Independents ThriveWhile Industry Lags

What's bad for the Man is good for the little man.

While many major theater chains struggle financially due to overbuilding and a movie industry low on blockbusters, independent theaters remain strong.

Some local theaters have actually benefitted from the multiplexes' difficulties, according to Robert Groves, owner of Durham's Starlite Drive-In.

As chains close screens, their patrons may be driven to say "They're getting too big, too fast," he said. "They're buying too much, and they're going to go under."

Bruce Stone, owner of Chapel Hill's Chelsea, Varsity and Carolina theaters, says the trend hasn't affected his business significantly because no multiplexes in town have shut down.

"If I were in a market in which many theaters were closing, I might see some effect," he said.

Stone said the biggest change he's seen is a recent glut of letters from studios requesting prompt payment for showing their pictures.

"I've been getting form letters from studios announcing that they want to be paid off within a week," he said, adding that such payments have been a problem for him.

One reason independent theaters might do better in the current atmosphere is that the arthouse and foreign films often rely on different marketing tactics, Stone said.

"With mainstream films, over the last five to 10 years, the marketing is such that they bombard Americans with ads," he said. This leads to big opening weekend sales, but often not much after that.

Independent films, however, often are released on relatively few screens at first. Marketing strategies try to draw in larger crowds as the films are placed in more theaters. "People go and say, `Man, you've got to see that.' Then the word of mouth might kick in," Stone said.

This strategy, called platform releasing, is helpful to independent theaters, said Jim Carl, director of programming for the Carolina Theatre of Durham.

In order to show a big-budget studio film on opening weekend, mainstream theater owners must agree to play the film for weeks afterward - even if it bombs. Platform releasing means independent theaters aren't stuck with a product they can't sell, Carl said.

Historic theaters like the Carolina face problems unrelated to the current crises.

"Across the country you've got these old movie theater houses from the '20s and '30s that are being torn down left and right," he said.

Carl said multiplex theater owners such as the Carmike chain have prioritized building too much.

"You go to the Carmike - they spent all their money renovating their theaters with stadium seating," he said.

As some theaters close, multiplexes left open become more crowded, which can help independent theaters out, Carl said.

"When (moviegoers) see a line that's longer at a cineplex, that may make them more likely to try an independent film."

But not all independent theaters showcase independent or arthouse films. Chapel Hill's Lumina Theater, which opened in May, shows mainstream films but maintains an independent attitude, Manager Ed Codding said.

"The theater here has more of a funky feel. There are mannequins in the lobby and we have fiber optics on the ceiling that give sort of a star effect."

The multiplexes' missteps haven't changed the Lumina's strategy, Codding said.

"We're not doing anything different than we would if the major theaters were still open," he said.

Owner Bill Peebles said the Lumina provides a more personal moviegoing experience than a multiplex does.

"Remember when you were growing up, your parents used to tell you, `The bigger they are, the harder they fall'? Well, the bigger they are, the more opportunities they have to disappoint their customers," he said.

"We've targeted more toward the neighborhood."

The Arts & Entertainment Editor

can be reached at artsdesk@unc.edu.