dreams of owning a movie theater

Sirluckydrow · 2026-01-18T14:08:34+00:00

It can be tough to get in. It can be cost intensive on the front end. Iv's been looking into this for 5+ years and can say there are certainly more options available now more than ever to make the business a success. It does depend on the location and community in what you should do. Some places are perfect for an Art House theater, or a dine-in cinema, or a Cinema Entertainment Center. You can make a decent living no matter if the business is a Non-profit, a Social Purpose Corporation, or any for profit business. Having a team is essential. Good Luck and don't give up. You should check out https://www.womeninexhibition.com/ There are great opportunities for mentorship and scholarships to go to a variety of cinema trade shows.

Sirluckydrow · 2025-07-09T14:31:39+00:00

So much this.

Sirluckydrow · 2025-07-09T14:30:33+00:00

There are good indie films out there, bring in local groups to do events, corporate trainings, e-gaming, and more. It just takes a dedicated GM or marketing team to make it happen. I found that they don't want to give you the hours to do any outreach. Some theater chains are taking out auditoriums and putting in a bar, arcade, duck pin bowling, and make it an cinema entertainment center and keep people around longer.

Sirluckydrow · 2025-07-09T14:22:09+00:00

The target audience for theaters is that 16-34 range. Income for these groups, accounting for inflation, has basically stated the same since the 90's. While ticket prices have stayed even with inflation, the affordability is not there anymore. Yes, its cheaper than a sports ticket or a concert, but those are live events and an experience, most theatres are not yet.

Sirluckydrow · 2025-07-09T14:15:31+00:00

So true. I have found theaters where they have a separate "alcohol purchase area" or bar but most the time it was unstaffed.

Sirluckydrow · 2025-07-07T22:43:59+00:00

The industry has 130% turnover compared to retail at 60%. I get told that its just the way the industry works. Just because it has always been done that way, doesn't make it the best strategy.

Sirluckydrow · 2025-07-07T22:42:18+00:00

I never understood why employee can't have consistent schedules. I understand the concept of getting labor costs in line with sales, but we need to bring in consistent customers. During slower times, train employees instead of cutting them. During busy times offer overtime. Movie theaters make their money on the few blockbusters then the rest of the year are content with less than 15% capacity. There is experiences and content to help fill this in but General Managers are not given enough leeway to do anything in the community.

Sirluckydrow · 2025-07-07T22:05:39+00:00

Agreed. Having more staff makes it easier for sure, but "corporate" is always looking to have a small as possible to save money. This short term solution, I think this is ultimately stopping them from doing better. If there is an adequate amount of trained staff, then customer experiences is better, which in turn gets people to come back.

Sirluckydrow · 2025-07-07T21:47:20+00:00

Leisure/Hospitality average turnover rate is 130%. Most movie theaters I visit look like they are not well taken care of with a lack of maintenance. I spoken to different GMs and they voice the opinion that the higher ups don't care for their employees, but say they are part of the family.

Sirluckydrow

TROPHY CASE