Terry Moore's First Quarter 2004 Drive-In Theater Reports

Visit the Quarterly Reports Index to see past reports.

Closure Report - 4 Jan 2004:

I drove by the Mission on 4 Jan 2004. The property is well kept. The grass is mowed and all the trash has been picked up. The sections of fence that collapsed right before the closure have been removed completely. Unfortunately, a couple of sections of fence put up last year have also now fallen down. I noted two "tagging" incidents on the property. There are no signs of any improvements in progress. Only 55 days to go before the projected re-opening date!

Closure Report - 11 Jan 2004:

I drove by the Mission on 11 Jan 2004. No obvious changes have been made to the property. Only 48 days to go before the projected re-opening date!

Today, I went over to check out the situation at the Mission.

As I was driving down VFW Boulevard, I slowed my progress for a quick peek through the Lot 1 exit. I immediately noticed something different. There is now a large commercial waste bin sitting next to the concession stand.

Turning onto the property, I pondered this new development. Since the concession stand was recently renovated, I had no immediate explanation for the deployment of such a large waste container.

Rounding the screen tower, I parked next to the ticket booths and exited my vehicle.

Looking over the cinder block wall into Lot 1, I failed to see any changes. Turning my attention to Lot 2, I had a vague feeling something had changed. I couldn't identify the source of the feeling.

Obviously, further investigation was warranted!

Slipping between the left ticket booth and the wall, I moved a few feet down the entrance lane and then stopped. The wooden fence that forms the entrance lane along the perimeter of Lot 1 (the cinder block wall only encloses about half of the Screen 1 lot) has been removed. Since there was no debris in the area, this development explained the waste bin. The scrap lumber had almost certainly been deposited inside it.

Part of the mystery had been solved!

Even so, there was still something not quite right at the Mission. How could I find out, I wondered? Then it hit me! I'd play a game of "what's wrong with this picture" as a deductive aid. Looking around, I studied Screen 4. Nothing new. I turned to Screen 3. My gaze was intense. Still nothing new. Turning to Screen 2, I inhaled deeply and then let my mind go blank!

After what seemed like moments, I realized that I was looking in the right direction! Something was wrong here! Moving my eyes around the lot, I examined every feature. With each conclusion I declared the results to myself. "That's right". "Nothing new there". "They mowed that part". Mowed that part? Which part was that? It was the area around the footings of Screen 2. So? So, you can't see the footings of Screen 2 unless you are inside the Screen 2 lot.

Sometimes you feel smart and sometimes you don't. This was one of those times! Not only was the fence gone from around the Lot 1 perimeter, the entire fence dividing Lot 1 and Lot 2 was gone!

Turning around, I walked back to my car. As I left the property, I was happy to see that work had begun to upgrade the Mission. I admit to being disappointed. I was hoping for more than fence repair. Don't get me wrong! Replacing all that fence will cost a lot of money and is a necessary improvement to the property. I'm just hoping there is time to get the new fence back up before the tentative re-opening date of 1 March 2004. And if you are counting the days like I am, then you already know that there are only 34 more days before the planned re-opening!

Closure Report - 16 Feb 2004:

Taking advantage of the President's Day holiday, I dropped by the Mission to check on their progress towards reopening in March.

I'm happy to report that all the vertical posts have been installed from edge of the cinder block wall all the way around to the concession stand. More than just replacing the fence, this fence will be at least 18 inches taller than the previous fence. That's a good thing!

I saw someone, possibly Jessie, digging the post holes from the Screen 2 exit lane back towards the concession stand.

Can this fence be completed by March? Maybe. Only time will tell!

Closure Report - 22 Feb 2004:

Once again, I stopped by the Mission for a progress update.

Fence construction continues. In fact, there were two people working on the fence when I arrived. Not wanting my observations to be detected, I immediately fled the scene!

Only one more week until the tenative re-opening date!

Closure Report - 27 Feb 2004:

Today's Santikos advertisement states that the Mission will re-open on 6 Mar 2004 and not 1 Mar 2004 as stated on the theater marquee.

That's a Saturday, which I find to be a bit strange, but it does make more sense than opening on a Monday.

Closure Report - 29 Feb 2004:

I dropped by the Mission this Sunday.

