Wisconsin Outdoor Journal

On Tap Today: Storming Hogwarts

We encourage your comments but will strive to remove discussion that contains personal attacks, racial slurs, profanity or other inappropriate material as outlined in our guidelines . We post-moderate comments on most content, but may choose to pre-moderate some comments so please be patient if you don't see yours appear right way. We also ask for your help by reporting comments you think are inappropriate.

Jefferson, WI: Highway 18 Outdoor Theatre Gets Digital Cinema ...

... Digital projectors (basically large computers with flamethrowers strapped on the front end) are expensive and theatres have been reluctant to upgrade.  But through a combination of incentives and other factors, the movie theatre industry is switching over.  Roughly half of the screens in the U.S. are now digital and conversions are taking place at the rate of about 1,000 a month.  By the end of 2012, most screens will be running digital.  Overseas markets are also rapidly converting.

But not all screens.  Roughly 95 percent of the screens in this country are owned by major theatre corporations who have access to capital markets and therefore the means to finance the conversion to digital (roughly $75,000 to $100,000 per screen depending on circumstances).  The other 5 % are made up of small independents, like myself, who do not have the same financial resources or clout as the big boys.

:

Finally, studios are increasingly cutting back on print counts for movies released in the second half of the summer.  They are not as confident that these movies will earn them a return on their money and they want to save on costs (my presumption).  But whatever the cause, when I go to book a movie during this period, more and more I’m being told: “Sorry, no prints available.”

Now, there are some old-time independent theatre owners who insist that this digital is all BS and that film will always be around.  Maybe they’re right, but I don’t think so.  I think that in two years, film will be pretty much gone and either a theatre pays to switch to digital or go out of business.  Many small independent operators can’t afford digital equipment or their theatres don’t generate enough profit to justify the investment.  I think, and am afraid, that half of the Drive Ins will be out of business in five years.

So it was gut check time for me: do I invest almost $100,000 more in my Drive In or do I just milk the business for the next few years and shut down?  I could have probably waited another year or two before being forced to make a decision, but I’m being slowly strangled to death.  If I decide to convert to digital, why wait?  Will I get more business with digital?  Doubtful, but my business shouldn’t decline over time as it would if I stuck with 35MM.  Will I save on expenses?  No, in fact maintenance costs will be higher than with 35M.  Is this a good business decision?  Only time will tell.  Bottom line: I’ve already invested too much time, energy, and money in this theatre to just let it die.  My attitude is: ‘in for dime, in for a dollar’.

Wisconsin's best hunting & fishing locations

History Afield, Stories from the Golden Age of Wisconsin Sporting Life

Wisconsin: Magazine of History

Hunting the edges

Exploring Wisconsin Trout Streams, The Angler's Guide