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1 April 2003 - Cold Hands, Warm Heart???

In a surprise plot twist, Rick Stivers decided that he wanted to go to the Mission. I agreed. After negotiation, we decided to go on Tuesday night. After further talks, I agreed to ride with him in his new truck. Why his new truck? Rick wanted to test its performance at the Mission. And before your imagination gets the best of you, he wanted to test out his radio and speakers!

Rick arrived at my apartment at 6:20PM. After loading my drive-in kit and camp chair into his truck, we headed out onto the highway. We made no stops along the way and arrived at the Mission at 6:58PM.

Turning into the property, we found the entrance sign to still be completely blank. Just a white sign illuminated by two lights.

As we rounded the screen tower, Rick saw the new "blue" look of the Mission for the first time. He reacted to the change in a positive, although muted, way.

Reaching the ticket booth, I purchased two tickets for "Basic". Rick objected to my purchasing his ticket but I reminded him that I still owned him $5 from our last trip to the Mission.

Ticket stubs in hand, we proceeded to the Screen 3 lot without incident. Rick once again parked at the back of the lot near the "fun house" bridge.

After we exited the vehicle, Rick rummaged around in the bed of the truck for a few moments. With a satisfied grunt, he pulled out a measuring tool of his own design and construction. The purpose of the device was to measure the angle of the tilt of the "fun house" bridge. Being a supporter of scientific experimentation, I applauded his initiative!

Once on the bridge, Rick moved back and forth across it taking measurements. If his calculations are correct, at its most inclined point, the "fun house" bridge tilts down 12 degrees.

Our scientific curiosity sated, we headed across the Screen 2 lot to the concession stand. As we neared it, I pointed out the light that I believe has become a major source of light pollution for Screen 2. As Rick considered this point, we went inside.

I made my usual purchase of a Diet Coke, large popcorn and two hot dogs. Rick also purchased a Diet Coke and a large popcorn. He was quite excited to discover that popcorn salt is available near each cash register. Look for it in an unmarked white cup.

I was taken by surprise when one of the counter employees attempted to sell me a Mission tee-shirt. I felt compelled to explain that I had already purchased one of each color, white and yellow. I even went on to explain that the yellow tee-shirt had been sent to Annette Driscoll AKA "The Blue Bunny" while she was in Pakistan. Now this story impressed the employees! They were excited to learn one of their tee-shirts had traveled to the far side of the Earth!

Leaving the still awed employees behind, Rick and I headed out into the Screen 1 lot. After an exhaustive study of the concession stand, we headed over to the Screen 4 lot. There, we examined the new fence and the winglet that had been added to it.

Back in the Screen 3 lot, we unloaded our chairs and set up camp for the evening. As we talked, I ate my hot dogs. After I was done, I tossed the plastic containers into the back of Rick's truck. His eyes widen, but he said nothing. Moments later, the movie trailers began to run. Rick seemed to find the trailer for "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" to be the most interesting. I even saw him the next day at work downloading it from the Internet!

As the night progressed, it grew colder and colder. Ever prepared, I pulled out the blue blanket and wrapped myself up in it. The same could not be said of Rick. In the darkness, he appeared to be shivering. I suggested we move inside the truck but he made no reply. Later, he told me that only his hands were cold because his clothes lacked pockets in which to put them. And, of course, living in South Texas, he had no mittens in the glove box of his truck.

About an hour into "Basic", I unwrapped the blue blanket from my body and I got up out of my chair. I had two that I had to do.

Reaching back into Rick's truck, I recovered the hot dog containers that I had previously discarded. I then headed across the "fun house" bridge into the Screen 2 lot. Finding a convenient trash can, I disposed of the hot dog containers. I then started walking out into the Screen 2 lot. Once again, I was able to get slightly more than halfway into the lot before my shadow began to fade out. I'm now certain the light on the concession stand is generating noticeable light pollution. I'll contact management about this problem at my first opportunity!

Returning to the truck, I found Rick in his chair, looking cold. As soon as "Basic" was over, we loaded up the truck and proceeded home without incident.

No formal car counts were taken. I'd estimate there were 5 to 10 cars in each lot. Not too bad for a Tuesday night.

How did Rick's truck work out? He had no reception problems. He was required to leave his passenger door open for us to clearly hear the movie. If he plans to take this truck to the Mission on a busy night, he'll need to add external speakers or park closer to the other vehicles.

Although his hands went numb during the movie, he reported this to be one of his most enjoyable nights ever at the Mission. And why not? "Basic" was much better than "Domestic Disturbance"! In yet another of those all too common coincidences, the last time just the two of us had gone to the Mission, we saw "Domestic Disturbance" (another John Travolta film) on Screen 3. It was cold that night as well!

Note 1: Having been to the Mission once during the week of 31 March to April 6, I did not go again until April 12. Because of that, I skipped an entire movie week. For the sake of completeness, here is an analysis of the new Mission advertisement for April 4:

"A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that only one new film was playing at the Mission this week. This film being "A Man Apart". This was the first week of release for this film."

Note 2: Also for the sake of completeness, here is the weekly comparison between the weekend Mission exhibition schedule and the top ten grossing films. Four of the top ten films were showing at the Mission this week.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE APRIL 4 - 6, 2003

12 Apr 2003 - Dispenser Activated!

After skipping last weekend at the Mission, I was ready to return to my normal routine.

A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that only one new film was playing at the Mission this week. This film being "Anger Management". This was the first week of release for this film.

With the addition of this new film, I had seen only 3 of the 8 films being exhibited this week.

I left my apartment at 6:23PM. The weather was warm and the sky was clear. I could tell it would be a perfect night to be at the drive-in! It was only when I reached IH-37 that I realized I had forgotten to allow for the change to Daylight Savings Time! I wanted to get to the Mission early but not this early! I could think of only one thing to do! I stopped at the Sonic for corn dogs! After a quick meal, I continued my journey and arrived at the Mission at 7:00PM.

As I neared the entrance to the Mission, I was amused to find a line of cars around the screen tower. Obviously, I wasn't the only one to forget the time change!