Fence construction continues. All the vertical posts and horizontal supports are now in place. Twelve to fifteen feet of the fence between Lots 1 and 2 have been completed. The industrial waste disposal bin is still on the property. Two more sections of the fence have been "tagged" by vandals. There are no obvious signs of equipment upgrades.

If the Mission will truly be re-opening this Saturday, there is a massive amount of work that remains to be done!

I plan to take off work on Friday to make another visit to the Mission before heading over to the Mayan Palace. With luck, I can use my minor celebrity status to gain more information about the opening on Saturday.

The re-opening of the Mission heralds the return of the drive-in report. Before that happens, I'd like comments on what you would like to read about this season. More personal annecdotes? More statistics? More facts? Less of everything? Comments are appreciated!

Closure Report - 04 Mar 2004:

The Santikos website has been updated with the Mission's schedule for the season opening.

The new season opening date for the Mission is now 5 Mar 2004. That's a Friday. That makes much more sense than a Satuday opening!

I'll be there tomorrow night watching 'Starsky and Hutch'. In what could become an opening night tradition, a motorcycle movie - "Torque" - will be playing as the second feature. If you recall, on opening night last year, Rick Stivers and I saw "Biker Boys" following a showing of "Old School".

If you have the time, drop by and join me. You'll find me parked in my traditional location!

05 Mar 2004 - Dough!

This was it. The day had finally arrived. The 2004 Mission season was about to begin!

Some of you may recall that in the closing weeks of the 2003 season, I was inspired by a snack bar promotion to consider eating raw cookie dough as a movie snack. Now was the time to turn that inspiration into action!

A study of the weekly Santikos advertisement revealed the opening night Mission exhibition schedule. The opening night films being "Starsky and Hutch", "Torque", "50 First Dates", "Along Came Polly", "Hidalgo", "Haunted Mansion", "Barbershop 2" and "You Got Served". This was the first week of release for "Starsky and Hutch" and "Hidalgo". The other six films had previously opened in San Antonio.

Having been to a hard-top theater only twice since the Mission closed, I had seen none of the films being exhibited this week.

Thursday night, I went to HEB (a local grocery store chain) and purchased the smallest package of dough that I could find. As I was checking out, I pondered the wisdom of my projected course of action. After all, my mother had always told me that eating raw cookie dough would make me sick. Was that true or was it her way of making me wait until after the cookies had been baked? I knew I'd find out the truth soon enough!

The next night, as I was getting ready to leave for the Mission, my thoughts returned to the cookie dough. Although I had kept it the freezer overnight, I was concerned that it might thaw out and spoil before I had a chance to eat it. I could think of only one solution to this problem -- the amazing beverage cube!

It had been several years since I had last used the amazing beverage cube. Looking inside it, I realized just how glad I was that the cookie dough appeared to be vacuum packed! After a quick hosing out, I dropped the cookie dough into the amazing beverage cube and headed out to my car.

I left my apartment at 6:12PM. No stops were made along the way. I finally arrived at the Mission at 6:42PM. Although known primarily for my defensive driving skills, I was forced to use my considerable offensive driving abilities during the trip. Apparently, no one else in San Antonio had anywhere in particular to go this night! My advice? If you don't have anywhere to go, stay home! Get off the highways! I'm out there and I'm in a hurry!

As I neared the Mission entrance, I noted that the white sign near the entrance was still blank without lettering or symbols!

Rounding the screen tower, I found that I was not alone in my excitement at the start of a new drive-in season. Fifteen cars were already waiting in line.

At 6:45PM, both ticket booths opened. Cars began to move forward. The first night of the 2004 season had begun!

Reaching the ticket booth, I purchased a ticket for "Starsky and Hutch" and proceeded to the Screen 1 lot without incident.

Driving across the Screen 1 lot, I parked in my traditional location on the right side of the screen near the exit.

Getting out of my car, I noticed that cars were continuing to arrive at the ticket booth. Just how good a night would it turn out to be? Only time would tell!

Leaving my car behind, I headed across the Screen 1 lot towards the concession stand. As I walked, I paid particular attention to the new fence around the Screen 1 lot. Just a week ago, only a small portion of the new fence had been completed. I can only imagine the amount of effort required to complete the project in time for the season opening.

As I entered the concession stand, the seven employees inside turned and looked towards me. Their eyes were bright and their motions animated. They were clearly excited. And why not? For most of them, it was their first night working at the Mission.

