So you are eliminating what?
The information here is lousy… Steve VanWagoner needs to learn how to write a press release that conveys ALL THE ANSWERS that the movie going public needs to know.
November 13th, 2008 at 7:47 pm
[...] Studio 28 to cut some matinees [...]