After waiting in line for five minutes, I became bored. What to do? What to do? Finally, I took the bold step of exiting my vehicle and walking over to wall surrounding the Screen 1 lot.

Peeking over the wall, I saw no signs of the 'Mercado Bazaar'.

Confused? If you recall, last year the owner of the Mission applied to the Zoning Commission for a permit to open a flea market at the Mission. The Zoning Commission recommended the application be denied. The members of the commission did not believe that a flea market was the type of activity that would be compatible with the other businesses in the area. Since the Mission property borders a national historic landmark, I can understand their concern.

The next step in the zoning process is a hearing by the San Antonio City Council. A negative recommendation is just that, a recommendation. The City Council can approve a permit application over the objections of the Zoning Commission. For reasons I won't go into, minutes of the City Council meetings usually aren't made available on the Internet for several weeks to several months after the meetings have taken place. For this reason, I learned about the existence of the 'Mercado Bazaar' from the Mission advertisement.

With no signs that a flea market had been held in Lot 1, I made a quick visual survey of Lots 3 & 4. I saw no evidence that anything had happened in either location. The concession stand blocked my view of Lot 2 so it remained a possible location.

Could the 'Mercado Bazaar' have been cancelled? Like the Zoning Commission, I don't feel that a flea market would be an appropriate use of the Mission property. I believe it sends the wrong message about the future of the theater. No, the 'Mercado Bazaar' wasn't cancelled. Draped across the front of the marquee was a yellow banner advertising it.

Something just didn't seem right. If the 'Mercado Baazar' was open, where was it? Could everything have been cleaned up so quickly? That would have been a shocker!

Still pondering this issue, I returned to my car. As I sat inside it reading the newspaper, I heard the roar of engines. Looking up, I was aghast to see several SUVs turning off Roosevelt and driving across the front of the property. These engines of disruption disappeared behind the screen tower. When I heard their engines stop, I knew that I had become a victim.

The entrance to the Mission doesn't become a full four lanes wide until it wraps around the screen tower. After the cars start to round the tower, they can spread out into any of the four lanes.

Since the message "Any Lane, Any Show" has been removed from the marquee, I've noticed that the cars have attempted to line up in the lanes corresponding to their driver's movie selections.

I'm speculating here, but I believe there were empty spaces in lane four which allowed the drivers of the SUVs to effectively "cut in line" by going "off-road" and bypassing the entrance to the property.

I was pretty annoyed, let me tell you! Not only had I just dropped down several places in line (I was already planning to see "The Core" which was showing on Screen 4) but I had just witnessed a major violation of the drive-in code! For a fleeting moment, I considered hostile action, but realized that lacking a chicken suit, my ability to press my objections would be limited. I need not point out that no action is nearly always better than ineffective action.

Frustrated, I continued to sit inside my car waiting for the box office to open. After what seemed like an eternity, but was in fact just five more minutes, the box office opened at 7:15PM.

After a few moments of confusion, the cars began to move forward.

Reaching the ticket booth, I purchased a ticket for "The Core" and proceeded to the Screen 4 lot without incident.

I parked in my traditional spot in the second row on the left side of the screen.

Leaving my car behind, I took the time to take a complete count of the Screen 4 lot before heading across the bridge into the Screen 1 lot. I counted the cars there before heading into the concession stand. Once inside, I made my usual purchase of a large popcorn, two hot dogs and a large Diet Coke.

After pocketing my change, I moved towards the condiment area in search of mustard. Reaching the counter, I was shocked to see the tubs were empty. Where were the mustard packets? And the ketchup packets too?

I was just about to return to the service counter when I noticed the change. The mustard and ketchup dispensers had finally been activated! With my hands trembling, I opened up the protective shells around my hot dogs. As I held each one under the dispenser opening, I pumped the plunger up and down with slow, steady strokes. I could see the mustard oozing up from inside the hidden reservoir and down the clear plastic tube towards the opening. I moved the hot dogs back and forth under the opening so that the mustard would be distributed evenly. Mustard from a dispenser beats mustard from a packet any day!

After snapping the protective shells closed, I exited from the concession stand into the Screen 2 lot. I slowly looked around the lot for any signs of the "Mercado Bazaar". Nothing. There were no signs that any flea market vendors had ever been there. But there was something different about the lot. It wasn't the six portable toilets, although this was the first time they have been deployed at the Mission this season. No, it was something else, something odd. Something I should have noticed before. On the fence between the Mission and the VFW, I noticed three "exit" signs. Had these signs been there before? Was my memory playing tricks on me? Could this be some residual side-effect of the drugs I'd received during a recent invasive medical procedure? I had to investigate. I had to be sure.

I walked across the lot to the first sign. The sign was old and weather beaten. It was fastened with nails that were slightly rusty and with conduit clamps that were bright and shiny. The conduit clamps were clearly a new addition. On the ground, I noticed a pile of vines that had been cut off the fence. Were the vines cut down because they had covered the sign or had they been cut down to allow the sign to be installed?

I moved down the fence towards the second sign. This sign is located in the worst possible position. The sign is clearly visible. That isn't the problem. No, the problem is the large section of fence that has fallen down and been pulled to one side. In the dark, some patrons might believe that this gap in the fence is actually an exit. If anyone did go out through this "exit", they would find themselves trapped behind the iron fence that surrounds this section of the VFW property!

Looking down, I once again saw a pile of vines that had been recently cut down. This sign was also attached to the fence in the same way as the first.

Heading down to the third sign, I discovered the now familiar pattern of cut vines, slightly rusty nails and shiny conduit clamps.

Having seen all that I could see, I head back across the lot towards the concession stand. I still wasn't sure if the signs had been there before. I tried to calm myself. I kept telling myself, "Don't worry about it. Check your picture archive when you get home". This is the kind of thing that can ruin an evening!

Just as I reached the concession stand, one of the assistant managers walked out the breezeway doors. I stopped him and asked him about the exit signs. He was clearly taken by surprise. This wasn't the question he had expected me to ask!

Recovering quickly, he told me that the signs had always been there (as far as he knew) but they had become covered up by the vines. He and another employee had cut down the vines earlier in the week. Hurrah! My memory wasn't playing tricks on me! I couldn't have seen those signs on my most recent visits! Yea!

