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 THE VIEW FROM THE BOXOFFICE:
ROXY
FAQIf you have a question to submit, click here to ask.
Q. Why is the Roxy closed on Thursday? And why is it sometimes open on Thursday? A.
Thursday is the slowest night of the week for us, so we are usually
closed on that night to allow repairs to equipment, to prepare the film
for the upcoming week, and to give our staff a night off. When we play a
brand-new movie (or a very popular one), our contract usually stipulates
that we must play the film for 7 days each week, hence we are open on
some Thursdays. You can always call our movie-line (346-ROXY) or check
the website to find out if we're open on a Thursday or not. Q. Why can't we bring in our own pop or candy? A. The Roxy, like all theatres, depends on concession stand sales. The concession stand is our livelihood; if not for the concession stand, we would be out of business. This is because the majority of your ticket money goes to the film company. Since we are so dependent upon concession sales for our very survival, we insist that no outside food or drink be brought into the theatre.
A. Our insurance policy forbids children from being in the balcony due to safety reasons. The balcony has a low railing and a fairly steep stairway. We would hate for a mom carrying a baby to trip and fall down the stairs, and we would hate to see a rambunctious youngster accidentally dive off the edge of the balcony. Additionally, older kids (teenagers) find it hard to resist "bombing" their friends below. For all these reasons, plus a bunch of other minor ones, the balcony is restricted to adults over 21 only.
A. When a movie is brand-new and we play it on its national release date, the film company requires that we play it for two weeks. That's just standard industry practice. Also, if a movie is exceptionally popular we will hold it over for a second week.
A. Film company contracts require that the screen not be "shared" with another movie. Sometimes, when a film is a few weeks old, exceptions can be made to this rule, so occasionally the Roxy will play two movies at a time. But we only do this when we have permission from the film companies.
A. Brand-new films cost more than twice as much to play as older films. Also, a brand-new film must play for two weeks, so we need to be sure a given film will have enough "legs" to keep drawing a crowd for the full playtime. If we feel a film might not be that popular, we wait until we can play it for just one week. (This is usually about 3 or 4 weeks after the film comes out.) Finally, not every film is available to us on the break due to the number of prints (copies) of the film made.
A. We usually don't know exactly what movie we will be playing on a particular Friday until the Monday or Tuesday of that week. Sometimes we know (or have a pretty good idea) of our schedule a week or two in advance, but we have to wait for confirmation from the film company. Calendars require a few weeks' lead time, so they aren't practical for us.
A. We have tried running matinees on various occasions, and they have not been successful. We ran matinees on Sundays for about seven months in 2001, and the only result was that our Sunday night crowd was cut by two thirds -- meaning we were working twice as many hours for the same amount of business.
A. Yes - it's 866-346-ROXY (or 866-346-7699).
A. Most of them stay in our collection. We are required by contract to destroy any extra posters; we are not allowed to give them away or sell them. You can purchase posters for most current movies at www.allposters.com or www.moviegoods.com.
A. You can buy tickets in advance for any show of the current week, but we do not reserve individual rows or seats. If you are in the theatre already, you cannot "save" or reserve seats for people who haven't come in yet.
A. You can get a private showing. If you want to see our current attraction, we charge a fee of $50 plus a minimum purchase of 15 tickets in any category. Please contact us for details. We can bring in many classic movies and even some relatively recent ones, but we cannot book Disney films for one-time showings. We negotiate fees for this type of show individually. Please be aware that bringing in a movie is very costly -- film rent would be around $200 to $500, and shipping costs about $100.
A. No, it's not
true. The Roxy used to sell Coca-Cola, though. Q. Is it true that the Roxy building was once a car dealership? A. No. The Roxy was always a movie theatre. But the building previously on this lot was a car dealership for a few years, until it was damaged by fire in 1929. After that, it was torn down and the Roxy was built. See our HISTORY page for more details.
A. Sorry, no.
A. That's not
possible, because we don't use DVD equipment to show our films.
(See our
PROJECTION BOOTH TOUR pages for
pictures of what we do use.) Even if we had a DVD projector, it's
illegal to show a DVD outside of a private home. (Read the FBI warning
on your DVD package.) Q. Does anyone actually go to the movies anymore, or has the video industry really cut into the business? A. Lots of people go to the movies; in fact the theatre industry is enjoying the second-biggest ticket selling year in the past forty years. The video industry has changed the business, but has not hurt it the way the media would like to have you believe. The two industries are both alive and well.
A. No. On almost
any given night, at least half of our crowd is
composed of adults...even at a Disney film. Q. Could you put a special message on the screen for me, and how much would this cost? A. We can't put
special messages on the screen during the film, but we could probably
work something out during the previews or before the show. Contact
us directly. Q. Where do the movies come from? A. Our films
come from one of these two shipping depots: Deluxe Film Services, in Butte (Sony,
Dreamworks, MGM, Universal, Paramount, and Warner Bros. films); or
Technicolor Entertainment Services in Wilmington, Ohio (Disney films). Most shipping is
done by DHL or UPS, although we occasionally get a film on the bus. We
also sometimes pick up a film from theatres in Billings, Miles City or
Hardin; this happens two or three times a year. Q. With everyone installing "home theaters," will that eventually kill the movie business? A. No. A home
theater, as nice as it might be, still requires that you stay home.
Going out to the movies is more than just seeing a film; it's a social
event shared by a group of people. It gets you out of the house, where
you won't be interrupted by phone calls or visitors. And, we make the
popcorn and pour the drinks for you. Finally, no home theater can
provide the atmosphere a movie theatre provides. No comedy is as funny
in a home theater as it is on the big screen with a big crowd. Q. How do I get a question answered in this FAQ? A. Just CLICK HERE. This link will open up an e-mail window, where you can type your question and send it to us. |
