Exhibition has taken its knocks since Covid with chains big and small adding food, alcohol (often full bars) and tiered loyalty programs. Others are going further, and seeing results.
Dallas-based Cinergy Entertainment started an Axe Throwdown at its Tulsa, Oklahoma and Copperas Cove, Texas locations in 2022 so popular that it’s now vertical no. 2 on the company’s website after films — as in “Movies, Axe Throwing, Play, Parties, Private Events, Dining & Drinks, Specials, Elite Rewards & Fun Cards.” Play also includes a Virtual Reality Battle Area and an arcade.
“You and a group of friends, with the help of an “Axepert,” can enjoy the thrill of the axe wield and hitting a bull’s-eye! If you’ve got the chops, challenge yourselves with a variety of games such as tic-tac-toe, up the river, timber, and blackjack. Release your inner lumberjack! Book your event in person for ages 11 and up. Open daily, signup in-store, not available to reserve online,” the site says.
The “Axe Throwing area is kind of near the bar, actually,” said Cinergy’s marketing chief Traci Hanlon at SXSW — but the zones are fenced off and there are those ‘Axeperts’ overseeing things.
Hanlon was joined by Valarie Ricco, marketing director of Santikos Entertainment, and Andrew Thomas, managing partner of Moonstruck Drive-In. Bryan Braunlich of The Cinema Foundation, NATO’s nonprofit arm, moderated the convo called How Theatres are Eventizing the Moviegoing Experience.
Cinergy, founded by Jeff Benson and his wife, Jamie in 2009 after selling Movie Tavern, also has escape rooms and is adding pickleball.
San Antonio-based Santikos offers bowling at four locations, enticing fans with “an unparalleled experience, whether you’re hitting the lanes with friends or celebrating a special birthday. Immerse yourself in our cutting-edge facilities, featuring innovative designs and the latest technology to guarantee an unforgettable time. Join us for a round of bowling, which starts 30 minutes prior to the first showtime and continues until 30 minutes after the last showtime.”
Ricco says that play can account for about 20% of theater revenue with plenty of customers coming just to bowl. But many also stay for a movie and they have helped the chain see box office gains that outpace the national average.
Santikos has an unusual structure. When the founder of the family-run chain, real estate developer John Santikos, died in 2014, a charitable foundation was established at his bequest as a fund of the San Antonio Area Foundation. Its giving includes health and wellness, youth and education, arts and culture and people in need.
“We do community partnerships throughout the year. We work with local blood banks, local food banks. Most recently, we worked with local dry cleaners to encourage our moviegoers to donate new and gently used coats during the winter months,” Ricco said. “That’s a really special component of Santikos, in our mission, and how we connect with community. This year, we were able to donate over 6,000 coats [and] that gets around to your community.
The chain owns ten Santikos theaters and more recently acquired ten more still operating under The Grand Theatre and AmStar Cinemas brands.
Cinegy offers what it calls Sensory Friendly Screenings for free one Saturday a month. It presents a family friendly film in an auditorium dedicated to guests affected by autism and sensory sensitivities – meaning brightened light levels, reduced sound volume and room for guest interaction and movement.
“We’ve been doing it now for about at least three years and seen the attendance grow. We’ve had a lot of organizations super excited and supporting us.”
Cinergy also sponsors local toy and a food drives.
In Amarillo, the chain recently partnered with the Dallas Cowboys, showing the team’s Hall of Fame trailer outside on a big screens in the front of the theater for a “tailgate experience” with food trucks and prizes. “A lot of people came inside and they were like, ‘Oh, you guys have a really cool sports bar.’ And then see the movie posters, ‘Oh. you’re playing this movie?’. So really it brought a new crowd out … an additional audience for us.”
Loyalty programs include screenings, deals and exclusive events like breakfasts and, brunches, tarot card readings, regular slasher/horror film events. As with other chains, specific movies drive menus, cocktails and costumes. Santikos sometimes has a a local photo booth business set up shop in the lobby.
“I’ll ask this question, what is your best memory of going to see a movie?” said Thomas. “And everyone has one. And they can describe it in really great detail. And then I’ll ask, what is your greatest memory of streaming something at home? No one remembers anything … The experience itself is fairly forgettable, even if you enjoyed the movie.”
His Moonstruck Drive-In has one indoor theater as well as two open air locations in Houston and Austin. They serve tradition movie snacks but also feature a range of food trucks from local vendors on Friday and Saturday nights often with a menu item that reflects the theme of whatever the big movie of the weekend is. “We don’t have kitchens. We have to get a little bit creative.”
People go less frequently to drive-ins (except during Covid) which usually don’t have the most premium picture or sound. But the experience is still highly social. “We’ll have families come in three, four different cars and get together and set up in the middle. They get their yard games out and they invite other people to play, let their kids play together. It’s just a really different way to experience the movies. And I think we have a unique opportunity to eventize.”
“At our downtown [Houston] location, there is a great view that you get, the main screen and the skyline in the background. And everyone takes that picture every single time. They really want to do that. They want to engage that way,” said Thomas, who has also begun to distribute indie films.
“We’re starting to see a lot of drive-ins put in things like laser projection. That brightens the image a lot, which is a huge when you’re dealing with ambient light. There are all sorts of advances that are going on and they make me excited. Because what we do see from customer feedback is they notice these things and they appreciate them.”
