All Star Factory Cinema May Reopen [Archive]

Tilly Teckel

12-Jun-12, 13:25

If they went for the "Maybe convert the smaller screen into a bar so that you can watch a movie whilst having a drink" option I'd like to see music videos especially concert videos played on the big screen with a kick-ass sound system.

Ooh, I'd fancy that too, great idea. Personally I love going to the cinema and would be really pleased to see it open again. There was a thread on here a while back with lots of suggestions for what could be done there. I liked the movie sing-a-long/fancy dress idea - Rocky Horror has to be first!

Big Gaz

12-Jun-12, 13:26

If they set it up properly and did for instance meals and drinks during day together with afternoon viewings and with films/music/etc in the evenings, im sure this would be welcome. As it is, 100 miles travel each way to watch a film just isnt a priority for people in Caithness.

ShelleyCowie

12-Jun-12, 13:45

Personally i would be delighted if the cinema re-opened and aimed at familys! Somewhere nice to eat then a movie. Personally i wasnt keen on the bar, but thats me! We did use the cinema when it was here, and would use again if it opened (PLEASE before twilight :D )

Yes the sweeties were over priced and the popcorn. But, having a meal before would fill you up anyway :)

Hope it goes ahead, could make an amazing family space.

teddybear1873

12-Jun-12, 16:01

Been a long time since I was at the All Star Factory, probably around 5-6 years ago. I can't remember the price but it wasn't cheap.

What they do here at our local cinema to attract more people is

1- Free refills on popcorn and soft drinks.

2- Half price tickets for morning and afternoon viewings (weekdays only)

3- Have an All Star cinema card. Every time you swipe the card for tickets, soft drinks etc you get points added on the card. Great for savings on future tickets bought.

You have to have the big hit movies showing when it's released. Having a viewing about 1 month after other cinemas will cheese of customers. Plus you have to make it very affordable for customers. High price tickets will scary away most people. Here I pay $3.50 for an afternoon viewing on weekdays, If I go in the evening It's about $6.00. That's about 2.50GBP and 4.00GBP.

EDDIE

12-Jun-12, 16:05

Would maybe have to change their business model, say just open Friday & Saturday. Maybe convert the smaller screen into a bar so that you can watch a movie whilst having a drink. Could even put a stage in & have live music/theatre at times.

Years ago i think it was late eightys early nineghty when there was no cinema in thurso there was weekly film shows in the townhall using a projector it seemed to work fine then

dozy

12-Jun-12, 16:19

Another Carpet Bagger.

concerned resident

12-Jun-12, 16:54

The cinema was always over priced, and still went to the wall twice, and you could get a more up to date film on DVD. Still if highland Enterprise put money into it, it will be the kiss of death anyway, and as already mentioned the population is decreasing due to Dounreay and Vulcans life coming to an end, and no sign of any other Industry coming into the area.

Rheghead

12-Jun-12, 17:04

A private club membership arrangement would be better. Film goers could go watch films in comfort and silence to enjoy films and not be disturbed. Riffraff who chatter and rip up the seats will not be able to join.

strangegamer

12-Jun-12, 20:57

I would disagree that the cinema was overpriced when it was previously open.
I would recomend you look at this page which gives you a rough idea of what cinemas actually make from ticket sales (most of the money goes back to the film studios). Cinemas need a way to survive and thats by charging higher prices for food- http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120203103930AAwAOqT ( i know this applies to the USA but most film studios are based there anyway!)
You have to remember that the cinema chains need to pay for staff, electric bills heating etc so how are they going to survive if they can't make a reasonable return?
If you look at Inverness's prices they are not exactly cheap, yes they give discounts if you go during the week and in the afternoon but many of us can't do that up here unless you can get a day off work.
I regularly go to Inverness to the cinema as we don't have one here at the moment and i work out that for me and my friend to go down it would cost near enough £75 for the trip (£10 each for tickets, £35 for fuel, £15 each for food)

When you look at my workings i don't think our cinema worked out to cost that much. I agree that changes would have to be made to make the cinema viable up here but we need people to support it if it does open again.

Bill Fernie

12-Jun-12, 23:23

I think it is great that someone is looking into a new venture to open the cinema but they will need to consider their business plan very carefully.

The trend has been for more and more opportunities to down load films via the internet and if your computer is hooked up to your tv and surround sound system then you have pretty awesome experience at home and much cheaper than a cinema night out.

Also there are other factors such as family and household incomes under pressure already with rising costs still coming at us in the form of even higher yet electric bills next winter which coupled with perhaps higher fuels costs to travel may deter many from going even as far as Thurso from say Wick.

