Discovery Screen Tickets

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iomega
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Discovery Screen Tickets

Post by iomega »

With the festival moving back into central London and the Cineworld Empire Leicester Square, while this brings many positives, it will impact on the amount of Discovery Screen tickets available.

The 2017 edition of the festival will be utilising four screens at the cinema. Two main and two discovery screens. The capacities of the two main cinemas will allow us to continue to have the normal amount of festival and day passes plus single tickets available.

Screens four and five will be the home for discovery plus the FrightFest 1st Blood and retro strands. Because of the smaller seating capacities, and to allow as many FrightFesters can see them as possible, the majority of the films will be shown twice, but this will, however, mean fewer films in the strands.

The discovery screen seats will be pretty much split down the middle. Half of the seats going to single tickets for the general public and the remainder to pass holders. Pass holders can get tickets online and will be released a week before the festival starts. Be aware, because of the limited amount available, some pass holders may be disappointed and not been able to get the number of tickets for the discovery films that they wish. We are sorry about this but have to work with what we have available.
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Re: Discovery Screen Tickets

Post by greenzombidog »

WOW!
This is a bit of a shock. I just hope the main screen movies are of a consistant high quality if there is less to choose from discovery wise. No Hammer of the gods or Shockwave darkside please. With the higher ticket price I don't want to be skipping out of any films because they look shit. But I am very pleased you've kept with getting discovery tickets online.
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Re: Discovery Screen Tickets

Post by DJBenz »

I think it's a decent compromise. We've been spoiled with availability of Discovery tickets in the last few years due to larger Disco screens. I guess the only option to solve it for this year is to have even more screens (which would jack up the ticket prices further). If it's a trade-off between having the Screen One Frightfest atmosphere or more Disco availability, I'm happier with the former.

Just think: some attendees this year will never have experienced Screen One at the Empire...
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Re: Discovery Screen Tickets

Post by ChrisReynolds »

Empire's website gives screens 4 and 5 as having 96 and 48 seats respectively. Last year, at the Shepherd's Bush Vue, each of the three discovery screens had at least 200 seats, and even then passholder tickets for a few of the discovery films went within minutes. I hope the Short Films Showcases return to the main screen. I feel they've been marginalised by being relegated to the Discovery screens for the past three years.
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Re: Discovery Screen Tickets

Post by sherbetbizarre »

ChrisReynolds wrote: Sun Apr 30, 2017 11:04 pm Empire's website gives screens 4 and 5 as having 96 and 48 seats respectively. Last year, at the Shepherd's Bush Vue, each of the three discovery screens had at least 200 seats, and even then passholder tickets for a few of the discovery films went within minutes.
Hopefully with everything shown twice, it'll work out. Pity we're not using The Prince Charles again though.
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Re: Discovery Screen Tickets

Post by jonbly »

iomega wrote: Fri Apr 28, 2017 10:36 amBe aware, because of the limited amount available, some pass holders may be disappointed and not been able to get the number of tickets for the discovery films that they wish. We are sorry about this but have to work with what we have available.
Will something be done this year to prevent people from booking Disco tickets, watching ten minutes then going back to the main screen? If not, there's no downside to simply booking every Disco ticket available...
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Re: Discovery Screen Tickets

Post by TheDukeAbides »

Can someone confirm which are the two screens being used as the main ones, will it be the "IMAX" and the "Impact" ones?
iomega
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Re: Discovery Screen Tickets

Post by iomega »

We are using four screens at the cinema. The largest with just over 700 seats and screen two with 300 seats for the main screen films and screens four and five for this years discovery screens. We have not been given the use of the Impact screen.
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Re: Discovery Screen Tickets

Post by Vice »

Good to hear that the main 700-seater screen is going to be available.

If there are only two Discovery screens, and the majority of the films will be repeated in those screens, it really sounds like the schedule has been cut down quite a bit which is disappointing.

To be honest though, as long as the quality of the main screen films is back to pre-2015 levels then happy days, last two years were awful IMO, but everyone has their own tastes.
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Re: Discovery Screen Tickets

Post by argento1977 »

If there is negative feedback about sold out disco screenings this year, may I make a very early suggestion as to seeing if the O2 Cineworld could host the event in 2018. It's main superscreen is superb and holds slightly more than this year's main screen. In addition all other 10 screens are of a good size to act as a secondary main screen and for disco screens.
I'm concerned about the disco screen sizes this year but am very pleased that we are back to a big main screen as I always felt that this was an integral part of the event and it's success (plus less running around and stress for Alan, Ian,Paul and Greg!!).
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Re: Discovery Screen Tickets

Post by iomega »

We looked at the O2 Cineworld. It is a good cinema, but we feel the event would get lost in all the other things that go on there. In the end, it is swings and roundabouts. The trend for smaller screens is going to be a problem going forward so we are going to have to take each year as it comes.

Most of the discovery strand films will screen twice this year, going some way to compensating for lack of capacity.
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Re: Discovery Screen Tickets

Post by scoutthehorizon »

I think we can rest assure that you guys scoped out every possible auditorium space in the whole of London and have found the best for all needs. What people need to remember that central London (west end specifically) is such a massive factor in ensuring maximum single film ticket sales (thanks to higher footfall and casual crowds) and even prestige of film titles. So any limitations that the Empire may have in terms of reduced capacity will, I'm sure, more than be made up for by the numerous benefits.

Also, IT'S THE EMPIRE.
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Re: Discovery Screen Tickets

Post by MalJutley »

Interested to see how this works out. I for one have seen my discovery screen films choices increase year on year, last year for example Cruel Summer, The Love Witch, Siren, Another Evil, Night of Something Strange, We Are The Flesh, Under The Shadow, all stood out for me and Found Footage 3D and KnuckleBones which I missed out on but heard it played well, not to mentioned the short film showcases.

Im sure it will all work out anyway as usual and you can't watch everything....its he fear of missing out that kicks in I guess.

Can't wait to see how it all pan's out to be honest :)
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Re: Discovery Screen Tickets

Post by namesy »

I actually think reduced choice is better. You don't get to see a greater volume of films with more available. The wider choice I felt meant people were rushing around more, you could go the whole festival without seeing certain people plus some could come away having had a great festival and some having had a terrible one. Filling out the schedules with another 25 films undoubtably watered down the quality at times. And the discovery screens seemed to become less about discovery and more extra main screens.

I welcome the move back to a full main screen, all having near enough the same festival experience and catching what could is genuinely an undiscovered gem in a disco screen.

All that worries me is the online part. People could (and will based on last year's admissions of booking activity) just go in and book for all of them with no intention of actually going to them. Just so they had the choice. There were sold out films last year where that happened and people didn't bother going into that screen. At least with the early morning queuing it was people who really wanted to see the films.
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Re: Discovery Screen Tickets

Post by benj »

iomega wrote: Tue May 30, 2017 8:48 am Most of the discovery strand films will screen twice this year, going some way to compensating for lack of capacity.
This is great news :) Will the second screening tickets go online the same time as the first screening or will the release be staggered somehow? Also, any plans to add second (or more) screenings on the fly as per demand?
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