MOVIE THEATERS: What gets screen play?

Sun | T.G.I.F.

* Money is the easy answer to why we get the movies we do. But it involves a complicated mix of studio requirements, distribution rules and consumer tastes.

Where will the breathlessly awaited new "Star Wars" movie land May 19 in Kitsap County? Will "Life is Beautiful" ever return after its Academy Award success? Why did "8mm" have such a short life in local theaters?

Money is the short answer to the question, "Why do movies play where they do?"

The long answer is more complicated because the movie distribution business is complicated.

There are three big players. The studios own the movies, and they call most of the shots.

Their guiding mantra: "Where are we going to play the film to generate the maximum amount of revenue?" So said Bruce Goodnow, a film booker with Northwest Diversified Entertainment of Seattle.

For example, studios set opening dates for calculated reasons. "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace" will open on a Wednesday instead of the usual Friday to attract fanatic fans early so they don't crowd out families on the weekend. 20th Century Fox also will determine whether the potential blockbuster of the decade opens in a single tidal wave across the country or rolls in city-by-city slow motion.

The studios place their movies through a one-title-per-territory system. Each territory is based roughly on population and explains why Kitsap Mall Cinemas and Silverdale Cinemas never show the same title at the same time.

"Studios don't want to split the take between two theaters," Goodnow said.

West Sound has at least five distinct territories: South Kitsap-Port Orchard, Bremerton-Silverdale, Poulsbo, Bainbridge Island and Port Townsend.

So why is there so much repetition in the titles, even though the number of Kitsap County screens has jumped by 15 in the past three months?

"The No. 1 factor is if the studios think they'll make money," Goodnow said. As a result, movies go where the success is.

Kitsap County must love teen movies and retro comedies because "10 Things I Hate About You" opened in three locations Wednesday while "The Out-of-Towners" stakes out four theaters.

But what a difference an age group can make. Teen flicks are notorious for flaming out fast, while adult comedies often build on gradual word-of-mouth.

Some movies, however, will never reach certain theaters. Rocky Friedman, principal owner and manager of Port Townsend's two-screen Rose Theatre, won't book movies with gratuitous violence because his audiences won't stand for it.

And Jeff Brein, co-owner of Bainbridge Cinemas and former promoter at The Walt Disney Co., doesn't see a market for action flicks with Jackie Chan with his audiences from Bainbridge Island and North Kitsap.

To predict box-office success, studios use the whole range of modern marketing tools. They assemble focus groups, they take surveys, they look at box-office history with similar films. If "Lethal Weapon" was a winner in Silverdale, for example, the sequels probably were, too.

Technical quality also is critical to many studios. What's the point of spending money on expensive sound and special effects if the audience can't see and hear them?

Some studios are pickier and some honchos with clout are fanatic. "Star Wars"filmmaker George Lucas demands that theaters showing his films have his state-of-the-art sound system.

Finally, the studios set the rental price. Deals for opening dates of first run movies - like this week's "The Matrix" - usually give the studio 75 percent of the box office take and the theater 25 percent. Over time, the theater earns more of the take.

The rental fee drops for second-run houses like the Plaza Twin and Charleston Cinema. The studio controls the entire life of the movie as it moves to foreign sales, video release, television pay-per-view and network broadcast.

For example, Plaza Twin never shows Warner Brothers films because the studio's Northwest office has a no-second-run-house policy. So like most smaller, independent owners, Robert Geiger depends on a booking agency to negotiate with studios.

The bookers are the vital but invisible partner in the business triangle. They negotiate between studios and theater owners to make the most money for everyone.

Plaza Twin and Bainbridge Cinemas have little wiggle room and tend to run their booker's weekly picks.

Friedman, on the other hand, has a lot of freedom. He insists on previewing every movie he shows, as provided by Washington state law.

"I see my customers all the time and I'm stopped in the frozen food aisle of the supermarket," he said about his high-profile-in-a-small-town situation.

"I look for things that are original, interesting, that a large part of the population will be drawn to and that I like.

"Unfortunately, I won't open the new 'Star Wars' in May because they're demanding an eight-week commitment."

At the other extreme, nationwide movie chains like Regal and General Cinema Theatres deal directly with the studios and dictate what goes into their far-flung theaters. Managers of local chain theaters have little or no say over what plays.

"The booking is totally out of my hands," said Don Christner, former manager of Silverdale Cinema and current manager of the new Poulsbo Cinema 10.

But the path to grossing capability is not scientific.

"It's kind of like the stock market," Brein said. "If you knew the answer you'd be king of the world. But you have to go with your gut."

Reach reporter Deborah Woolston at (360) 792-9218 or