It is difficult to have up to date films faster than the online set up and as some of the potential customers will be happy to sit at home even if they are a little later then it reduces the potential market. If everyone went once month then it might work but as we know with all the other choices this will not happen.

Will it be worth the investment of capital to bring the place up to a standard that will make people want to go? The answer may be yes if the cinema also has other possibilities for shows and music as long as they also can fill the seat each week.

They are asking for the public to attend a meeting to give views so it may be worth people going along especially if you live in Thurso.

teddybear1873

12-Jun-12, 23:55

The kids go to the cinema more than I do. The only time I go is if It's either really good or a major blockbuster. DVD rentals or On Demand are pretty quick. On most cases I will just wait for the Blu-Ray release and watch it my HD telly which is set up for 7.1 speakers.

ShelleyCowie

13-Jun-12, 15:23

The trend has been for more and more opportunities to down load films via the internet and if your computer is hooked up to your tv and surround sound system then you have pretty awesome experience at home and much cheaper than a cinema night out.

Thanks for the tip Bill! :P

But still all the points you made are clearly valid, the cost of living wont be going down anytime soon, so cinema trips will be like a luxury soon enough. But hopefully the community can support this, and keep it open.

EDDIE

13-Jun-12, 16:44

I wonder if its worth asking the prevous owners to come along to the meeting it would be interesting to ask them of there experience and pitfalls of running it and if they could do it again what they would do different.
Me personally i havent been to the cinema in a very long time i just wait for it to come out on dvd and watch it on the projector.

Alrock

13-Jun-12, 16:55

....I will just wait for the Blu-Ray release and watch it my HD telly which is set up for 7.1 speakers.

....I just wait for it to come out on dvd and watch it on the projector.

Turning into another... "Mine is bigger than yours" thread...
http://fc04.deviantart.com/fs24/f/2008/021/4/c/devil_laghin_by_Scotsgirl_606.gif

EDDIE

13-Jun-12, 18:25

[QUOTE=Alrock;957248]Turning into another... "Mine is bigger than yours" thread...
http://fc04.deviantart.com/fs24/f/2008/021/4/c/devil_laghin_by_Scotsgirl_606.gif[/QUOTE
Thats the biggest problem cinemas have its affordable to have tvs and projectors download stream filmsmin the comfort of ure own home compared to 20 years ago when cinemas was the best option to watch films its changing times unfortantley it would be probably be more viable to hire a hall and show films once a week and test the water and probably might be more viable that way

retrodj

14-Jun-12, 16:54

I am really hopeful the people of Caithness support this idea. Reading the news report, the person interested in setting up the Cinema again seems to have had a lot of experience in this area.
I will struggle to get to the meeting tomorrow due to family commitments but will try my very best to make it. I urge everyone who want the cinema back, if they can, to go to the meeting.

I rarely visit the cinema due to the distances involved but would definitely visit should it re-open here. It would certainly need a big marketing push to make everyone aware.

The prices before weren't that expensive compared to the big cinema chains like Odeon etc. It costs £12+ quid just to see a 3D movie these days. Upwards of £50+ for a family including drinks and food etc. That I don't feel would be a feasible pricing structure up here. However, something like £6-£8 for a 3D film would be acceptable. Family tickets, discounts for quiet periods and also, loyalty cards are a good idea for frequent visitors. Showing the big ticket films on or just after release would help.

Make it a place to go with your family as a treat once a month. Maybe if it does open, then someone could look at redeveloping the other side where the bar and bowling alley were and make it a place for a good family day/evening out.

Gracie

14-Jun-12, 16:59

Anybody know what will be happening at the Pentland Gathering, keen to show support for the Cinema.
I agree, they will have to be clever about re-opening, for the first while everyone will be keen to go but then it could dwindle again. Good offers will tempt people, especially for large families. I went to the Thurso cinema a lot but then it became ridiculously priced and the bowling alley needed some tlc, so we would only go for special occasions or if there was a great movie coming out. I have to admit if there was a movie coming out that I really wanted to see I would opt for the cinema rather than grainy downloads and watching it on our TV even though we do have surround sound at home, the cinema is just at another level. I don't think the fact that people are willing to pay for a whole day out to Inverness to have a cinema experience is good reason to up the prices on snacks and drinks to extraordinary levels although I can understand that the cinema needs to get a profit somewhere. People who have a cinema reasonably locally do not have to pay fuel costs or for a meal out unless they want too. There has been a number of movies that I put off going to see but if the cinema had been open in Thurso, I probably would have gone too see them.
Yes there is concern about places such as Dounreay but there is a large number of young families and teens and as long as Caithness has this there is always going to be business. It would be fantastic to have the cinema/bowling alley back in the winter with the long dark nights and often the weekends are not fit for doing much. Often when we would go to the Thurso cinema, even if we went every two weeks, we would make an evening of it and do bowling and pool then enjoy our movie with our snacks and we never failed to have a great time.
I can't say if reopening the cinema is a wise or feasible idea but I for one would like to see it back in use and have the option to go see movies more often than I otherwise would, having to make the huge effort to go to Inverness. I have definately missed it.

