Closed movie theaters in Indianapolis

You’ve probably all heard about this nonsense by now... okay, maybe it’s not total nonsense... but the staff at the local movie theater in Indianapolis haven't seen a paycheck in three and a half months, so they're officially going on strike—just 14 days before the final installment of Star Wars drops. 😠 😠 😠 😠 😠 😠 😠 😠

I mean, I'm honestly pretty ticked off because this just isn't fair. And it's not even just about me—think about how many people are going to be bummed out when they realize they can't catch the last part of SW on the big screen. Some will try to find bootleg copies, others will just wait for it to hit streaming, and some will wait until it finally lands on cable. About a month before the strike kicked off, the High School for Business actually started a campaign to save the cinema since theaters have been seeing such a massive drop in attendance over the last six months (I remember one of the first screenings of The Aviator had only 22 people in seats!). Now, everyone is just crossing their fingers and praying the theaters stay open until that famous May 19th date...
🙂

Sad this is actually sad news. 😢
I mean, why isn't anyone hitting up the movie theaters in Indianapolis? Is there an actual reason—like the equipment is outdated or the buildings are just falling apart... 😕

Jeremy Bishop5 said:Most of you probably heard about this absolute nonsense... actually, maybe it isn't just nonsense... the staff at the local cinema in Indianapolis haven't seen a paycheck in three and a half months, so they decided to go on strike—just 14 days before the final installment of Star Wars hits theaters...😠 😠 😠 😠 😠 😠 😠 😠

Honestly, I'm losing my mind here. It’s just not right. And it’s not just about me—think about how many people are going to be screwed because they won't be able to catch the last Star Wars movie on the big screen. Some will end up buying bootleg copies, others will just wait for it to hit streaming, and some will hold out until it's on cable. A month before this strike even started, the High School for Business in Indianapolis launched a campaign to save the theaters because attendance had been cratering for six months straight (I mean, there were only 22 people at one of the early screenings of The Aviator). Now, everyone is just crossing their fingers and praying the theaters stay open until that big May 19th date...
🙂

I had absolutely no idea this was happening until now... man, what a backwater town we live in.😢

Not really... both theaters actually underwent renovations about a year ago... I honestly have NO CLUE!!!
😕 😕 😕

In Indianapolis, there are tons of people who just pirate movies for $20 $10 ...selling them under the table. Maybe that’s part of the problem. 😕
They were planning on opening a smaller multiplex over at our local Walmart, but it looks like those plans totally fell through. 👎 👎

Jeremy Bishop5 said:...they've decided to go on strike—just 14 days before the third Star Wars installment drops...

Pathetic, really—absolute bottom-feeders. Disgraceful.🙂

Sandra King86 said:It’s sad news. 😢
But why aren't people going to the movies in Indianapolis? I mean, is there an actual reason—bad equipment, maybe the building is falling apart or something? 😕

The truth is, going to the theater just isn't what it used to be, and frankly, Indianapolis is a dead end when it comes to nightlife or anything remotely entertaining.

That brings up the question of why things work differently in New York City. In NYC, hitting the cinema is actually part of the whole "going out" ritual. Take AMC Theatres, for example; it functions as a social hub where you go to see and be seen. It’s a magnet for everyone from local celebrities to just regular crowds, offering all these extra amenities. The movie itself becomes almost secondary to the experience. At the end of the day, it doesn't even matter what's playing on the screen; the main point is simply being at AMC Theatres...

I mean, I guess that's part of why theaters here have been struggling... back in the day, it was just—you show up, grab your ticket, get some popcorn and a soda, sit down, watch the movie, and then you're out! 👎

There weren't really any cool perks, like those early morning discounts for kids (I mean, they happened once in a while, but not often), or special screenings, or loyalty cards and stuff like that... 😢

🙏 ---- But hey, I'm still rooting for them to reopen before Star Wars hits (which will probably happen anyway), since they've taken down every single poster except for Star Wars and Kingdom of Heaven... who knows... 😕 😕

Richard Howard2 said:Because going to the movies isn't the big thing it used to be—plus, Indianapolis is basically a ghost town when it comes to nightlife and anything fun.

That brings up a good point about why things are different in New York City... since hitting the theater is actually part of the whole night out ritual there. Take AMC Theatres, for example—it’s really just a spot where you go to see and be seen before heading out, a magnet for all kinds of people, famous or otherwise, especially with all the extra stuff they have there. Going to the movie itself is almost secondary... it's more about being at AMC...

I also think the issue with places like Indianapolis is that kids (everyone under 18) would much rather hang out at the local bar than a theater. It's kind of a local culture thing too—and no, I don't mean culture in that sense.

I don't know enough about Indianapolis to start guessing, though. Saying that Indianapolis is "a dead city when it comes to nightlife and entertainment" is just a fact. But what's actually driving that?

For those of you living out there, what's your take on all this?

Sandra King86 said:What do those of you living there actually think about all this?

I don't live there, yet I still have an opinion on the whole thing... is that allowed? 😁😁

Jose Miller17 said:I don't even live there, yet I can't stop thinking about all of this... is that even possible? 😁😁

Totally. 😁
Welcome back 😘

Sandra King86 said:Sure 😁
Welcome back 😘

..if anyone actually bothers to wait for you, then sure, welcome back...😍..
...
As for that take... it just shows how much the film industry is moving forward while we're stuck in neutral. Movies are basically just profit margins and popcorn flicks now. The audience is getting younger, and actual film culture is just dying out along the way... New York City is probably the only place left trying to keep up.

Jose Miller17 said:..if someone’s actually waiting for you, they'll welcome you back with open arms...😍..

