So, here’s the deal. I’m not an industry expert. I’m not an analytics guy. I can’t tell you the latest box office predictions with the freshest Chinese profit multiplier predictions. I’m just a guy that likes to go to the movies. I like to drag my family to the latest Marvel movie under the false guise of “quality time” despite my two-year old’s complete oblivion to the plot ramifications of Captain Marvel joining the Avengers. I venture into the occasional art-house theater to justify date-night, and have even dipped my toes into the completely unfamiliar territory of the nostalgia driven phenomena of the drive-in theater. Spoiler alert – I’m a child of the 90’s: I don’t really get it but whatever, my kids had a great time. While again, I’m not an expert, I am one of your target demographics. A 37-year-old father of 3 that will spend money to watch cool movies and buy food to silence the mouths around me for a few hours why I try to watch it. I know it’ll cost me $100+, but them the breaks.
Now for the big reveal. While I’m not running a multi-million-dollar megaplex, I do have some experience. In college I worked as a projectionist for IMAX at the Science Place in Dallas. I spent a year learning the military grade precision of caring for a monster of a 70mm projector, film, and the daily methodical procedures of a top-of-the-line operation. Then as a projectionist for an inner-city 80’s local theater, I learned the art of scraping by on a razor thin margins out of a thirty-year-old building barely keeping the lights on with duct-taped ancient Christie projectors (that never stopped making weird clicking noises) and second-run prints of Lord of the Rings. We had rat problems, we had AC problems, we had theft problems. I’m pretty sure Screen #4 was straight up haunted. But for all its faults, that humble but well-built theater served its purpose. Great entertainment at a reasonable price. Who can really argue with that?
I have one rule with theaters. Know who you are and be the best you can be at it. If you’re a neighborhood theater showing the latest: awesome! Keep it reasonably clean and comfortable with concession prices only marginally insane. The reserve seat thing online – omg that is the BEST. Knock that out and I’m there. Date night? You better believe I’m hitting the movie taverns. Potato wedges as far as I’m concerned were always meant to be enjoyed that way. Capping off something fancy or I’m just feeling sophisticated? The art house is unbeatable. The point is, as a return customer to the movie theater, I am and will always be a return customer. Yes, I have a Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime account, but that doesn’t matter. I love movies. My family loves movies. The theater is hands down an unbeatable experience that I’m unwilling to give up.
That said, I have expectations, and that’s simply for you to enjoy me being there and to share the same excitement. Being the best, you can be is the hidden ingredient and you cannot do that without your basics nailed down. As someone who’s worked behind the scenes, you need equipment built to last. Projection stands that don’t fail. Port windows that stay pristine and clear. Fixtures fabricated with the hundreds of thousands of customers that will come through your doors in mind. You need good bones at all times. Luckily, that’s exactly what we do here at GST. Whether you’re a national chain, a regional or a local independent, GST Cinema fabricates the solutions you need to help you stay on the industry edge, and more importantly keep your customers happy as the feature film finally queues up after 10 minutes of the longest previews we’ve already seen on YouTube last week. Ah well, you can’t win them all 😉.
For more information on how we can help with elevate your theater experience with our custom projection windows, speaker brackets, handrails, boothless projection systems, concession fixtures and more, please don't hesitate to reach us at 817-520-2320 or drop us a line at sales@gstmanufacturing.com!