I then decided to ask another question, perhaps the question he had been expecting. I asked about the "Mercado Baazar". Only a single vendor had made the scene.

I decided that this was a good time to change the subject. I pointed up to the light on top of the concession stand and explained how much it was "washing out" the picture on Screen 2. I went on to suggest that the problem could be solved by angling the light down or turning it slightly towards the right. He nodded in agreement as I spoke. He was aware of the problem and vowed to act to resolve it as soon as possible.

Our conversation ended when he received a call over his radio. I thanked him for his time and headed off towards the Screen 3 lot.

I crossed the "fun house" bridge without incident and found myself in a lot full of cars.

Returning to the Screen 4 lot, I pulled out my camp chair and settled down to wait for the trailers to begin.

Here are the car counts for those that like them. The first set of numbers are the car counts at the start of my patrol. The second set was collected at the end of my patrol.

Screen 1 - "Anger Management"/"Basic" - 35/68
Screen 2 - "A Man Apart"/"Dreamcatcher" - 8/37
Screen 3 - "Bring Down The House"/"Shanghai Knights" - 11/58
Screen 4 - "The Core"/"The Hunted" - 9/28

At the risk of being too risque for my audience, I'll make just one comment about the movie trailers. There was time, when drive-ins were in decline, that an advertisement for a movie titled "Holes" wouldn't have been a Disney film. (Rick: Feel free to edit this part out if you feel it is inappropriate for the web site.) Times have certainly changed for the better!

I really enjoyed "The Core". I found it to be a near perfect blend of the science fiction films of the 1950s (complete with an "Adam an Eve" style ending) and the disaster films of 1970s and 1980s. This could easily have been an Irwin Allen production. In fact, it strongly resembles an updated "Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea".

After the credits began to roll, I headed back to the concession stand for a free refill and hot dog. Exiting into the Screen 2 lot, I was delighted to see that the light on the concession stand had already been adjusted. Has the problem been completely resolved? Not quite. There is still a small amount of light pollution hitting the screen. And when it rains, the light will reflect off any standing water, scatter across the lot and ultimately reach Screens 2 and 3 . Still, I'm extremely pleased to see such quick action being taken to resolve this problem. I'll continue to bring this up in the future as the situation warrants.

With the intermission clock running, I hurried across the "fun house" bridge to the Screen 3 lot. I performed a quick count there (108 cars!) and then headed back to the Screen 4 lot. With just a minute to spare, I completed my count (83 cars!) and drove out the exit to Roosevelt. The drive home was uneventful.

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

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE 11-13 APRIL 2003

19 Apr 2003 - Survey Said?

For the second week in a row, I was able to follow my usual Mission routine! Circumstances have forced me to give up on my plan to rotate my attendance at the Mission. For now, and the foreseeable future, I'll be attending on Saturday nights!

A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that two new films were playing at the Mission this week. These films being "Bulletproof Monk" and "House Of A 1000 Corpses". This was the first week of release for "Bulletproof Monk". "House Of A 1000 Corpses" had previously opened in San Antonio.

With the addition of these two new films, I had seen 3 of the 8 films being exhibited this week.

I left my apartment at 6:30PM. I made no stops along the way and arrived at the Mission at 6:52PM.

As I neared the entrance to the Mission, I made a special effort to check the marquee for any signs of the yellow "Mercado Bazaar" banner. Although my view of the marquee lasted for only a few moments, I was confident that it was not to be found. Could the "Mercado Bazaar" have been discontinued after only a single week? Only time will tell!

Turning into the property, I applied my brakes with vigor.

As I rounded the screen tower, I discovered that neither ticket booth was open. I counted 18 cars spread out among the various entrance lanes. Taking advantage of the confusion, I pulled into the third lane. When my car came to a halt, I found myself third in line. Remember folks, "Any Lane, Any Show" is still one of the Mission's mottos!

If you recall my report from last week, you may remember the SUVs that cut in line by crossing the property from Roosevelt. I'm pleased to report that this particular type of misconduct was not repeated. Sadly, something else happened. Something that made no sense.

Several SUVs and trucks drove along the edge of the first entrance lane, narrowly missing the runway lights, up to the front of the lane near the ticket booths. Each vehicle stopped for several moments as if the driver were reading the marquee. Without warning, each vehicle made a hard right turn and then crossed over all four entrance lanes. Reaching the grass to the right of fourth entrance lane, each vehicle executed yet another hard right turn and then followed the edge of the fourth entrance lane back out around the screen tower. What happened next? Some of the vehicles disappeared. Others returned moments later to take their places in one of the entrance lanes.

Damnation! This type of conduct is uncalled for! Buy a paper! Call the Mission movie line! Check the Santikos website! Buy a pair of binoculars! But don't break all the traffic rules of conduct just to get a closer look at the marquee!

By the time the box office opened at 7:35PM, more than 30 cars were waiting in line.

One of those cars contained a group of irate customers who did not take well to being told the admission price was $5 per adult, $3 per child. What were they expecting? They were expecting the price to be $10 per carload. You're thinking, that's Wednesday, not Saturday, aren't you? If you are, you're right. But someone wasn't thinking, because the Mission movie line was advertising the carload price. At least that was the claim of the irate customers. True or false, the assistant manager called in the "problem" with the movie line and then let the customers in at the carload price. Was this a genuine mistake or a clever scam? We'll never know. 

Reaching the ticket booth, a runner came over to my car. I declared my movie selection for the evening, "House of a 1000 Corpses", and shoved a $5 bill out the window. Long seconds passed before the runner returned with a ticket stub and a small yellow card. I accepted both items and placed them onto the seat of my car. I then proceeded to the Screen 1 lot without further incident.

I parked my car in my traditional Screen 1 location, on the right side of the screen in the second row. I was just about to exit my vehicle when I stopped to examine the yellow card the runner had given me. The card was an advertisement for the "Mercado Bazaar". There were two items of note in the advertisement.