Some might say that I'm not the ideal customer to be used for training new snack bar employees. I know exactly what I want before I reach the counter. I've memorized most of the prices and nearly always have my money ready before the total is "rung up" on the cash register. On the other hand, I'm generally "easy going" and tolerate of people "learning the ropes".

Reaching the counter, I placed an order for a large Diet Coke and a large popcorn. I got a good laugh out of watching four employees attempting to fill such a small order. As the transaction was nearly complete, the girl at the cash register asked me if I needed anything else. I told her that I was fine for now but that I'd be back. She laughed. I'm sure she thought that I had just made a Terminator joke. Little did she know!

Exiting into the Screen 2 lot, I met Jessie, one of the assistant managers. I complemented him on the general look of the property and on the new fence. As it turns out, he didn't get to build the fence himself. Mr Kunert, the former Mission manager, had done most of the work himself. That's devotion! He confirmed that the projectors had received new sound heads. I won't go into details here. Simply put, for environmental reasons, the "color" of the sound tracks on new films has changed, requiring new sound heads that can "read" the new "color".

Concluding my visit with Jessie, I began walking across the Screen 2 lot towards the foot bridge. Once again, I made the new fence the primary target of my attention.

Reaching the foot bridge, I walked across it slowly. With each footfall, I monitored the reaction of the bridge. I am happy to report that the bridge is quite solid. Last season's repairs have held up well during the off-season.

Counting the cars in the Screen 3 lot, I turned and headed towards the Screen 4 lot. As I was walking along, I noticed several cars heading down the entrance lane into the Screen 2 lot. This was the perfect opportunity to gauge the effectiveness of the new fence. On the far side of the entrance lane, the new fence appeared to be blocking all the light from the cars as they drove down the lane. On the near side of the entrance lane, the old fence barely blocked any light. The result being that the back sections of the Screen 1 and Screen 2 lots were shielded from the glare of the headlights while the back section of the Screen 3 lot was exposed to it.

Why the difference? The old fence is a "half-height" fence. The top of the old fence is approximately three feet above the ground. The new fence is a "full-height" fence. The top of new fence is approximately six feet above the ground. That extra three feet makes an incredible difference in today's world of monster trucks and super-sized sport utility vehicles.

Reaching the Screen 4 lot, I discovered that open flame had returned to the Mission! Two grills were in operation in the row nearest the screen. The smell of cooking meat made me hungry for something more substantial than popcorn! After a quick car count, I headed back towards the Screen 1 lot.

Once again the impact of the new fence hit home. The fence was so effective at blocking light from the concession stand that I had some difficulty locating the actual entrance into the lot. Why? I was approaching the fence at such an angle that my "view" through the fence opening was of the center of the lot. My advice to management? Install reflectors on both sides of the fence openings. This will help both drivers and pedestrians to find the openings in the fence. If a pedestrian walks into the fence, it will result in embarrassment and minor injury. If a car hits the fence, it will undo a considerable amount of work as well as do significant damage to the vehicle. I plan to mention this to management next week.

After a vigorous walk across the Screen 1 lot, I reached my vehicle. Popping the trunk lid, I got out my camp chair and configured my external speaker unit. I'm now quite satisfied with it. Not only does it direct the sound "out" into the lot, it also allows my trunk lid to almost completely close without blocking access to the trunk.

Remembering that meat cooking in the Screen 4 lot, I sat my popcorn inside the car and headed back towards the concession stand. Oh yes! That popcorn! It had to be the best tasting popcorn I've had at the Mission. Mr Kunert had mentioned that the Mayan Palace was going to switch to a new brand of popcorn. Could the Mission have too?

Reaching the concession stand, I walked over to the same counter space where I had been served on my previous visit. The counter girl remembered me and even commented on my return. I ordered two hot dogs. While I was waiting for my order to be filled, I complemented the concession stand manager on the popcorn. She confirmed that the Mission was also using a new brand of popcorn. Moments later, currency was exchanged for hot dogs and I moved off to the condiment island. After hosing down the hot dogs with mustard, I exited into the Screen 2 lot.

After a quick car count, I made a loop of the property before returning to my car in the Screen 1 lot.

Turning on the car radio, I tuned to the frequency for Screen 1 and then settled down to watch the movie.

Here are the car counts for those that like them.

