Guzzo threatened with eviction from Marché Central
Cinémas Guzzo is being threatened with eviction from its premises in the Marché Central, after renegotiating its terms during the long fallow period of pandemic lockdown.
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steph 13:40 on 2024-03-14 Permalink
Guzzo theaters don’t sell movie tickets online. In person, the interact/cc machines are often down and they only accept cash. It can’t be a model for success (or have other financial creditors also cut them off?)
It’s documented that back in 2013 Mr Guzzo was meeting Applebaum at mafia frequented restaurant La Cantina. I’m not saying anything this means anything.
But generally, the pandemic affected many sectors. I’m not surprised that going to the movies is also taking a hit. Many people can afford a big screen TV at home.
Kate 14:59 on 2024-03-14 Permalink
I haven’t been to a cinema since some time before the pandemic began. I found the general lack of civility among the moviegoing public was too distracting and, eventually, annoying.
CE 15:33 on 2024-03-14 Permalink
I really enjoy going to the movies and go a few times a month. I definitely find more civility at the independent cinemas (du Parc, Beaubien, Moderne) than at the big chains. I’ve never been to a Guzzo but a friend went recently and said it was noisy (although, he’s pretty neurotic about noise in general so I take when he says with a grain of salt).
I find that when I go to a Cineplex, I often nearly have the whole room to myself. It’s nice because there’s less incivility but also concerning for the future of being able to see movies in cinemas.
GC 16:24 on 2024-03-14 Permalink
I think I’ve only been to a Guzzo once, with family from the South Shore. Not out of bias against the chain, but just because of where they are. When you live and work in the core, with no car, I don’t think any of them are very conveniently located. I gather they usually come with a big footprint, however, so that’s probably why there isn’t one downtown. The ones along the 40 are kind of hard to miss when you’re on it.
It seems crazy to me that they still don’t sell tickets online, though.
CE 17:39 on 2024-03-14 Permalink
I think the reason cinemas discourage buying tickets online is that it’s not really in their best interest for you to buy a ticket and then not show up. Cinemas make the vast majority of their money from concessions, not ticket sales so if a showing sells out, its much better for them to have 200 people show up, buy their tickets on site and then buy concessions than to sell 200 tickets, have 185 people show up and then lose those 15 potential concession tickets.
Also, if you look online and the movie you want to see is sold out, you’ll just do something else whereas if you show up to the cinema, see that the movie you want to see is sold out, you’ll probably buy a ticket for something else since you’re already there. These are just my theories that I came up with when I saw that Cineplex charges a fee to buy tickets online (which isn’t charged if you buy them on site).
Kate 18:06 on 2024-03-14 Permalink
Sometimes I miss the days of repertory cinema, but I don’t miss the conversations, the phone use, the crinkling and crackling of other people’s snacks. Say what you like about old Serge Losique, he banned food from screenings at his film festival.
GC 19:51 on 2024-03-14 Permalink
Those are great points, CE, and you’re probably right. Clearly it’s working for them, or they’d switch things up.
I mostly buy in advance so I don’t have to line up to buy a ticket. I’m already probably going to have to line up to get my ticket scanned, so I’d rather save one line. Also, now that so many cinemas allow you to choose seats it’s good to lock those in and then not worry about showing up early. But, in line with what you say, the customers showing up early just increases the chances that they’ll buy food–and gives the cinema more time to bombard them with ads for that food, as well.
I can live with snack sounds, Kate, but it just floors me when people leave their ringers on and sometimes even answer calls. SIGH. Or even just start fiddling with some phone app while their screen is very bright.
Ian 09:32 on 2024-03-15 Permalink
I stopped going to cinemas almost at the same time that they started selling those meat nachos that smell like hot cat food. Kind of ruins the experience.
Vazken 19:48 on 2024-03-15 Permalink
Things cannot be going well over there as they still have posters on the billboards outside for movies from 2022, also one of the IMAX screens has a tear in it, makes it look super ghetto