By Kevin Lally
FJI executive editor Kevin Lally begins a series of reports this week from the annual ShoWest convention in Las Vegas.
ShoWest kicked off on Monday with an unexpected challenge to the movie exhibition community. In his keynote addressat the Las Vegas confab, Sony Pictures Entertainment chairman and CEO Michael Lynton called on movie theatres to provide healthier alternatives to the nation's moviegoers at their concession stands.
"Childhood obesity, and obesity in general," Lynton said,"is an epidemic of major proportions, and requires everyone to chip in to stem the tide."
He cited a survey ofmoviegoers at theatres in 26 locations around the country commissioned by Sony Pictures which found that two-thirds of moviegoers overall and three-quarters of parents are likely to buy healthier options if offered, even at prices similar to what's currently sold, and that 42 percentof parents said they would buy concessions more often if healthier choices are available.
Lynton suggested that movie concession stands add such items as fresh fruit, fruit cups, veggies, yogurt, granola bars and trail mix, and options like unbuttered and air-popped popcorn.
The Sony chairman then announced that the Alliance for a Healthier Generation has offered to help advise cinema owners on how to changetheir menus "in a way that makes sense for your audiences and your business." Former President Bill Clinton heads the Alliance with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Clyde Yancy, president of the American Heart Association.
The reaction at my table was mixed at best. The general consensus was that what people say in surveys doesn't necessarily correspond to their actual behavior. One exhibitor reported that he tried offering granola bars and they largely went unsold. Another mentioned past consumer resistance to healthier oils and alternative means of popping corn. Yet another cited Sandra Bullock's gleeful announcement that her first meal after her Oscar win would bea juicy burger and greasy fries.
To many exhibitors, it seems, the movies and indulgent snacking are an enduring match. Guilt over calories and fat simply isn't a welcome part of a night at the movies.
Yes, we're all much more health-conscious than we used to be, and Michael Lynton's wake-up call to the cinema community is a positive act. But "guilt-free" snacking is an engrained part of the moviegoing experience, and the changes he seeks will come in small increments, at best.
More welcome were Lynton's comments about the window between theatrical release dates and release of studio films to other media. "The most important window to me and to Amy [co-chairmanAmy Pascal]is the theatrical window," he confirmed."Always has been.Always will be.We don't make movies for televisions, for iPods, for cell phones or computers.We make movies for big screens in your theatres. Because without a theatre and an audience, we don't have a movie."
"Showing films in theatres is what makes a movie a movie." hedeclared."It's what makes stars stars. It's what makes films famous. It's what makes the public perk up and pay attention.A major motion picture without a theatre is like hockey without ice�Google without the Internet�democracy without an election."
Lynton called new technologies for watching movies "additive, not subtractive," musing that "a rising tide of movie watching raises all ships."
Lyntonplainly stated that "to meet audience demand for entertainment when and where they want it - and to keep ahead of the pirates who will fill any void we leave -- we've all got to be open to experimenting with new and different windows, taking advantage of new and different technologies. As we do that, we do not want to open a new window in a way that closes yours.After all, a closed window can lead to a stuffy room that needs a little air."
Sony's co-chair promised to work with exhibitors "as partners" to preserve the prominence of the theatrical experience while finding a business model that works for both sides of the industry.
Lynton's keynote was a frank and stimulating start to this gathering of movie theatre executives, even ifportions of his "food for thought" may be harder for some to digest than a supersized jumbo combo meal.
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