Screen 1 - "Starsky & Hutch" / "Torque" - 20
Screen 2 - "50 First Dates" / "Along Came Polly" - 12
Screen 3 - "Hidalgo" / "Haunted Mansion" - 13
Screen 4 - "Barbershop 2" / "You Got Served" - 9

Halfway through the movie, I finished off my popcorn and hot dogs. I was still hungry. It was time to try the cookie dough. Opening the amazing beverage cube, I pulled out the cookie dough package. It had been stiff and frozen when I put it inside the cube. Now, it was cold yet flexible to the touch. Returning to my camp chair, I struggled with the packaging for several moments before succeeding in tearing it open. Pealing back the foil, I began to nibble away at the cookie dough. How was it? It was great! Real dough tastes far better than "Cookie Dough" candy. After eating half the package, I realized that I was no longer hungry. Satisfied, I folded up the package and dropped it back into the amazing beverage cube. Closing the lid, I was quite pleased with myself. Yet another drive-in dream had been fulfilled!

How was "Starsky & Hutch"? The film does an excellent job of capturing the "look and feel" of a 1970s "cop drama". I suspect there is a large percentage of the American population that I could convince that this movie isn't a remake of the series but is, in fact, the original, long lost, never aired, pilot movie for the television series. Where else would you expect to see an AMC Pacer being used as a getaway vehicle for a hit man? I'd like to know where they found this car. I haven't seen a Pacer in decades!

As the credits began to roll on "Starsky and Hutch", I made another patrol of the property.

Returning to my car, I discovered "Torque" was already in progress.

Here are the updated car counts for those that like them.

Screen 1 - "Starsky & Hutch" / "Torque" - 42
Screen 2 - "50 First Dates" / "Along Came Polly" - 28
Screen 3 - "Hidalgo" / "Haunted Mansion" - 20
Screen 4 - "Barbershop 2" / "You Got Served" - 16

Back when "Torque" first opened, I suspected it had the potential to be the first good drive-in movie of 2004. Not so much because of the quality of the movie but for the lighting of the film. In the trailer, nearly all the scenes appeared to be bright, daylight scenes. For once, the trailer turned out to be representative of the film. Only in the few night scenes was the light pole shadow noticeable on the screen.

And while I'm on the topic of light poles, I want to mention something else that is new at the Mission. At one corner of the concession stand, there is an electric pole with three transformers on it. These transformers provide power to the projectors inside the building. Normally, the pole is only visible when it is lit up from behind. No more! One of the lights on the concession stand has now been "turned up" towards the top of the pole. All three transformers are now brightly lit from below. That's a good thing for an American flag flown at night but something that isn't required for an electric pole. Does it impact picture quality? No. It just looks odd.

How was "Torque"? It was better than last year's anemic "Biker Boys". That isn't an endorsement, just an observation.

As soon as the credits began to roll on "Torque", I packed up my trunk and proceeded home without incident. Twenty-four hours later, I can report that the cookie dough did not make me sick although I must report that my dieting efforts have suffered a major setback.

Here is the weekly comparison between the weekend Mission exhibition schedule and the top ten grossing films. Only three of the top ten films were showing at the Mission this week.

Ranking	Title	Millions of Dollars	At The Mission
1	THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST	$53.25
2	STARSKY & HUTCH	$28.10	YES!
3	HIDALGO	$18.83	YES!
4	50 FIRST DATES	$7.64	YES!
5	TWISTED	$5.13
6	CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE DRAMA QUEEN	$4.05
7	RETURN OF THE KING	$3.04
8	DIRTY DANCING: HAVANA NIGHTS	$2.96
9	MIRACLE	$2.54
10	MONSTER	$2.12

12 Mar 2004 - Melted!

I'd seen it in the movies but never at the movies! In a movie, its a cool special effect. At the movies, its not so cool. Ha! Ha! What did I see? Read on and find out!

A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that three new films were playing at the Mission this week. These films being "Secret Window", "The Butterfly Effect" and "Gothika". This was the first week of release for "Secret Window". "The Butterfly Effect" and "Gothika" had previously opened in San Antonio. In fact, "Gothika" had been previously exhibited at the Mission!

With the addition of these three new films, I had seen 2 of the 8 films being exhibited this week.

I left my apartment at 6:31PM. I stopped along the way for cash at a convenient ATM machine. I arrived at the Mission at 7:10PM. The previews were already in progress!