First, the card indicated that the "Mercado Bazaar" would open on May 3rd. That's interesting since it had already opened the week before! Was this simply a case of revisionist history or something even more sinister? Second, the card declared that admission and parking at the "Mercado Bazaar" will be "free". That's a smart move as there are several very well established flea markets located near the Mission. It won't be easy to lure their patrons and vendors to a new marketplace at the Mission!

Putting down the card, I stepped out of the car and considered my next move. Not having eaten all day, I was more than ready to dine on a meal of hot dogs and popcorn! The patrol would have to wait. I needed to eat now!

I moved across the Screen 1 lot to the snack bar at an impressive rate of speed. Reaching the entrance to the snack bar, I noticed a new advertisement taped onto the glass. The advertisement featured a large ice cream cone with the legend "Flavor Burst Ice Cream" emblazoned across it. Closer inspection of the ice cream cone revealed that the ice cream was wrapped with a band of color from the tip of the ice cream down to the start of the cone. At the risk of making an assumption, I imagine this colored band contains a flavoring agent of some type. It follows then that licking through the colored band would release a "flavor burst" to the taste buds! I'd prefer to have a Tollhouse Ice Cream Cookie!

Moving inside the concession stand, I noticed the odd placement of the "Flavor Burst" ice cream machine. The machine wasn't sitting behind the concession stand counter. No, the machine was sitting in the lobby of the snack bar near the machine that dispenses faux cheese.

There are several problems with placing the machine in this area. Since the machine isn't behind the counter, it requires a dedicated employee to operate it. When sales are slow, this employee must remain with the machine preventing him from performing other tasks. And when a sale is made, how are the transactions handled? Does the machine operator take cash from patrons or must patrons buy ice cream "tickets" at the snack bar counter? The potential for customer confusion boggles the mind!

And one more thing, the ice cream machine isn't a simple box, it is an industrial unit. The machine has a power cord, a drain hose and other plumbing whose purpose I can't begin to fathom. The lobby isn't the place for such a contraption. The hoses and cords create a tripping hazard and the machine and its operator are a traffic obstacle which slow down the flow of customers. Let's hope this location is only temporary and that the "Flavor Burst" ice cream machine finds a proper home behind the counter!

After completing my examination of the "Flavor Burst" ice cream machine, I turned towards the sales counter. My forward progress was interrupted by a young man carrying a clipboard. As you might expect, he was conducting a survey.

He wanted to know what items I had purchased at the concession stand and how I ranked them to each other. Those who know me know that I'll never be described as "Mister Variety". When I find something I like, I stick with it. Faced with the choice of known satisfaction or improbable experimentation, I'll choose known satisfaction nearly every time!

Still, I was able to provide him with input on Diet Coke (but who couldn't?), popcorn, chicken strips, pizza (but not the kind the snack bar currently sells) and those rolled up taco-like things whose name I can't begin to spell.

The young man thanked me for my time and allowed me to pass. Reaching the sales counter, I placed my usual order for a large Diet Coke, a large popcorn and two hot dogs.

Not having eaten all day, I decided to postpone my patrol and instead return to my car for a quiet meal. This decision made, I moved quickly across the Screen 1 lot back to my car. I was too hungry to even get out my camp chair! I leaned against the fender for support as I consumed my snacks. I'm sure I resembled a giant cat of some kind. You've seen this look before, I'm sure. Picture a cat that has caught a mouse and you'll understand completely! As I was eating, I scanned the lot for predators and moochers. I had no plans to share this meal with anyone!

After much crunching and munching, I was finally satisfied. Fortified by my meal of hot dogs, each with a thick layer of mustard, and half a bag of popcorn, I was ready to begin my patrol.

Given the state of my stomach, I wasn't able to proceed at top speed. Still, I wasn't concerned. The movie wouldn't start for quite some time.

Counting the cars in the Screen 1 lot, I proceeded over to the entrance. I was forced to wait for some time for a large enough gap between the incoming cars passing through the ticket booths. I had no wish to become Mission "road kill"!

When the opportunity presented itself, I crossed the four entrance lanes and barely made it to the pedestrian walkway on the bridge which allows access to the Screen 3 and Screen 4 lots.

I counted the cars in the Screen 4 lot and then headed on over to the Screen 3 lot. With my food beginning to digest, I could feel myself speeding up. Yea!

Feeling faster, I counted the cars in the Screen 3 lot, crossed the "fun house" bridge and did the same in the Screen 2 lot.

My counting done, I considered how best to get back into the Screen 1 lot. Cross back through the snack bar? No, I was still bloated enough that this idea wasn't appealing. Walk further back and pass through the breeze way? A better idea to be sure. I rejected both these possibilities and opted to simply walk through one of the gaps in the fence between the Screen 1 and Screen 2 lots. This was certain to be the best choice!

Passing through the gap in the fence, I adjusted my course for the return trip to my car. As I came around the corner of the snack bar, I saw the Mission manager and his staff standing nearby. Normally, I stop to say hello but I was still feeling bloated. Not in a bad way, but in a full, comfortable, I'd like to sit down or maybe even take a nap way. To avoid seeming rude, I adjusted my course just enough so that I'd pass by them just out of normal greeting range. They were busy talking to each other so it seemed unlikely they would even notice me passing by in the growing twilight. And that might have happened too, if I hadn't burped.

The sound of my burp echoed around the lot. The sound was twisted and distorted as it echoed off the walls of the lot and the cars inside it. Alerted by the sound, the Mission management team paused their conversation to look around the lot. I was just moments away from being discovered. What could I do? There was only one option. As their eyes fell on me, I waved and began walking towards them. Bold action can conceal many things!

They greeted me warmly and we discussed the current status of the Mission and its patronage. Mr Kunert, the Mission Manager, expressed great optimism about the coming summer season. He used a phrase that I hadn't heard before - "hold over product".

Although hit films like "X2: X-Men United", "The Matrix Reloaded" and "Terminator 3", will certainly drive up attendance at the Mission when they open, Mr Kunert was looking forward to these films becoming "hold over product". When high demand films move into the "hold over" category, they drive up total attendance at the theater. Not only are there people that will want to see these films more than once, there are large numbers of people that avoid seeing new films in their first week of release. Beyond that, when a hit film moves down the chart and becomes a second feature, it can help draw customers that ordinarily wouldn't have come in to see the first feature alone.