newweecroft

16-Jun-12, 09:45

Legitimate downloads from Lovefilm or Netflix in HD will not be grainy, that will be the pirates.We went down to Vue to see Puss in Boots and I was truly disappointed, the screen portrays a blurred image compared to my Tv at at home (despite it being 7+ years old) I would love to go to the cinema but they really need to keep up technologically and give us the quality we can achieve at home plus the cinematic experience. I can think of much more viable uses for that premises than a cinema and bar.

Mr P Cannop

16-Jun-12, 09:54

whats everyones views about the meeting last night ??

starflower

16-Jun-12, 11:16

I and my family will be supporting any future development for the cinema we quite often will go to Inverness to watch a film so delighted that an experienced and professional person in this field has taken an interest in the Thurso cinema the meeting last night was excellent and I do hope that the community of Caithness will come together and support this future event and maintain the support, for me there was a lot of positive feedback about the cinema and I love the idea off it not just seeing films there but also ballet opera music concerts and possibly the Wimbledon final for future events the cinema nowadays is not just about watching movies but other events too and I do hope as a community we come together attend events when they are on .

Geo

16-Jun-12, 15:11

I've been down to the Vue in Inverness twice in two weeks. I did have appointments down there already however would have gone to a local cinema if we had one. Wanting to go again for MIB3. Home cinema setups are all well and good but they don't compare to the cinema experience.

teddybear1873

16-Jun-12, 15:17

Only been to an IMAX once and the experience was amazing. 3D is no use to me as I've has a lazy eye most of my life. I'm surprised this 3D is still going, thought it would have been more of a gimmick like they tried in the late 70's.

Mr P Cannop

16-Jun-12, 15:37

3d is no use up here for most people

ShelleyCowie

16-Jun-12, 15:51

3d is no use up here for most people

Why not? I love 3d, as do many people i know.

Not saying we would need one, i just want to know why its not use for here?

Geo

16-Jun-12, 16:06

I was very disappointed with Avengers in 3D. I was expecting to be ducking to avoid stuff however all it added was depth of field. It certainly wasn't worth the extra cost and the next film I went to watch I opted for the standard release.

Mr P Cannop

16-Jun-12, 22:17

people who has glasses cant see it

ShelleyCowie

16-Jun-12, 22:40

people who has glasses cant see it

Untrue - i have glasses. I can see it just fine. It depends on your vision, if you are completely blind/lazy eye in 1 eye. Chances are you may never adjust, BUT there is a small chance with the active glasses that you can. Your other eye will have compensated so will work stronger. Not always....but it can happen.

I need glasses sometimes, i can see 3d. Better to look at a mates 3d tv before spending £12 at the cinema to see a 3d movie if it doesnt work for you though

The Music Monster

16-Jun-12, 23:10

I'm totally supporting this new venture! We went down to the Vue twice to see The Avengers (and it was such an awesome film I would have gone several more times if it had been closer), but it takes a whole day to do this, and it's not always convenient in the winter, so we generally miss the big Oscar blockbusters. I don't go for 3D films, but that's a personal choice and I think it's something that anyone setting up a cinema should be prepared to supply.

All in all - count me in! I'm right behind the idea of having a Caithness cinema again!!

EDDIE

16-Jun-12, 23:26

Its just a shame that the people that distribute the films to the cinema dont give special rate to cinemas in area were there is not if people in the area to justify a cinema to make more viable for them instead because i think its ok everyone saying the will support it but for how long because money is money and were all watching the pennys at the moment.
I wonder if anyone knows how much a cinema gets charged for the latest films to be shown?

Mr P Cannop

17-Jun-12, 09:41

Untrue - i have glasses. I can see it just fine. It depends on your vision, if you are completely blind/lazy eye in 1 eye. Chances are you may never adjust, BUT there is a small chance with the active glasses that you can. Your other eye will have compensated so will work stronger. Not always....but it can happen.

