Right after this morning’s 10 a.m. Ratatouille screening at the Arclight, I slipped into the theatre across the hall playing Evan Almighty. It’s tanking in relation to expectations, but I wanted to see for myself how many bodies were inside. There were ten people in the seats — a family of five, a couple, and three singles. Holy shit, I said to myself.
I went out and asked a female usher, “If a film is doing pretty well on its opening weekend, how many people usually show up for the first show of the day on Saturday?” The 11 am show, I explained. The first Saturday show draws about 50 or 60 people, she replied. For a first-weekend film that’s doing well, she meant. Of course, a theatre located on Hollywood and Cahuenga isn’t going to draw many Christian red-state types, and the Arclight’s prices are probably going to scare off parents with big families. Still…