This makes sense. For the Mission to truly generate large profits, all four screens need good attendance. A single hit film, or even a mega-hit film, can't generate the total revenue of four good films.

I have to say it, my enquiring mind wanted to know about the 'Mercado Bazaar'. The explanation was very simple. Attendance by vendors and customers had been far lower than expected. Higher management still supports the concept and is unwilling to give up on it. In an attempt to boost attendance, the company will now promote and coordinate the event internally instead of relying on an outside firm. If all goes as planned, the 'Mercado Baazar' will re-open the first weekend in May.

Just as I was about to take my leave, Mr Kunert surprised me by offering to give me a tour of the projection booths. Now, this was a surprise! I agreed immediately. As we were walking towards the stairs, he asked me if I had taken the food survey. I replied that I had done so and lamented that I could only provide input on a small sampling of their menu.

He nodded and replied, "I thought that might be the case. I was wondering if you could do us a favor and take the survey one step farther. We were hoping that you could try everything on the menu and then give us your feedback".

Gulp! Everything on the menu? And I had just eaten!

Or had I? It must have been at least 30 minutes since I had taken my last bite of popcorn. Since then, I had prowled the lots in search of noteworthy news items. I was certain that I could take this taste test. If necessary, by sheer force of will!

As we headed up the stairs, I replied, "I'll give it a try"!

For those that haven't been to the Mission, the projection booths can not be reached from inside the snack bar. On the north side of the snack bar, on the Screen 1 side, is a short stairway from the ground to the roof the snack bar. From there, it is only a short walk across the roof to the north entrance to the projection booths. The north booth contains the projectors for Screens 1 and 2. A long narrow hallway connects the north projection booth to the south projection booth. The south projection booth contains the projectors for Screens 3 and 4. The south projection booth can also be reached by a different stairway located on the opposite end of the building on the Screen 2 side. This stairway ends at a platform with a door leading directly into the projection booth.

We used the stairs on the Screen 2 side, starting the tour in the south projection booth. Here I met the current projectionist, a young man just beginning to learn the trade. During the day, he works as an apprentice at one of the indoor Santikos theaters. From all accounts, he is learning quickly. The previous projectionist, who had done so much for the Mission, moved on after it closed during the winter.

The projection booth was larger than I expected. The two projectors and their attached platter systems sit against the south wall. There is very little space between the two systems. Both projectors face towards the south. One to the southwest and the other to the southeast. This projection booth was designed solely for platter systems. The night's features didn't take up that much space on the platters, leaving me to wonder if one of these systems could support a dusk 'til dawn show! The projection equipment takes up approximately 60% of of the projection booth. The rest of the space was either empty or was taken up by small cabinets and shelves. The walls of this projection booth are black to limit the amount of light reflected out the windows. The ceiling is partially covered with sound deadening tiles.

We had a short discussion about lens, aperture plates, film formats and their impact on both the patrons and the projectionist.

As we walked down the long hallway that connects the two projection booths, the projectionist and one of the assistant managers attempted to convince me that the Mission, like all other theaters, is haunted. Their story reminded me of the drive-in horror movie concept that I had developed one afternoon. When I explained it to Rick Sambucini, he laughed and commented "that's the same plot as every EC Comic ever written". Ha! As if he has ever read all of them!

Oh yes, like the south projection booth, the hallway is also painted black.

As a point of reference, let me state here that I am a man of substance. As I walked down the hallway, I felt a sudden change in floor beneath my feet. In the south projection booth, and the first part of the hallway, there was a very slight vibration in the floor each time I took a step. Not as bad as you'd find in the USAA employment office, but still noticeable. With a single step, the vibrations stopped and the floor felt far more solid beneath my feet. I was immediately reminded of my dormitory in college. That building was very old and the floor was over a foot thick.

I mentioned my observation to Mr Kunert and he confirmed it. His explanation was that we had crossed over into the original part of the building. How original? It doesn't seem likely that the current building dates back to the time when the Mission had a single screen. The placement of the building between Screens 1 and 2 is so nearly perfect that the only reasonable explanation is that building was sited there to support two screens. How old is the addition to the building? We do know that between 1977 and 1978, the Mission went from two screens, "The Mission Twin", to four screens, "The Mission 4 Outdoor Theater". That would make the addition 25 to 26 years old. Directly below the south projection booth are the bathrooms. It is possible that these bathrooms date back further and that the projection booth was built on above them. But if that entire section of the building, projection booth and bathrooms dates back only to 1977, where were the bathrooms before that? Perhaps we'll find out someday!

Leaving the hallway, we entered the north projection booth. The north booth is much larger than the south booth. The projectors and their attached platter systems sit on opposite sides of the room. This projection booth was originally designed for dual projectors as the double port holes prove. This would also explain when the north booth is bigger than the south booth. It had to have been large enough to hold four projectors, two on each side.

My memory is slightly fuzzy on this point, but I believe this projection booth isn't painted. If I remember correctly, the walls are unpainted concrete. The projectors were solidly constructed and appeared to have been made no later than the early 1960s.

The tour concluded, we returned down the hallway and then exited down the stairs. I have two regrets about the tour. The first is that I didn't have my camera with me and the second is that Captain Chicken wasn't with me. This would have been yet another opportunity for creative photography!

Inside the concession stand, the food service manager asked me what kind of items I'd like to evaluate. Paralyzed by indecision, I was unable to choose among the items on the menu. After a few moments went by, the silence became awkward. Stalling for time, I said, "Everything on the menu looks interesting. I just wish you still had corn dogs". She laughed and said, "We do have corn dogs. They just aren't on the menu. We brought them back because you asked for them". Great! Now, not only was I gripped by indecision but also by guilt! They had brought back corn dogs just for me and I hadn't even bought one! Not seeing them on the menu wasn't an excuse as I suddenly realized that I'd seen something shaped like corn dogs, wrapped in aluminum foil, sitting next to the hamburgers. Note to self: Buy corn dogs in the future!