The weather was far from perfect for a night at the drive-in! It had rained earlier in the day and the sky remained overcast. The air was moist and cool. More rain was forecast by morning.

As I neared the Mission, I noted that the white sign near the entrance remains completely blank without lettering or symbols! Will someone paint something on this sign please!

Rounding the screen tower, I discovered that only a single ticket booth, and a single entrance lane, were open. No cars were waiting in line for service.

Reaching the ticket booth, I purchased a ticket for "Hidalgo" and proceeded to the Screen 3 lot without incident.

Driving across the Screen 3 lot, I decided not to park in my traditional location near the rear of the lot. Given the obvious lack of attendance for the evening's performance, I decided to park up front near the screen.

Leaving my car behind, I headed directly to the concession stand. As I moved towards it, I performed a complete count of the Screen 2 lot.

Entering the concession stand, I walked up to the counter and placed an order for a large Diet Coke and a large popcorn.

Exiting into the Screen 1 lot, I performed a complete car count before continuing my patrol. I found it unnecessary to count the cars in the Screen 4 lot. Why not? There weren't any there to count! Moving on, I returned to my car in the Screen 3 lot.

Reaching my vehicle, I got out my chair and connected my external speaker unit. I then settled down to enjoy the feature presentation which was already in progress.

Here are the car counts for those that like them.

Screen 1 - "Starksy & Hutch" / "Along Came Polly" - 3
Screen 2 - "Secret Window" / "50 First Dates" - 8
Screen 3 - "Hidalgo" / "Haunted Mansion" - 4
Screen 4 - "The Butterfly Effect" / "Gothika" - 0

How was "Hidalgo"?

The most exciting moment in this film came when the projector malfunctioned causing the film to jam up inside it. It quickly overheated and melted. At first I was too surprised to react. I'd never seen this before except in the movies! Although I was amazed, the other patrons were annoyed. They immediately started honking their car horns. Why must so many drive-in patrons refuse to follow the drive-in code? Honking won't help in a situation like this one. It will only annoy patrons in the other lots who still have movies to watch.

Recovering from my surprise, I got up and started walking towards the concession stand. My plan was simple - alert management. Just as I finished crossing over the foot bridge, the Screen 3 projector was turned off. Two employees standing in the Screen 2 lot had noticed the problem and radioed the projectionist.

I considered turning around and heading back. Then I had a better idea. Instead of going back to my car, I continued on the concession stand where I purchased a pizza.

By the time the pizza was ready, the projectionist had cleared the jam in the projector, trimmed off the damaged end of the film and re-threaded it through the system. As I exited the concession stand, "Hidalgo" flickered back to life on Screen 3.

Reaching my car, I ate my pizza with gusto.

There are two things I can say about "Hidalgo".

This film contained far too many "silent brooding" scenes. "Silent brooding" just isn't visually appealing. If you must have "silent brooding" scenes in a film, they should be short, not long. I would have preferred the lead character's sleep be continuously disturbed by troubling dreams. Even moody flashbacks are preferable to "silent brooding" scenes!

More to the point, "The Black Stallion Returns" tells nearly the same story only in a far more entertaining manner.

As the credits began to roll, I made a quick patrol of the property before returning to my car for the night's second feature.

Here are the updated car counts for those that like them.

Screen 1 - "Starksy & Hutch" / "Along Came Polly" - 5
Screen 2 - "Secret Window" / "50 First Dates" - 28
Screen 3 - "Hidalgo" / "Haunted Mansion" - 9
Screen 4 - "The Butterfly Effect" / "Gothika" - 8

How was "Haunted Mansion"?

It was much better than I anticipated. I'm surprised this film didn't do better when it was first released.

As the film progressed, the air became colder and damper. Eventually, I was forced to put on a jacket in an effort to stay warm. I've written before about those times in which the environment of the drive-in enhances the film experience. This was one of those times. As the Evers family explored the haunted graveyard, I could actually see fog drifting around the underneath the screen. At least, it could have been fog. Maybe it was something else....

As soon as the credits began to roll, I packed up my car and proceeded home without incident.

After two weeks, I'm concerned about the large number of older films being exhibited at the Mission. The Mission won't survive as a "second run" theater. Let's hope we'll see an end to this trend in the weeks to come.

