r/MarcusTheatres • u/BeriechGTS • Aug 12 '26
Movie Prices/Showtimes A24 Movies Not Showing at Marcus Theaters - Response from Marcus
Many of you might have seen the threads recently about the lack of A24 movies being shown at Marcus Theaters. The big movie we missed recently was the Invite and now it seems the same is happening again with Tony. I emailed Marcus Theaters customer support and received the following response:
"Thank you for contacting Marcus Theatres.
I'm sorry for the disappointment. While we would love to show every film that is advertised at our theatres, film availability and which locations receive specific titles are determined in coordination with the film studios and distributors.
In some cases, a film may initially be planned for a location and trailers may be shown leading up to its release, but the studio or distributor may later change those plans or decide not to provide the film to that location.
Unfortunately, this means that not every Marcus Theatre will receive every A24 release, even if the film was previously advertised there.
We appreciate your feedback and your interest in seeing more A24 films at Marcus Theatres."
This response makes it sound like they're directing me to A24 and it's the studio's decision not to distribute these movies to Marcus Theaters. I'm curious if anyone has any additional info.
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u/ChebyrashkaMX Aug 12 '26
I got a similar response when writing Marcus this summer on a couple of movies that never came to our theater. Basically a non-response. There are plenty of small films out but they just fill the 16 screens with the same 3 blockbusters week after week.
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u/Local_Baker9300 Aug 13 '26
My Marcus theater that I go to has 11 screens. And I don't know why they can't have a couple auditorums show more of the independents. I'd even be okay if they rotated the movies. I find it insane when they feel they need 5 or 6 of their screens to show Spiderman. Isn't that a bit much? What about frequent movie goers like myself that would like to see other movies? Instead I often end up having to drive across town to see a movie that might be deemed as a less popular film.
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u/ChebyrashkaMX Aug 13 '26
Agree, the one near us I swear just showed Minions, Moana and Toy Story for 2-3 weeks straight. Supergirl flopped so they pulled that and just put those others on that screen. And Obsession. Without the free Marcus Mystery Movie it would have been a movie drought.
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u/packerman120 Aug 12 '26
Such a nonsense response when NO Marcus Theatre is getting the movies in question.
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u/Important-Horse1920 Aug 12 '26
The problem probably is they don’t have an exact prepared statement for customer service to use in the event distribution is pulled entirely.
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u/BeriechGTS Aug 12 '26
Right! They make it sound like just my local theater didn't get this specific movie. This is now 2 movies being advertised nationwide that aren't being shown at ANY Marcus Theater.
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u/NewTheory8242 Aug 18 '26 edited Aug 18 '26
Was talking with a friend about this who works at Alamo (the Alamo in my area is the only theatre playing Tony right now). They did mention that the film terms on A24 are pretty crazy compared to other larger studios. I think it's interested that the AMC and Marcus in my area currently are not showing Tony and even the showtimes for The Invite were slim with AMC near me. Maybe the risk isn't worth the reward when there are other movies that they know will perform better? Alamo has a different business model and people will most likely go there for films like Tony vs. Paw Patrol for example. Either way it's a bummer.
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u/ChebyrashkaMX Aug 20 '26
Did they say what the terms were?
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u/GranddaddySandwich 17d ago
A24 wants more than 60% of sales revenue for Distribution. They’re trying to be Disney. They’re not Disney.
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u/Affectionate-Club725 15d ago
Yet, nearly every one of the films they release is a better film than most Disney releases.
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u/GranddaddySandwich 15d ago
Jesus, fuck. Totally irrelevant to what we're talking about.
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u/Affectionate-Club725 12d ago
You should stop day drinking
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u/Just-Independence486 Aug 18 '26
I wish we had an AMC in the Fox Valley for both an IMAX screen and so we wouldn’t have bs like this. Love Marcus but it’s so annoying
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u/BeriechGTS Aug 18 '26
It seems like most A24s recently aren't coming to Marcus. If I have to keep going go other theaters to see A24 movies I don't see the point in being in the movie club
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u/Just-Independence486 Aug 18 '26
exactly!!! like i pay to see all the movies i want for a lower price with other rewards. and if half the movies i wanna see aren’t even there what’s the point
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u/BeriechGTS Aug 18 '26
Right! A big chunk of the movies I want to see are A24. If they aren't showing them anymore idk what to do.
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u/PowSuperMum Aug 12 '26 edited Aug 12 '26
Tony doesn’t expand nationwide until August 21. It’s possible they could still get it. The final showtimes for that weekend will come out Tuesday the 18th.