Although I now felt guilty, I realized that I had discovered the solution to the food selection problem. Since everything for sale wasn't listed on the menu, I asked the food service manager to choose for me. She smiled, agreed, and asked me to wait while my food sampler was being prepared.

Ten minutes passed as I waited inside the concession stand. When the trailers on Screen 1 started, I wandered over to the window to get a better look. Without warning, there was a knocking sound on the glass near my head! Seconds later, I heard it again. Turning towards the source of the knocking, I saw the food service manager outside the window holding a large tray. This was a surprise! I had expected her to slide the samples to me across the counter. I went outside expecting her to transfer them to me. I was surprised yet again to learn she planned to escort me back to my car!

As we walked back towards my car, I took this opportunity to inquire about the addition of "Bulletproof Monk" to the Mission schedule. This film was added to the schedule on Wednesday. Was this change made to boost attendance on "carload night"?

No, it turns out that the film simply became available on Wednesday. The food service manager was quite confident that there were no plans being made to do anything special on "carload night". Too bad! I think there is an opportunity here to keep the schedule fresh and pull in more patrons by switching out some films, probably second features, on Wednesday.

Reaching my car, she waited patiently for me to get out my camp chair. She encouraged me to sit down. Once I was comfortably seated, she handed me the food tray. I promised to try all the items and then report back to her at intermission. She thanked me and then disappeared into the night.

Before I forget, here are the car counts for those that like them.

Screen 1 - "House Of A 1000 Corpses" / "Dreamcatcher" - 28
Screen 2 - "Bulletproof Monk" / "A Man Apart" - 15
Screen 3 - "Anger Management" / "Basic" - 22
Screen 4 - "Bringing Down The House" / "Shanghai Knights" - 12

Within moments of being left alone in the dark, the last trailer ended. As I took my first bite, "House of a 1000 Corpses" began.

As the movie played on, I munched on chicken strips, nibbled on french fries, chewed on a burrito, gnawed on a pizza and took very small bites of a jalapeno "popper". For desert, I sampled a funnel cake. As the minutes went by, I began to feel "stuffed".

As I valiantly chewed on, a single question came to mind, "I wonder if this film contains cannibalism"?

Don't expect me to answer that question for you! I'm not going to do that. Instead, I will say that the most enjoyable scenes in the movie feature "Captain Jack" and his roadside attraction and chicken shack. Had this movie focused exclusively on "Captain Jack", it would have been an extremely enjoyable film.

Don't get me wrong, like "The Core", "House of a 1000 Corpses" is a retro-film. Rob Zombie succeeded in creating a film that resembles the horror films of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Even the ending of the film is typical of the endings from that era. If you enjoyed those films, you'll enjoy this one too!

As the credits began to roll, I struggled up out of my camp chair. I made a slow patrol of the property before returning to the concession stand. Once inside, I was debriefed. Here are my rankings of the food I sampled. Your mileage may vary.

1) Chicken strips - These were much improved since the last time I had tried them.

2) Burrito - The burrito appeared to have been overcooked. This actually turned out for the best as the hardened shell made for easier handing. It was quite tasty too!

3) French fries - The Mission uses "thick cut" home-style french fries. Thicker potato slices require longer cooking times. To me, these fries didn't get that extra cooking time. They weren't raw but they weren't ready either!

4) Pizza - I simply prefer the pizza that the Mission served before the concession stand was rebuilt.

5) Jalapeno "popper" - Too spicy for me!

6) Funnel Cake - It was okay but I'm a "main course" kind of guy!

After my debriefing was concluded, I was asked about the movie. Was it too extreme for me? Well, no, it wasn't. Why was this question asked? It turns out that at least some of the employees were expecting complaints about the extreme nature of the film. Had anyone complained so far? No. I can understand their concern. To survive, the Mission must remain family friendly. Brief nudity and dismemberment aren't usually the type of material that is compatible with a family environment. Of course, I'd have been more worried about showing "The Real Cancun" than "House of a 1000 Corpses". Why? Compare the odds of being eviscerated by a serial killer to the odds of visiting Cancun. One is likely. The other is not. Given that, which one would you expect to generate the most unrest amongst the viewing public?

Taking my leave of the concession stand, I returned to my car. Since I was starting to feel sleepy, I felt it was best not to drive home immediately. I decided that I'd stay through at least part of "Dreamcatcher" in hopes that I'd recover my wits as my stomach contents were digested.

Here are the car counts at the end of "House Of A 1000 Corpses".

Screen 1 - "House Of A 1000 Corpses" / "Dreamcatcher" - 66
Screen 2 - "Bulletproof Monk" / "A Man Apart" - 27
Screen 3 - "Anger Management" / "Basic" - 38
Screen 4 - "Bringing Down The House" / "Shanghai Knights" - 42

How was "Dreamcatcher"? Normally, I find movies about giant man-eating slugs to be very enjoyable. Unfortunately, there just wasn't enough "slug action" in this film to keep me interested. The film was just interesting enough to keep me from falling asleep. Beyond that, I'll say no more!

As soon as the credits began to roll, I put my camp chair in the trunk and climbed into my vehicle. I proceeded home without incident.

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

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE 18-20 APRIL 2003

26 Apr 2003 - Fun No More!

For the third week in a row, I was able to follow my usual Mission routine! Incredible!

A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that two new films were playing at the Mission this week. These films being "The Real Cancun" and "Jackass". This was the first week of release for "The Real Cancun". "Jackass" had previously opened in San Antonio. In fact, "Jackass" had previously run at the Mission during its initial release.

With the addition of these two new films, I had seen 4 of the 8 films being exhibited this week. This is up one from last week but only because I had previously seen "Jackass" at the Mission.

I left my apartment at 6:50PM. I made no stops along the way. I finally arrived at the Mission at 7:26PM. The weather was perfect for a night at the drive-in -- clear, warm and dry!

As I neared the entrance to the Mission, I couldn't help but notice that the new sign near the entrance remains white, without lettering or symbols. Will this sign ever be completed?