Here is the weekly comparison between the weekend Mission exhibition schedule and the top ten grossing films. Only four of the top ten films were showing at the Mission this week.

Ranking	Title	Millions of Dollars	At The Mission
1	THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST	$32.1
2	SECRET WINDOW	$18.2	YES!
3	STARSKY & HUTCH	$16.0	YES!
4	HIDALGO	$11.9	YES!
5	AGENT CODY BANKS 2	$8.0
6	50 FIRST DATES	$5.4	YES!
7	TWISTED	$3.0
8	CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE DRAMA QUEEN	$2.5
9	THE RETURN OF THE KING	$2.0
10	SPARTAN	$2.0

20 Mar 2004 - Catastrophic Event!

Like most Americans, I had been looking forward to the remake of "Dawn of the Dead" with some trepidation. The "zombie attack" genre of films is held in generally low regard by the public because the plots of so many of these films rely on a simple plot device.

Put simply, that plot device is "stupid people doing stupid things". That may work fine on the "Jerry Springer Show", but it simply isn't realistic in a "zombie attack" movie. When attacked by zombies, you either get smart or you get dead!

What then should drive the plot of a "zombie attack" film? I believe the characters should be forced to encounter rampaging hordes of zombies as a result of catastrophic events beyond the immediate control of the characters. Need an example? Picture a group of human characters taking refugee inside a wood frame house. A thunderstorm moves through the area. Lightning strikes the house and it catches on fire. Now, the characters must choose between burning to death inside the house or leaving it to face the ravenous zombies waiting outside. Did these characters do anything stupid to put themselves in jeopardy? Unless they passed up a cave or some other fireproof shelter, the answer is a definite "no".

The best possible zombie attack film would be "Final Destination: The Zombie Edition". It would be a perfect blend of zombie attacks and catastrophic events that would be certain to electrify the nation!

Little did I know that this very week, I would experience just the type of catastrophic event that I've been describing. Fortunately for me, no zombies were involved!

A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that two new films were playing at the Mission this week. These films being "Dawn of the Dead" and "Taking Lives". This was the first week of release for both films.

With the addition of these two new films, I had seen 2 of the 8 films being exhibited this week.

Having spent nearly the entire day at my Mother's mowing the yard, I was looking forward to a restful night at the Mission. After showering, I ate a leisurely meal before leaving for San Antonio.

The weather was nearly perfect for a sedentary evening under the stars! The night was warm and the air was humid.

I made good time driving up Interstate 35 to San Antonio. I exited at Military Drive and turned right. Halfway to Roosevelt, events began to spin out of control!

My Escort began to run rough. I noticed a growing power lose from the engine. Depressing the gas pedal to increase the fuel flow failed to produce any positive results. Fearing the engine was about to die, I moved over into the protected turn lane, hoping that I could cut across the other two lanes to reach the safety of a parking lot. I managed to get into the protected turn lane before the Escort gave one final shudder and died. My efforts to restart the engine were rewarded not by the throaty roar of well tuned engine but by clouds of white smoke pouring out the exhaust. After a few futile twists of the ignition key, I gave up. I had just become the victim of a catastrophic event beyond my immediate control. Fortunately, I wasn't a character in a "zombie attack" film!

A passing stranger helped me push the car across the street and into a parking lot. Rick Stivers happened to be in town visiting with his family and was available to drive across town to pick me up. As it turned out, the Escort died in front of a garage. Had I not been leaving town on Monday for two weeks, I wouldn't have left it there but given the time constraints, it seemed to be the best choice at the time.

As Rick was driving me home, I attempted to convince him that we should "drive through" the Mission. That would have allowed me to keep my attendance streak alive for another week. Rick wasn't interested in this side trip but he did offer to loan my his truck so that I could return to the Mission later in the evening.

Those who know me, know that I'm not keen on borrowing things from people. Rick was very persistent and I came to realize that my attendance streak was very important to him. I eventually agreed to take his truck.

I left his house in Schertz at 9:45PM. I stopped at my apartment for a shower and a change of clothes. I finally reached the Mission at 10:50PM. The second features were still in progress.