I need glasses sometimes, i can see 3d. Better to look at a mates 3d tv before spending £12 at the cinema to see a 3d movie if it doesnt work for you though

thats my point

TC1

17-Jun-12, 09:48

I do think we need more in the area - people are moving away for a reason! I would go to the cinema if it re-opened, but if they want to make it a success they do need to come up with something a bit different. The cinema/theatre idea may work with afternoon shows being cheaper and other special deals such as family tickets, money off if you book in advance, loyalty card etc. Perhaps they could also look at community grants to keep the price of tickets low.

ShelleyCowie

17-Jun-12, 10:10

thats my point

What is? you never made an actual point tbh. And if you want to say what i said is your point, then your going to need to elaborate! :roll:

EDDIE

17-Jun-12, 11:46

Its a pity they couldnt find some way of getting a second use out of the cinema during the day when its not in use like let out to lectures or people doing training or as some said you could do alternative at nights like good bands and theatres a well and probably charge more per seat than u would at a cinema and its variety as well i think will pay to see good content what about changing the bar into more family place to go for meals with decent food being a must

EDDIE

17-Jun-12, 11:49

What is? you never made an actual point tbh. And if you want to say what i said is your point, then your going to need to elaborate! :roll:
The only thing i like about 3d glasses at cinema is if the film is crap i can dot of for we nap and my better wont know the only problem i have i tend to snore and it gives the game away then i get introuble

teddybear1873

17-Jun-12, 14:04

I can't talk for anyone else who wears glasses but 3D glasses doesn't do anything me expect give me a sore head and everything is just one big blur. I'm blind in one eye and cant see out the other :cool:

cazmanian_minx

18-Jun-12, 13:19

I wonder if anyone knows how much a cinema gets charged for the latest films to be shown?

Last time I investigated, it varied between 25% and 60% of the ticket sales (less VAT) subject to a minimum amount per film. The smaller the cinema, the higher the percentage charged. I seem to remember reading that Star Wars: The Phantom Menace charged something outrageous like 98% of ticket sales to have it in the first week of release!

It does make you realise why cinemas seemingly overcharge on food and drink, it's the only way they actually make any money.

Alrock

18-Jun-12, 14:00

Last time I investigated, it varied between 25% and 60% of the ticket sales (less VAT) subject to a minimum amount per film. The smaller the cinema, the higher the percentage charged. I seem to remember reading that Star Wars: The Phantom Menace charged something outrageous like 98% of ticket sales to have it in the first week of release!

It does make you realise why cinemas seemingly overcharge on food and drink, it's the only way they actually make any money.

Maybe a Parliamentary enquiry into the issue of charges to cinemas by the studios/distributors needs to be held & legislation passed to prevent the current profiteering going on in the film business...
They complain about piracy, lobby the government about it, government create policy on the back of that lobbying (bribes may or may not change hands), massage the figures (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood_accounting), yet they still make a substantial profits on what they produce.

If I had my way it would be a percentage of ticket sales with a guarantee of a minimal fee to cover the costs (not profit) of distribution. That way they won't make a loss but hopefully a small profit from the smaller rural cinemas. After all... A profit is a profit no matter how you look at it.

midi2304

18-Jun-12, 15:42

Maybe a Parliamentary enquiry into the issue of charges to cinemas by the studios/distributors needs to be held & legislation passed to prevent the current profiteering going on in the film business...
They complain about piracy, lobby the government about it, government create policy on the back of that lobbying (bribes may or may not change hands), massage the figures (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood_accounting), yet they still make a substantial profits on what they produce.

If I had my way it would be a percentage of ticket sales with a guarantee of a minimal fee to cover the costs (not profit) of distribution. That way they won't make a loss but hopefully a small profit from the smaller rural cinemas. After all... A profit is a profit no matter how you look at it.

I'm confused by this post because it makes absolutely zero sense. I have recently moved back to Caithness from Aberdeen and I LOVE going to the cinema. I probably go 5-6 times a month. I supported it when the All Star Factory was open before and I lived up there previously. I sincerely hope a viable business plan happens and it reopens and does well.

But what you are basically saying is that a profit-making organisation such as a film-distributor should be forced to take into account how rural a cinema is (less relevant these days with digital distribution) and ignore how well the cinema did previously? That is ridiculous. These are businesses, not charities. It's not reasonable to automatically expect a film distributor to somehow 'go easier' on Thurso or any other rural area just because of location. If the film distributors want to charge 98% on tickets and plenty of cinema chains are happy to pay that, where is the need for an enquiry? Legislation to stop film distributors taking advantage of supply and demand throughout the UK? What a lot of nonsense.