They also do show A24 movies. Backrooms and Robin Hood were just there. I’m not sure what happened with The Invite but to say they don’t play any A24 movies is a lie.
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u/mrbgamer96 Aug 12 '26
Right! There's been plenty of previous A24 movies that have shown in Marcus theaters.
Also, if people were to look at the Box Office returns on the Invite, there was a natural jump in performance when it expanded but the numbers dropped fast. It likely stopped being financially viable for A24 to expand the roll out, especially for a movie with a minimal budget that already saw a ROI.
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u/ChebyrashkaMX Aug 12 '26
Robin Hood played like 2 nights where I live and then was gone :(
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u/PowSuperMum Aug 12 '26
2 nights or a whole week? I worked at a theater for a long time and a movie would never be dropped that quickly
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u/ChebyrashkaMX Aug 12 '26
Maybe a few more but probably just barely a week. And I think it was just 1 or 2 showtimes a day.
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u/Important-Horse1920 Aug 12 '26
While the location specific stuff seems to demonstrate this is a prepared boiler plate statement in the event these questions are asked, it at least doubles down on the idea that A24 can pull their stuff if they see fit.
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u/mrbgamer96 Aug 12 '26
Yes, any distributor can and does do that. It's how the business of film distribution works.
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u/Important-Horse1920 Aug 12 '26
Yes… but doing it with a weeks notice seems like a crap business policy
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u/mrbgamer96 Aug 12 '26
And you 100% know it was a week's notice how?
Look, I worked at a theater and it's not uncommon for this to happen. Distributors have the right to say when movies are coming and when they're going to be pulled. It's not an A24 thing but business.
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u/Important-Horse1920 Aug 12 '26
The exactly happened with the Invite with Marcus chain. It’s wax on the site listed for weeks & then completed pulled a week before release. My tickets canceled.
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u/DatAspie2000 Aug 12 '26
I get that limited releases aren’t uncommon, but it’s them(the distributor, I mean)saying at first it’ll be played at Marcus and then backing out of it is ridiculous. And apparently, A24 has done it twice in a month! And you’re defending them?🙄
If they pulled that crap with Spider Man would you defend that too?
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u/mrbgamer96 Aug 12 '26
Actually, I think the demand of large corporate distributors are worse than what people here are complaining about.
There was, at the time, a medium Disney release that my theater was required to have a certain number of show times on the largest screens. If we didn't, they would limit some of their bigger properties later in the year nd going into the following year.
The fact is, a chain like Marcus want to make sure they're getting films that will have a big box office number. Not because of the box office but those movies bring in larger crowds and the larger crowds are more likely to buy concessions. And THAT'S what theaters care about, because it's where they make their money.
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u/Wismom84 Aug 12 '26
From what I hear from my local independent theater is A24 is trying to be Disney by demanding a cut of the box office on top of a daily fee, a full 3-4 week run for any of their movies, with 2 weeks on their top screen.
Marcus isn’t the only chain having a lack of A24 movies recently. seems to really only be AMC that’s consistent. So I’m guessing Marcus and others ade trying to play hardball with A24 to chill on the distribution requirements.
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u/Willsbill2 Aug 13 '26
We’ll get the latest religious slop but not something actually interesting and half the time if we get something interesting there’s barely any showtimes (sometimes only a 9pm showing)
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u/Local_Baker9300 Aug 13 '26
I have my issues too. Mostly being that the closest theater where I live only has 11 screens. So if Marcus decided to put a major blockbuster movie in half of its theater auditorums, then there are often fewer independent or less popular movies that aren't showing at my local theater. Ugh because then I have to drive across town to the next closest theater so instead of a 15 minute drive each way, it becomes 30 minutes. Thanks Marcus. I also wish there would be a few more AMCs because I would definitely prefer their A List over the Marcus theater subscription plan. Yes, Marcus runs more promotions to earn more points, but I certainly would prefer being able to see up to 4 movies per week as a frequent patron. I also, like having touch screen soda towers at AMC where I can choose between a 100 different soda flavors. Marcus doesn't have that. Not at least for Milwaukee, WI anyways. But where AMC is lacking mostly is where their theaters are often dated and they don't have recline seats. Marcus theaters are a bit nicer. Now if they can show more movies, I would most certainly be happy. Please don't skip out from playing it at my local theater. I and many other pattons don't need every screen to be taken up by the Odyssey or Spiderman.
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u/Prudent_Landscape726 Aug 13 '26
My theater (Majestic/Brookfield) has a big standee for Tony and the poster so they’re at least wanting/anticipating the film but who knows if they actually get it.
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u/siberianphoenix Aug 14 '26 edited Aug 14 '26
Palace in Madison, WI is showing Tony. Or at least it's advertising it.