Rick's Dodge truck is huge compared to my small, yet stylish and fuel efficient, Escort. Turning into the Screen 1 lot, I was surprised to find it crowded with cars. Rather than risk driving through the crowded lot to my traditional spot near the exit, I decided to park in the row in front of the concession stand. In fact, I parked directly in front of the concession stand. Why? Normally, the light pollution pouring out the windows would have driven me deeper into the dark recesses of the lot. But since I wanted to be absolutely certain nothing happened to Rick's truck, the bright lights were a welcome sight. I wasn't worried about vandalism. I was worried about someone being unable to dodge the Dodge (pun intended!) in the darkness. I had no desire to call Rick again for a ride home!

I made a quick patrol of the lots before returning to the concession stand. I purchased a large Diet Coke and a large popcorn. On my way out to the truck, I ran into the assistant manager. We spoke of many things including the melted film incident from the prior week. Upper management was unhappy about that to say the least! As the trailers began to run, I thanked him for his time and returned to Rick's truck.

Here are the car counts for those that like them. Keep in mind that these counts were taken near the end of the second feature.

Screen 1 - "Dawn of the Dead" / "Gothika" - 195
Screen 2 - "Taking Lives" / "The Butterfly Effect" - 45
Screen 3 - "Secret Window" / "50 First Dates" - 110
Screen 4 - "Starsky & Hutch" / "Along Came Polly" - 66

These are very impressive counts! I think we can be certain that the casual Mission patron is now aware that the 2004 season has begun!

Leaving my snacks on the hood of the truck, I climbed inside and tuned the radio to the Screen 1 frequency. That task completed, I exited the vehicle and retrieved my snacks. Not wanting to get popcorn in Rick's truck, I spent the next two hours standing by the driver's side door, listening to the radio through the window.

How was "Dawn of the Dead"?

I found it to be far superior to the original film. In most cases, the characters in the film made good choices given the circumstances. That doesn't mean that stupid choices weren't made. It simply means that not all the choices were stupid.

As the credits began to roll, the other patrons began to head towards the exit. Given the large number of cars that stayed to see "Dawn of the Dead", a huge mass of cars began to build up near the exit. I knew that I wouldn't be able to get out of the theater any time soon! As it turns out, that was a good thing. There are bonus scenes of a disturbing nature mixed in with the credits. I'll say no more!

Finally, when nearly all the other cars had exited the theater, I climbed into Rick's truck and proceeded home without incident.

Here is the weekly comparison between the weekend Mission exhibition schedule and the top ten grossing films. Five of the top ten films were showing at the Mission this week.

Ranking	Title	Millions of Dollars	At The Mission
1	Dawn of the Dead	$26.7	YES!
2	The Passion of The Christ	$19.4
3	Taking Lives	$11.5	YES!
4	Starsky & Hutch	$10.4	YES!
5	Secret Window	$9.3	YES!
6	Hidalgo	$8.4
7	Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind	$8.2
8	Agent Cody Banks 2	$6.0
9	50 First Dates	$4.2	YES!
10	Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen	$1.6

21 Mar 2004 - Streak's End!

It had to end eventually, but it shouldn't have ended this way.

If you recall last week's report, you already know that my Escort suffered a catastrophic failure, and that I was only able to visit the Mission, keeping my attendance streak alive, by accepting Rick Stiver's loan of his truck.

The coming trip to Enid was scheduled to last for two weeks. Did that mean the end of my attendance streak? No! I planned to "bookend" my Enid trip with visits to the Mission. One visit the night before leaving. The other visit the night after returning.

It's a simple plan to be sure. I've used it before in cases similar to this one. And it should have worked again, but it didn't.

I spent the majority of Sunday getting ready for the trip. Eventually, I was able to secure an alternate means of transportation. It was already late in the evening but I knew that I've have plenty of time to arrive at the Mission before the start of the second feature.

Reaching the Mission, I was immediately concerned to see cars driving out the entrance. As I rounded the screen tower, I discovered why. The marquee was dark and the ticket booths were closed. I could see the employees walking away into the night.

It was 8:26PM and the gates were closed.

The mighty "chicken man" had struck out!

After three complete seasons and three weeks of a fourth, my attendance streak had finally come to an end.

I wasn't the only disappointed Mission patron. As I drove away, four other cars passed me headed towards the ticket booth.

You just have to wonder why anyone would close the box office before the start of the second features. It doesn't make sense and it this case it doesn't make money!

Will I ever be able to surpass this my attendance record? Only time will tell!

Visit the Quarterly Reports Index to see past reports.

This Concludes the First Quarter 2004 Reports

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