Narnia,Math and Crosspoint

So apparently the motion picture studio is the tail that wags the theater dog.  Our theater has mandatory showtimes for Chronicles of Narnia starting at 9:15 Sunday morning.  They will also have a 9:45 show along with early showtimes for 21 and Horton Hears a who. 

So we are jacked up in the lobby and our kids ministry which meets in the hallways and one of the theaters they'll show Narnia in.  We dont mind working around the theater's business - after all we are their guests.  But its really dumb because the people most likely to see Chronicles of Narnia are Christian families.  Guess where they are on Sunday Morning? In Church!  We will have more people in the theater in church Sunday than they will have for the combined showing of all the morning movies.

Here's why it's dumb.  If what usually happens when they do this holds true - they will have about 10 people MAX at all the shows.  So for a matinée price they rake in a total of $65.00 in ticket sales.  Add to that 10 popcorn's and drinks (who eats popcorn at 9:15 in the morning?) - lets say they rake in another $100.00 in concessions.  It takes a manager and 4 people to run the place.  At $7.00 per hour average wage for the extra 4 hours they have to be there the labor cost is $140.00.  Assuming they net $1.00 per ticket which is unlikely they lose $30.00 to be open for the early shows.

Somewhere a bean counter failed to count the fact that showing movies in a small town in the bible belt on Sunday is not good business.  We still have blue laws that keep retail stores closed (really its just tradition these days) so people are not accustom to movies starting at 9 in the morning.

But Crosspoint will be showing at 10 in the biggest auditorium - and we'll be moving the kids around and changing our lobby experience - but church will go on and it will be AWESOME so dont miss it!