Always. 😁 😍

regarding that view... it's just how it goes—the film industry keeps moving forward while we're stuck in the mud... movies are basically just pure profit and entertainment now, the audience is getting younger, and all that deep film culture and old-school habits just got lost along the way... New York City is pretty much the only place that actually adapted...

What's the vibe like in California or Florida regarding that...

Sandra King86 said:Always!

😍 😍 😍...
...
Oh right... um... I'm not sure about Florida... there haven't been any theaters in my area for ages... in Los Angeles there are four... and honestly, maybe only two of them are actually worth my time...😁😁...they say something new is being built though... supposedly next year.

Two years ago 😁😁

Jose Miller17 said:...😁😁...they're saying something new is getting built... supposedly next year.

two years ago 😁😁

😂

Honestly, without private ownership and some decent old-school entrepreneurship, there’s just no progress—no real prosperity. It's like, if everyone owns it, then nobody actually cares about it.

Check this out (original poster):

....employees at the Indianapolis AMC Theatres haven't seen a paycheck in three and a half months

Unbelievable. Just inhuman. Total business suicide.

Sandra King86 said:😂
I honestly believe you can't have progress or prosperity without private ownership and some old-school entrepreneurship. If everything belongs to the government, then nobody actually owns anything.
Look at this guy (the OP):
Incomprehensible. Inhuman. Business suicide.

...so if you're talking about China being privatized...it’s all still owned by the same entity...why would they bother trying to outdo themselves? It's not like they have a split personality...😁😁

Jose Miller17 said:...so, sure, say China was privatized...but if one guy owns everything anyway...why bother trying to outdo himself...it’s not even a split personality issue...😁😁

I'm honestly dying to see his business plan 🤣
Such a reckless, predatory way to handle an investment—just wild... 🙂

And what about the competition?

Sandra King86 said:I'm just curious about his take. A business plan is basically just a fancy way of saying you have a dream, but you're trying to pretend it's a math equation. It’s like telling your parents you’re going to be a rock star while you're actually just staring at a guitar in your garage. 🤣
What an incredibly reckless way to handle an investment. Just brilliant. 🙂
And what happened to the competition?

A business plan? Please. That’s just a fancy way of saying you have a dream and a spreadsheet that won't actually come true. 😁😁...
Give me a break. It's not even a rip-off. Ticket prices actually match what you're getting for the money... $16 and you're in. $6.75..😁They even have a subwoofer in one of the halls—if you can even call it that. It looks like an old fridge and sounds exactly the same.😁😁You’d actually love it if you came out here. You just don't have anything like this back home.😁
...
Competition? Once they finally figure out what that word actually means, they'll be busy learning a new one: bankruptcy.😁

Just like I mentioned over in the Star Wars thread—if you look at the numbers for the first quarter of this year, ticket sales in American theaters have plummeted by about 70% compared to the same stretch last year (back when we actually had heavy hitters like LOTR and Passion on the big screen).

Here’s why I think this is happening:
Digital piracy is everywhere (especially since being located near the border with Mexico makes it a total haven for DVD pirates), and the laws surrounding it are practically nonexistent.
Going to the movies has become way too expensive.
The technology in our theaters is seriously outdated; it feels like nobody has bothered to invest a single dime into upgrading the equipment in twenty years or more.
The management at most cinema locations is just unprofessional.
There’s zero coordination among the theater chains.
Distributors are constantly at odds with one another, mostly because they're only looking out for their own short-term profits.
Government agencies are incredibly sluggish (it took them forever to finally strip the sales tax from movie tickets, only for Bishop to step in with this rigid idea to slap a one-dollar tax back on every ticket, supposedly to fund indie films and non-Hollywood distribution 🙄).
...

Look, I’ve gotta side with Richard Hernandez13 on this one...

It’s just pathetic. Back in Indianapolis, going to the movies felt so easy—just a chill, low-key little theater... but honestly, "chill and low-key" doesn't cut it anymore. And I don't think even cheaper tickets would save it. I still remember those crowds standing out in the rain just waiting for tickets to *The Lord of the Rings*... even after they hiked up the prices! It’s just a mindset issue, really. I’ve always had this craving for those late-night screenings, you know? Something kind of off the record, showing the old classics... like, I'd give anything for a whole week dedicated to Sergio Leone. My absolute dream is to see all those cult classics on the big screen... but man, life happens.

Damn, looks like I'll have to trek all the way to Washington, D.C. if I want to hit a cinema...🙄

The real issue with the movie theaters in Indianapolis is just plain old bad management.
It’s all political appointments... people who don't have a clue about cinema or how to actually run a business.
The folks running the local spots here act like it's still the 1990s—they swap out the schedule on Thursday, slap some new posters on the window, and call it a day. That's it. That's their whole job description.
That just doesn't fly anymore. Running a theater is a real job, a legitimate business. I mean, just look at how AMC Theatres does things.
And honestly, these Indy theaters don't even have a website... so what are we even talking about here? It's hopeless.
A friend of mine, he runs a really successful company, went to talk to one of the directors about running ads before the films start. She told him straight up they couldn't do it because they didn't have the technical setup to make it happen.
The whole thing is just absurd...
There are a million little moves you could make right from the jump that would turn these places profitable pretty fast.
For two theaters in a city of over 100,000 people to be failing this hard... it's just notorious stupidity.
Of course they can succeed, they just have to actually work. Seriously work. Offer something fresh, offer something more.
And like most things, you don't need to reinvent the wheel. It's all pretty obvious... you just look at how theaters operate over in Europe (you could just use AMC Theatres as an example), tweak it a bit to fit our local vibe, and the profits will follow.