First-run chains battle for Springfield moviegoers' dollars

With the recent downtown arrival of Hollywood Theaters, Springfield now has 38 screens featuring first-run movies, and competitor Dickinson Theatres is promising to open the city's first IMAX theater early next year.

Some may be wondering if a city of 150,000 is large enough to keep hundreds of seats filled in dozens of darkened theaters, but movie-industry aficionado Robert Bucksbaum said the three chains should be able to compete comfortably.

"Springfield is a town where people are going to go see a lot of movies," said Bucksbaum, who owns California-based film industry research firm Exhibitor Relations Co. "It's not like in Los Angeles, where there's a million different things to do."

Bucksbaum said local flick lovers are sitting pretty with Hollywood Theaters' investment, in addition to upgrades at Dickinson's Springfield 8 Theatre and Campbell 16 Ciné, owned by St. Louis-based Wehrenberg Theatres. Some cities aren't so fortunate, he said.

"It seems like you guys are pretty lucky in that area to have three theater chains that are in the forefront of giving the local patrons the best theater experience," Bucksbaum said. "There are a lot of theater chains that will rely on their existing structures, and people are stuck there because there's no other option."

Officials with Overland Park, Kan.-based Dickinson told Springfield Business Journal in June that the chain planned to spend $3 million on a 7,000-square-foot, 475-seat IMAX theater at Springfield 8. Renovations to the existing theater will include stadium seating in the two largest auditoriums as well as a remodeled lobby.

Wehrenberg also has enhanced the movie-watching experience for its Springfield patrons, said spokeswoman Kelly Hoskins. One of the screens at Campbell 16 has been equipped with Real D 3-D technology and some of its larger auditoriums now boast digital projection, she said. The theater also has expanded its concession offerings to include pizza, hamburgers and chicken strips.

Another sign that Springfield has earned its place on the movie map is the fact that Hollywood Theaters is now the ninth largest theater chain with more than 500 screens at theaters in 15 states, Guam, Grand Cayman, Saipan and American Samoa. Hollywood, which has theaters in Joplin, Columbia and Rolla, also is one of the youngest and fastest-growing chains, Bucksbaum noted.

"They've only been around since 1991," he said. "They've basically come out of nowhere."

Hollywood opened the College Station Stadium 14 on Nov. 7 at 415 W. College St. in downtown Springfield. Spokeswoman Heather Wright said in an e-mail that the chain is pleased with early attendance figures, but she declined to provide revenue or attendance projections for the theater's first year.

Despite the presence of two first-run competitors and The Palace, a low-price, second-run theater, as well as The Moxie Cinema, an independent downtown theater that is scheduled to reopen Nov. 26 in Wilhoit Plaza with two screens, Hollywood officials remain confident in their local offerings, according to Wright.

College Station Stadium 14 has replaced Campbell 16 as the most expensive theater in Springfield, with adult admission for daily shows after 6 p.m. clocking in at $9. Campbell 16 charges $8.75, and Springfield 8 charges $8.50 for evening shows. All three offer matinee deals.

"We believe the discerning audience of Springfield won't mind spending the extra quarter to see a film in our brand-new, state-of-the-art location," Wright wrote.

The average U.S. ticket price to see a movie in 2007 was $6.88, according to statistics maintained by the National Association of Theatre Owners, a Washington, D.C.-based trade association.

On the high end is Los Angeles, where matinee pricing is almost extinct, and movie tickets go for as much as $12 apiece, Bucksbaum said.

Springfield moviegoers looking to catch the latest film releases on the big screen now have more options than ever, and Bucksbaum said he expects Springfield's first-run theaters to hone in on their target demographics.

"It's a weird industry," he said. "You'd think these theaters would be so competitive with each other, but it's almost like they all have their own niche."

Hollywood's Wright said the new theater already is attracting college students, and Hoskins said Wehrenberg, which was put up for sale in December 2007 and then taken off the market within a matter of months, relies heavily on its "family flavor." Company officials were concerned that prospective buyers might not carry on the family-owned chain's legacy, she said.

"We're excited that we have competition in the marketplace," Hoskins said, referring to Hollywood. "What we've seen so far is the new theater has grown the market, which is so good for movie-going. Springfield deserves options for entertainment, because the movie audience there has so many tastes. It's quite a wonderful market."