As I rounded the screen tower, I found that neither ticket booth was open. Mass confusion continues as few patrons realize that the Mission operates on the "any lane, any show" admissions system. Seeing that the far lane on the right was empty, I drove forward into the number one poll position!

A few minutes later, both ticket booths were opened. As soon as the staff was ready, I started my car and pulled forward!

Reaching the ticket booth, I purchased a ticket for "Bulletproof Monk" and proceeded to the Screen 4 lot without incident. Once again, I parked in my traditional location on the left side of the screen.

Leaving my car behind, I took the time to take a complete count of the Screen 4 lot. Since I was hungry, I decided to head towards the concession stand.

Once inside the Screen 1 lot, I counted the cars as I walked towards the concession stand. As I neared it, I saw the manager standing outside. He greeted me with a mischievous smile. Clearly something was up, but what? He didn't keep me in suspense long. Like the Sphinx, he was terribly mysterious. He would only tell me, "We've started a new project. Let me know what you think when you find it". Hmmmm.... What could it be I wondered?

Entering the concession stand, I walked up to the counter. Having learned that corn dogs were available at the Mission, at my request, I decided to lessen my feelings of guilt by ordering two of them. And why not? Who can resist mustard on a stick?

After cash was exchanged for snacks, I headed out into the Screen 2 lot. Something was new here, but what? I moved slowly across the lot studying every aspect of the theater. As I neared the Screen 3 lot, I realized what had happened. The "fun house" bridge was gone!

I suppose I should be more specific. The bridge remains but it is no longer a "fun house" bridge. Now, it is just a footbridge. A very level footbridge.

I crossed the bridge carefully monitoring its reaction to each of my footsteps. The bridge seemed sturdy enough. But exactly what had been done to reduce the tilt? Reaching the far end, I noticed that on one side of the bridge, the grass had been aggressively mowed. This had to be a clue!

I carefully climbed down into the creek bed and examined the underside of the bridge. On one side of the bridge, new footings had been constructed beneath it. Unlike the old footings, actually wooden piers sunk into the earth, the new footings rest on top of concrete blocks. Each footing is connected to the underside of the bridge. To help prevent twisting, each footing has a brace board attached to it and the side of the bridge.

My examination of the bridge complete, I climbed up out of the creek bed into the Screen 3 lot. I quickly counted the cars and then returned to the concession stand. The manager was waiting for me. We discussed the bridge project at length. He views the current construction as a temporary solution until the bridge can be completely replaced. I expressed my concern that a layer of concrete should be placed around the footings to prevent the earth from being washed out from under them during a heavy rain. If we get rain like we did last year, the foot bridge won't survive it!

Our conversation complete, I re-entered the snack bar to purchase a large bag of popcorn. What about those corn dogs? Well, let's just say that I remembered too late why you shouldn't buy the first corn dogs of the night!

Returning to the Screen 4 lot, I got out my camp chair and sat down to wait for the start of the movie.

Here are the car counts for those that like them.

Screen 1 - "House Of A 1000 Corpses" / "Dreamcatcher" - 30
Screen 2 - "Anger Management" / "Basic" - 26
Screen 3 - "The Real Cancun" / "Jackass" - 2
Screen 4 - "Bulletproof Monk" / "A Man Apart" - 19

Just after sunset, the trailers started. Once again, I was reminded that this will be yet another big season at the drive-in!

How was "Bulletproof Monk"? I found it to be enjoyable although slightly slow. A few snips of the scissors would have made this a better movie!

After the credits began to roll on "Bulletproof Monk", I performed a "quick count" of the Screen 4 and Screen 3 lots. Here are those counts for those that like them.

Screen 3 - "The Real Cancun" / "Jackass" - 13
Screen 4 - "Bulletproof Monk" / "A Man Apart" - 80

Although I didn't count the cars in Screen 1 and Screen 2 lots, the number of cars in each appeared to have increased significantly.

I made it back to the Screen 4 lot just in time for the start of "A Man Apart". As soon as I turned on my car radio (I always take the car keys with me when I go on patrol), I knew there was going to be a problem. Instead of the soundtrack to the movie, I was treated to a loud burst of music from the Corpus Christi tejano station. Damnation! I had thought the new Mission sound system had ended this problem forever. Clearly, when the conditions are right, tejano music will prevail!

Drawing on the knowledge gained in my past experiences with this problem, I grounded out the antenna of my car against the roof. For reasons unclear to me, this always solves the problem. To assist the patrons around me, I turned up my car stereo's volume. Some of them caught on and turned off their stereos. The others never figured it out and struggled through the entire movie listening to a mixture of "A Man Apart", tejano music and static.

As soon as the credits began to roll, I decided to walk up to the snack bar to report the problem.

On arriving there, I discovered that Screen 4 wasn't the only screen having problems. Apparently, the bulb had burned out in the projector, which serves Screen 2. I was told that a replacement bulb wasn't kept on site at the Mission and that it would take 45 minutes for one to arrive. The assistant manager on duty said to me, "At least we were lucky that it burned out during the third showing". Although I didn't say it, I thought to myself, "You are lucky Rick Stivers isn't here"!

As the staff headed out into the lot to pass out "rain checks", I headed back to my car in the Screen 4 lot. I put my camp chair in the trunk and then returned home without incident.

Although I've repeatedly called for the "fun house" bridge to be repaired, I have to admit that I'm saddened by its passing. While the repairs will improve the appearance of the theater and the safety of its patrons, I've lost a vital dramatic element, which will be missed. What will we do without tales of courageous bridge crossings? Will the quality of these reports suffer? Only time will tell!

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. In my opinion, this was the weakest schedule fielded at the Mission this season and perhaps since the theater reopened.

WEEKEND BOXOFFICE APRIL 25 - APRIL 27, 2003

3 May 2003 - Second Feature!

I've known for some time that this weekend I'd be unable to follow my usual Mission routine. I could have gone to the Mission on Friday night, but I was just too tired to go. Why? Earlier in the week, I'd been to Florida and Georgia on a business trip. While interesting, the experience had left me mentally exhausted and physically drained.

