There was a time not too terribly long ago that going to the movies meant just that: movies, a plurality of film(s) that implied not just the collective, multiscreen theatre experience of current multiplexes but also the likelihood of catching a series of short subjects — newsreels, cartoons, previews — before the advertised feature began.
Those who miss those glory days — as well as those who missed them — should find a new project from the Regal Cinemas chain especially intriguing. Austin’s Regal Arbor 7 (10000 Research Blvd.) has committed to a brief trial run in which they will screen a total of 10 different short films before their regular feature films. Austin is a test market (the only test market, actually) for the program, which was conceived by the Portland, Ore.-based company film buyer Roger Paulson. Shorts getting a big-screen treatment is a rare thing, and Paulson wants to make sure the experiment works.
“We strove to select films that were captivating,” adds Paulson, “and yet not so involving that people might wonder what’s going on. In other words, if you came in a minute or two late, would this many any sense to you? At this stage in the test project, we don’t want to be confusing people.”
It’s unlikely that in such a film-friendly town as Austin anyone’s going to get up and walk out due to a little extra programming. If the experiment succeeds — and Regal executives will be on hand to determine just that — the chain will expand the program through their arthouse multiplexes nationwide.
This article appears in August 10 • 2001.