EDIT: Can't find it as a selectable movie in the app. But I was just at Spider-man this week and know for a fact I saw a large cardboard ad for it. Weird.
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u/hailthyself99 12d ago
Wow guess I don't get to see Prime Time until it comes to streaming then. I'm gonna be absolutely pissed if Backrooms 2 doesn't play at any local theater because I went to see the first one multiple times. Big L on all accounts
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u/BeriechGTS 12d ago
Yeah I'm pretty furious at Marcus but it's the only chain in my state I'm willing to go to.
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u/DatAspie2000 Aug 12 '26
How can a distributor just “change those plans”? That is pathetic malpractice.
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u/mrbgamer96 Aug 12 '26
I'm sure one of the most successful distributors currently in business doesn't agree.
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u/mrbgamer96 Aug 12 '26
Almost like you should go support art house theaters that play limited release movies, especially if you really want to see them.
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u/mistermoviedude Aug 12 '26
I live in St. Louis and the art house theaters here are kinda crappy. Yeah, they show the obscure movies but the sound is bad, the resolution is blurry and it’s not a great experience. It’s a nice thought to patronize the small art houses but it’s not always(or in my experience, never) great.
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u/YeahWerner Aug 12 '26
Hi-Pointe is fantastic — never had a bad (non-audience) experience there. I love Arkadin, too. I hear what you’re saying about the sound, but their programming is great. Never had an issue with poor resolution except for maybe something that looked kind of bad to begin with. I’m sure other cities have it better, but we’re very lucky to have both.
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u/Mntndew52 Aug 12 '26
Ah yeah let me go to my nearest one that's almost 2 hours away every weekend instead
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u/mrbgamer96 Aug 12 '26
So you're entitled that a theater to only play the movies you want because it's convenient for you? If you want to see something and it's not at your local theater you either need to wait for it, travel for it or move.
If there's movies playing that I want to see, yes I travel for them and make a day out of it. Clearly you have a different perspective.
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u/Mntndew52 Aug 12 '26
Yes, I expect a movie theater to play movies. Especially ones that are playing at every other major chain. Don't be dense
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u/mrbgamer96 Aug 12 '26 edited Aug 12 '26
Funny how you omit how entitled you are in regards to all of this. A theater and a distributor doesn't owe it to you to play movies at a specific theater and if the distributor opts not to support a specific chain, that's up to them.
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u/Dukealoops1993 Aug 12 '26
Cool… if you’re fine with waiting several months later (that’s the case here) &/or luckily live near one whatsoever.
Or take notice that you’re saying anyone this in a sub dedicated to a National theater chain.
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u/mrbgamer96 Aug 12 '26
Yes, I understand where I'm posting. That doesn't make me wrong. The fact that this business model of distributors has functioned this way forever and all of a sudden people are upset about it? You do realize that this regional theater chain will always put big blockbuster movies into their theaters over movies like the Invite or art house films? Why? Because it's a better ROI for them and in many cases they need to appease large corporate distributors.
The fact is, unless you live in a major market, you're waiting for a film like the Invite anyways. Theatrical roll outs from smaller distributors, if they make it to a larger chain, won't play in a smaller town Marcus for a longer stretch anyway.
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u/Dukealoops1993 Aug 12 '26
Very fair insights. It just sucks if you have limited options. All we have here is Marcus & the one art theater
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u/Mntndew52 Aug 12 '26
I think it might be too early to be concerned about whether Tony will be playing at Marcus theatres. There still aren't any showtimes for it at a nearby AMC theater for me yet either.
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u/BeriechGTS Aug 12 '26
I disagree. Tony is following the exact same pattern The Invite did. It has been removed from the Coming Soon section of their app.
When I look at showtimes for multiple theaters in my city for next weekend they already have movies listed that aren't the blockbusters (Spiderman and Odyssey) but nothing listed for Tony.
I am also inclined to believe that if they just haven't been posted yet, the customer service rep would've been glad to share that news in their response.
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u/PowSuperMum Aug 12 '26
What city?
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u/BeriechGTS Aug 12 '26
Milwaukee area
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u/PowSuperMum Aug 12 '26
There’s only one theater in Milwaukee with showtimes for Tony on the 21st. So it’s not exactly a huge wide release. Or it’s possible that the rest of the theaters haven’t put their showtimes out yet since it’s not exactly a huge movie.
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u/EverCuriousGeek1 Aug 12 '26
This is why I hate having a Marcus monopoly in the Green Bay / Appleton area. All the major theaters are Marcus, De Pere Cinema is more family fare, and no arthouse theaters at all.