Sorry if this has been answered or posted:
I have seen quite a few posts on here in regards to people wanting to "re-release" movies such as OUATITW and OUATIA so that they can see their favorite film up on the big screen. I have heard a lot of back and forth on how this is done, and I figure it would be best to tell how I did it.
Back in 2003 (I was 25 at the time) my friends and I were talking about how the best way to truly experience a Leone film was up on the big screen from a real print. So I looked into it and it is quite easy (albeit expensive), so I decided to do it. Here's what I did.
I went to a few of my favorite theaters (not-multiplexes, but smaller theaters that show smaller releases) and asked if any of them offered the option of renting out the theater. Most of the ones I went to in-fact did. These rentals were offered mainly for birthday parties and for corporate parties and events where people can show whatever movie is currently in-house at the theater. But they did offer an option to rent films from the distributors as well.
Since there had recently been the small revival at film festivals for The Good The Bad and The Ugly, I wanted to get my hands on the "Restored" version and watch it on the big screen. So I called the company that does all of the booking for the theaters (the local bay area one here is called: "Private Screenings"
http://www.cameracinemas.com/privscreen.shtml) and they laid out the different options. Basically how much you pay is based on a few things:
1) The day you rent the theater on - it is cheaper on non-popular days. E.G. It is better to rent the theater on a Wednesday than a Friday night.
2) The movie you are renting.
3) How many people are coming.
So I chose their option that allowed for 50 people (everyone gets a wristband/sticker for admittance into the theater) with unlimited popcorn and soda. This meant that I was given 50 tickets to hand out (or sell - which i was told was legal) and those tickets granted whomever held one as many trips for popcorn and soda as they desired during the film. The cost of this package was about $900. Then came the cost of the film rental. I was told that older films have a flat range of rental fee, and was told that something like GBU would be between $150 and $400 max to rent. Lucky for me, the rental of the restored version was $250. So in total the presentation of the film was around $1150.
Here is the downside: Most theaters require the renter to cover liability insurance. Liability insurance in CA can be covered by home-owners insurance (and renters insurance as well) as an added-on premium, but I did not have home-owners insurance at the time. Based on the number of people in the theater, the liability coverage amount was 1-Million dollars. AS crazy as it sounds, the cost for a 1 Million dollar liability premium for one night is only around $18-30. But, since I didnt have insurance, I had to take out a policy for one evening. This was a pain in the butt to get (especially on short notice) and it ended up costing me $500 to insure the place for one evening. So now my presentation of GBU was at $1650 !!
Long story short, I did not sell tickets, I only invited friends of mine who were interested in the movie, and I created high-quality programmes for the evening with film facts, adverts for other Leone movies, and little mini "Wanted" posters of the three main characters. We had pizza served in the theater, and the theater was gracious enough to play my Morricone mix CD throughout the theater's sound system (you know, the music you hear while waiting for movies to start) for the evening. Needless to say, it was awesome, especially for those who had only seen pan and scan versions on TV all their lives (we were a young crowd there that night- with only one or two people who were even alive when the film was originally released).
So I hope this clears up any questions people have of what it takes to get a movie back in the theaters for a night. If you have any questions, let me know.
Thanks
