IF YOU see me this week running around Grounds, covering my ears and humming loudly, don't be alarmed. I'm not crazy; I just haven't seen The Matrix Revolutions yet. You see, I can't afford to risk accidentally overhearing someone talk about the plot, and I'm willing to take any precaution necessary to avoid prematurely spoiling my movie-going experience. Of course, this doesn't entirely explain my behavior. If I care so much about the final installment in the Wachowski brothers' trilogy, why haven't I already bought a ticket to it? The answer is simple. I live in Charlottesville.
Many University students should be able to relate to my plight, as it can be quite a daunting task to get to the theaters in this town on the opening weekend of an anticipated film before tickets sell out. New releases generally only appear at one of the city's movie theaters, and they typically aren't shown on more than one screen. This often creates a frustrating scenario, in which a drive down Route 29 to catch the latest blockbuster ends in disappointment. Even in the face of these cinema inconveniences, however, students should refrain from becoming overly angry. The movie theater situation in Charlottesville is simply a natural consequence of a small city economy.
The many residents of Northern Virginia and Richmond who attend the University are always quick to point out that, where they live, people can pick from more than one theater to see a given movie. The inability to do this in Charlottesville is frequently described as unfair, and it has even given rise to speculations that the local City Council has passed an ordinance banning multiple theaters from showing the same first-run films. In reality, neither of these assertions is accurate.
The Charlottesville Code of Ordinances contains no restrictions on the screening of specific movies. The only parties involved in deciding which movies show at which locations are the studios that make those movies and the theaters that run them. Ever since the Supreme Court decided the landmark Paramount case, which broke up vertical integration in the motion picture industry in the 1940s, studios and theaters have dealt with each other as independent entities in bringing films to the big screen.
Studios have the final say as to who can show their films, requiring theaters to engage in a competitive bidding process for the rights to do so. The studios have an interest in brokering deals that award them a high percentage of ticket revenue, and the theaters have a greater incentive to agree to these deals if they involve a chance to exclude other venues in town from showing the same movie. In a relatively small population area like Charlottesville, this often results in only one area theater carrying each release. In more metropolitan areas, it is conceivable that studios and theaters could take advantage of larger potential audiences and maximize their profits by allowing the same movie to show at multiple theaters, but such factors do not come into play in Charlottesville.
There are advantages to having movies appear on only one screen in Charlottesville, even if they aren't readily apparent. Tastes vary from person to person, and people like myself can't expect everyone else to share their love for the exploits of Neo and Trinity. The more one film dominates the screens in a particular area, the lower the total number of movies that can be shown. Many students already complain about not having certain movies come to Charlottesville, and the problem would only be extended if the same movies showed up in every theater. Again, the presence of lower profile films is a luxury afforded to more highly populated areas due to their greater base of potential ticket buyers.
This is not to say that it is hopeless to improve the availability of movies in Charlottesville. A large multiplex would be a welcome addition to the community, and it could prove to be a financial success even within the confines of a small city market. If the people of my hometown of Harrisonburg, which could be described as Charlottesville Junior, can support a 14-screen theater, so could those who reside here. A multiplex would attract the many University students who currently avoid seeing movies in Charlottesville in order to enjoy the comforts of more upscale theaters at home.
Despite its many charms, the city of Charlottesville won't appear on any rankings of the best places to see a movie anytime soon. Even so, no one should be overly critical in addressing that fact. Charlottesville cannot be expected to resemble a large city, as it undoubtedly bears the characteristics of a small one.
(Chris Kiser's column appears Thursdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at ckiser@cavalierdaily.com.)
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