easyCinema

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http://film.guardian.co.uk/features/featurepages/0,4120,956516,00.html

Very interesting interview with easyGroup founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou about his venture into cinema. He's planning to take on the likes of UCI and Odeon with his new easyCinema, the first of which opens tonight in Milton Keynes.

― Chriddof (Chriddof), Friday, 16 May 2003 19:25 (twenty-two years ago)

What struck me about popcorn was that it simply isn't that profitable once you take into account labour costs, the cost of the raw materials and the increased cleaning costs resulting from selling food. And once you start on hot dogs, the wastage goes through the roof. So I decided to take food out of the equation. Besides, lots of people hate popcorn.

Is this guy nuts? I thought that concessions were how theatres made most of their profits.

Also, people who hate popcorn are crazy.

― slutsky (slutsky), Friday, 16 May 2003 20:29 (twenty-two years ago)

I can't imagine this lasting. Who plans to see a movie a month in advance? Before publicity, reviews etc?

― slutsky (slutsky), Friday, 16 May 2003 20:31 (twenty-two years ago)

I mean there are always people (like most of the folks who post on this board I imagine) who read up in advance--but I imagine many moviegoers haven't heard of half the movies that are released until a week or so before they open, and the subsequent publicity blitz.

― slutsky (slutsky), Friday, 16 May 2003 20:32 (twenty-two years ago)

yeah i luv popcorn and the only time i eat it is when i'm in the cinema.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Saturday, 17 May 2003 15:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Do the english put butter on their popcorn in the cinema? Because when I was there in November it didn't seem to be the case. In which case, I'd say, get rid of it, because without the artery-clogging oil, it's useless!

― anthony kyle monday (akmonday), Saturday, 17 May 2003 15:35 (twenty-two years ago)

no we don't. when i went to canada I always had my popcorn with butter and it was the best popcorn evah!

we suck.

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Saturday, 17 May 2003 15:39 (twenty-two years ago)

It is interesting though as with advance publicity people are aware of what will be knocking around. It strikes me that this will be more of a fight about distribution than anything else (note how the major US studio led distributors are having none of it). If I could get tickets for 20p by booking a month in advance than I could easily book a seat for every performance, saving a large amount of money on my usual expenditure. But staffing is the question, most multiplexes have whittled the staffing costs down to next to nothing as it is.

Anyone else hear, on a different matter, that the Curzon Soho is shutting for five months due to a diesel leak or some such worrying thing.

― Pete (Pete), Monday, 19 May 2003 09:53 (twenty-two years ago)

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