Cape West 14 Cine's manager juggles schedules, auditoriums

There's no business like show business, and Kevin Dillon knows shows.

The manager of Wehrenberg 14 Cine in Cape Girardeau has worked in various movie houses for the past 29 years. But just like most people, he says Mondays are the hardest.

Between coordinating the week's bookings with his film buyer in St. Louis, ordering necessary promotional materials and scheduling, it's his most hectic day.

"It's more of an office day," he said, as opposed to Fridays, which are when he usually debuts movies.

Dillon said in a year, Wehrenberg 14 Cine shows about 150 wide releases as well as a fluctuating array of limited releases.

Dillon says this week’s premiere of “Gone Girl” will be a “big event” for his business.

"Wide releases are the ones that open up all over the country," he explained. "But for every two wide releases, there are five to six limited releases -- things that only come out in the larger metropolitan areas like New York and Los Angeles."

His buyer is in charge of what movies the cinema will show. But Dillon said in the end, it's a business; the movies that get chosen are the ones that will make money.

"But all movies are different products," he said. "They all open differently."

He said one of the most important parts of his job is discerning which movie to put in which theater.

With 2,212 total seats in screens ranging from 112 to 270 in capacity, it's a lot like tiddlywinks: The object is to get as close to capacity as possible. He tries to avoid selling out or leaving empty seats.

"You have to put them in the right auditoriums in order to maximize seats," he said.

He said guessing which films will be hits and which won't is harder than it sounds.

"The longest run I've ever seen is a tie between 'Top Gun' and 'Aladdin,'" he said with a laugh.

More recently, he's dealt with the guessing game when choosing when to do the monthly late feature.

"People kept telling me to do the 'Goonies,' and I said, 'Are you serious? It's a kid's movie, almost,'" he said. "But it sold out both nights."

Pairing auditoriums with movies was a problem he didn't encounter when he first entered the business, but he said it's come with the industry shift from single movie houses to multiplexes like his. The times have brought other changes as well.

"The biggest change has been the switch from 35 mm film to digital," he said. "You went from two 40-pound boxes of film that you had to tape together to a four-pound hard drive. It's been a big improvement."

In the past, the film might get dirty with use, but digital media doesn't deteriorate. Dillon said it also is better quality.

But for the past few months, there has been no question about whether one movie will be popular. "Gone Girl" has whipped residents into feverish anticipation, and Dillon and his staff of 45 ushers, concession stand workers and managers will not be caught flat-footed.

"We've been preparing for two months," he said.

Everything from Klieg lights to a red carpet to a media wall will be there for the premiere, but Dillon has made sure there will be enough snacks.

"To survive, you have to turn a profit," he said. "And the concession stand is really our profit location. Since we technically rent our films, we kick a lot of that [ticket revenue] back to people like 20th Century Fox, Disney. But concessions go to us."

Now they're prepared, he says he's excited to see what happens Thursday.

"People have been asking us, 'Should we wear a suit and tie or bluejeans?' I expect both," he said. "But it's not every day you get this type of event."

tgraef@semissourian.com

Pertinent address:

247 Siemers Dr, Cape Girardeau, MO