If you had it your way, you would run the business to make less profit overall to take into account rural areas such as Thurso. While that makes you an incredibly nice and generous person, it makes you a lousy businessman and one the shareholders may have some issue with.

What Caithness needs is a cinema which is run in such a way that it doesn't require Government funding or distribution leniancy to stand on its own two feet. Whether that be some of the other suggestions in this thread such as serving food / drink / showing sporting events / concerts / special offers / deals / whatever. I don't have the answers but I sure as hell don't expect that we should just moan about how businesses are making money down south at the expense of our location - these film distributors pay taxes to the Government which benefit the country and owe us nothing as little ol' Thurso.

Alrock

18-Jun-12, 17:22

But what you are basically saying is that a profit-making organisation such as a film-distributor should be forced to take into account how rural a cinema is (less relevant these days with digital distribution) and ignore how well the cinema did previously? That is ridiculous. These are businesses, not charities. It's not reasonable to automatically expect a film distributor to somehow 'go easier' on Thurso or any other rural area just because of location. If the film distributors want to charge 98% on tickets and plenty of cinema chains are happy to pay that, where is the need for an enquiry? Legislation to stop film distributors taking advantage of supply and demand throughout the UK? What a lot of nonsense.

If you had it your way, you would run the business to make less profit overall to take into account rural areas such as Thurso. While that makes you an incredibly nice and generous person, it makes you a lousy businessman and one the shareholders may have some issue with.

& that pretty nicely sums up the problems with today's world & the market economy... More, More, More, gimme more & sod everybody else... What's wrong with pricing things fairly so as to make a good living without the need to make excessive profit?

midi2304

18-Jun-12, 17:54

& that pretty nicely sums up the problems with today's world & the market economy... More, More, More, gimme more & sod everybody else... What's wrong with pricing things fairly so as to make a good living without the need to make excessive profit?

Ok so if we agree that the world is a bad place and these capitalist companies are so unfair, let's not rely on them or the Government bailing us out and make a cinema which can run on it's own two feet?

Alrock

18-Jun-12, 18:05

Ok so if we agree that the world is a bad place and these capitalist companies are so unfair, let's not rely on them or the Government bailing us out and make a cinema which can run on it's own two feet?

Sounds like a plan... We'll start by refusing to pay over inflated prices to the Hollywood movie machine. Plenty of other movie making out there just as good if not better than your average Hollywood blockbuster by numbers trash....
In fact, that is not a bad idea at all, make it more of an art-house movie theatre along the lines of the GFT (http://www.glasgowfilm.org/theatre/)

How we do what we do...

We take an up close and personal approach to our audiences, customers, communities and participants of our Learning programmes and projects and put these people at the heart of what we do. We listen to, respond to and work with our audiences ensuring that they know that we are here to deliver for them.

We are a not for profit organisation, linking people with world ideas through the power of cinema, promoting the cultural value of moving image work and the social benefits of collective experience of cinema, while not forgetting the magic of the movies. All profits are reinvested towards these aims. We are also a registered charity, and as such we need to raise financial support for our work. We also have a great board, staff and team of volunteers which helps us achieve these goals.

midi2304

18-Jun-12, 18:59

Sounds like a plan... We'll start by refusing to pay over inflated prices to the Hollywood movie machine. Plenty of other movie making out there just as good if not better than your average Hollywood blockbuster by numbers trash....
In fact, that is not a bad idea at all, make it more of an art-house movie theatre along the lines of the GFT (http://www.glasgowfilm.org/theatre/)

See I love the GFT and I also am a card-carrying member of the Picturehouse chain, of which the Belmont here in Aberdeen is superb. But if you think Thurso wants a place to watch arthouse movies over Hollywood blockbusters then you are definitely proving that you shouldn't be anywhere near this process.

tennents

22-Jun-12, 15:22

I would love for the cinema to come back up, I would defo go, I do think they should have a room in the afternoon of cartoons for the little ones, this way the older kids and adults can have a relaxing time at night or even in afternoon in a different room, I have a 1 year old who will be 2 in october and i would love to take her to the cinema but as all parents know kids wont sit still for 1 hour and half just to watch a film, This is why i am stating they should have a room with new disney films for kids in the afternoon. I would also like to go at night sometimes and spend time with my fiance and have a relaxing time watching a film,

Does anyone know if the bowling alley and the resturant will be re-opening or is it just the cinema?

I would love to go to the meeting tomorrow but due to me being ill at the present its best just to rest, but if i am feeling batter tomorrow then ill deo be there :)

I would also like to say Goodluck to the new owner and hope it is a big success :)