Carmike Cinemas' BigD Experience
Watch out, IMAX . . .
On Nov. 18, 2010, Carmike Cinemas hosted a gala event to premiere its new “BigD Experience” auditorium at the Thoroughbred 20 in Franklin, Tenn. Following the grand opening in Columbus, Ga., during the summer, this is the second “BigD” opened by the theater chain, which recently became the leader in digital projection throughout its 244 locations.
What exactly is the “BigD”? The name itself stands for “Dimensional Sight, Dynamic Sound and Deluxe Seating.” In other words, the theater treats movie-goers to a 78-foot-wide, floor-to-ceiling screen, a 7.1 digital surround sound system and spacious, reclining leather seats.
During the gala, Carmike held an advance screening of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I. The film itself was great enough to be hailed as one of the best in the franchise, but seeing it on Carmike’s BigD enhanced the experience that much more. The extra-wide screen isn’t just a larger version of an existing screen at the theater but is actually the size (in width) of the IMAX that operated at Opry Mills in Nashville until this year’s flooding shut it down. Adding channels in the center of the room on the left and right, the 7.1 surround sound highlights every effect designed by the film’s sound editors. The film can be heard with remarkable clarity and immersion, not to mention bass that you will feel at your core with every rumble, bringing the viewer even more into the experience. Very few theaters are currently running anything other than 5.1 surround systems, making this another pioneering notch on Carmike’s resume following their push to convert to digital projection four years ago.
When asked what inspired Carmike to enter the market of big screen exhibition, Carmike Director of Marketing Dale Hurst answered, “Digital projectors can do more than just show movies.”
There is certainly a growing market for events such as NASCAR programming, the Super Bowl and NBA broadcasts that will benefit from this new auditorium. In previous years, IMAX had a stranglehold on the big-screen market for exclusive events such as these due to limited demand and niche documentary films, but thanks to recent mainstream blockbusters like The Dark Knight and Avatar (among others) being released in large format, audience interest has dramatically increased. Carmike is among the first theater chains to pioneer its own large format, and they already have plans to open another BigD in Canton, Ga., on Dec. 17. They are also looking at bringing the BigD to areas such as Chattanooga in the near future, with 24 more planned to be in operation by the end of 2011.
For the viewer, the BigD is a bona fide bargain. While watching a film in IMAX would cost, on average, around $15-16 per ticket (or more in some areas), one adult ticket for an evening show at Carmike’s BigD in Franklin will set you back $12 (matinees and children’s tickets are even less at $8.50 and $9.50 respectively). That’s a great deal no matter how you slice it, and for Carmike it means the chance to significantly expand its market share in the long-term. For example, IMAX accounted for $65 million of The Dark Knight‘s theatrical gross in 2008 and over $100 million of Avatar’s earlier this year. Respectively, that represented about 12-14 percent of each film’s total North American box office. That’s a lot of business that was essentially lost by other exhibitors to the big-screen format, but now Carmike’s BigD will aim to cut into that market segment with some very competitive prices benefiting the consumer. Carmike has also made a strategic move by opening the screen nearly seven months after Opry Mills was shut down by the flood earlier this year, leaving no convenient options for Middle Tennessee filmgoers to see a movie in the large screen format . . . until now.
Without a doubt the best movie-going experience in all of Middle Tennessee, Carmike’s BigD is an affordable, convenient, state-of-the-art auditorium that should attract movie-lovers of all ages and continue to push Carmike Cinemas ahead as one of the leading innovators among North American theater chains and top choices among movie patrons.