On Saturday, the 2003 Texas Willys Meet was being held near Burton, Texas. As the self-appointed official photographer, I knew that I'd have to be there! Last year, we didn't get back to San Antonio until well after dark. Rather than arrive during the middle of the first feature, I decided that no matter what time we got back into town, I'd relax a bit and then head down to the Mission for the start of either the second or the third feature.

A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that two new films were playing at the Mission this week. These films being "X2: X-Men United" and "Daredevil". This was the first week of release for "X2: X-Men United". "Daredevil" had previously opened in San Antonio.

With the addition of these two new films, I had seen 5 of the 8 films being exhibited this week. This is up one from last week but only because I had previously seen "Daredevil" at the Regal Cinema near my home.

The Willys Meet was a complete success! We got back in to San Antonio around 9:15PM. After a shower and a "sit down", I left my apartment at 10:15PM. I made no stops along the way. I arrived at the Mission at 10:40PM. It was a warm, humid night with an overcast sky. Being an urban drive-in, an overcast sky always increases the amount of light pollution at the Mission.

As I neared the entrance to the Mission, there was no sign of any traffic heading into the property. I found this to be a cause for concern. Normally, there is a small burst of traffic just prior to the start of the second features. Had "X2: X-Men United" drawn in the crowds early? I was just minutes away from finding out!

As I rounded the screen tower, I found that only one ticket booth was still open. This isn't unusual. One ticket booth is usually able to handle the second feature traffic.

Reaching the ticket booth, I purchased a ticket for "X2: X-Men United" and proceeded to the Screen 1 lot without incident. As soon as I turned into the lot, I knew that the crowds had returned to the Mission! At first glance, the lot appeared to be completely full. A closer examination revealed that a few spots were still open in the last two rows. I found the nearest one and parked my vehicle.

Exiting my vehicle, I immediately rejected the idea of attempting to count the cars in the Screen 1 lot. Although the film did not sell completely out, it was very, very close!

Since "X2: X-Men United" was doing so well, I wondered how had it impacted the other films. To answer this question, I made a quick loop through the other three lots. In each lot, I performed an exhaustive count. I stopped at the footbridge for a quick inspection. Nothing had changed from the prior week.

Reaching the concession stand, I went inside and purchased two hot dogs and a large Diet Coke. Exiting into the Screen 1 lot, I found "X2: X-Men United" was over and the trailers were already in progress.

I stopped for a few moments to speak with the management staff. They had been expecting a big turn out and had opened the ticket booths an extra 45 minutes early. Each ticket booth contains two ticket terminals. This was the first weekend this season that all four terminals had been manned. Although "X2: X-Men United" had failed to sell out, the manager was extremely pleased with the level of patronage which more than doubled from the previous week. I expressed my opinion that they had come within a couple of dozen cars of filling the lot. Their estimate was higher, perhaps 50 vacant spaces, the majority of them being in the very last row. Finally, last week I reported that a bulb had burned out in the Screen 2 projector. It seems this was not the case. The actual cause of the blackout was a failed power supply.

As "Daredevil" began, I took my leave and headed back to my car. I stood next to it eating my hot dogs while I watched the movie. Need I say that "Daredevil" was much more enjoyable at the drive-in?

Had "X2: X-Men United" had a negative impact on the attendance in the other lots? No! The car count in the other three screens exceeded the total car count for all four screens for the previous week. "X2: X-Menu United" had clearly drawn in more than the regular drive-in crowd!

Here are the car counts for those that like them.

Screen 1 - "X2: X-Men United" / "Daredevil" - Virtual Sellout
Screen 2 - "Anger Management" / "Basic" - 96
Screen 3 - "House Of A 1000 Corpses" / "Dreamcatcher" - 101
Screen 4 - "Bulletproof Monk" / "The Real Cancun" - 23

Finishing off my last hot dog, I decided that I was too tired to stay for all of "Daredevil". I climbed into my car and proceeded home without incident.

Although no one except myself seemed aware of it, this weekend marked the start of the third year of operation of the Mission by Santikos Theaters. To remind everyone how far the Mission has come in the last two years, here is a quick list of the improvements made to the property.

1) The lots were scrapped and cleaned.

2) The screen tower was cleaned and painted.

3) New aperture plates and reflectors were installed in the projectors.

4) The concession stand was completely rebuilt. The new layout is far more efficient than the old one.

5) The sound system was upgraded. Most, but not all, of the FM reception problems have been eliminated.

6) Large sections of the fences have been repaired or replaced. Much more work needs to be done in this area; however, I've been told the new interior fences will be "full-height" fences which should cut down on the light pollution from cars driving inside the theater.

7) "Runway" lights have been added around the entrance to the theater. This is a major safety improvement.

8) The ticket booths and the concession stand have been painted blue. I've decided that I do like the new color but I still believe that a pale pink would have been a better choice for the trim.

As the car counts show, "Improve it and they will come"!

Here is the weekly comparison between the weekend Mission exhibition schedule and the top ten grossing films. For the second week in a row, only three of the top ten films were showing at the Mission this week.

WEEKEND BOXOFFICE MAY 2 - MAY 4, 2003

7 May 2003 - Rotted Out!

It was a completely unexpected event. Rick Stivers suddenly decided that he wanted to visit the Mission on carload night. He quickly recruited his two daughters, Stephanie and Katie, to go with him. Katie's current beau, Jeff, also agreed to go for the obvious reason. And me? Yes, I agreed to go as well.

We arrived at the Mission about 30 minutes before show time. I had previously heard reports of carload night attendance being "in the hundreds". As we pulled into the Screen 1 lot, I was disappointed to see only a handful of cars.

Rick and I left the "young people" behind to begin an extensive, and to some extent invasive, examination of the current state of the Mission. For reasons he declined to explain, Rick was intensely interested in the condition of the surface of each screen. All four need repainting. Screen 2 is in the worse shape and would be the best place to start such a project.

The reconstruction of the footbridge is now complete. Both sides of the bridge are now fully supported by the new piers and braces. Ever since the "fun house" bridge came to our attention, we've had differing theories as to what was causing the bridge to tilt. My theory was that one side of the bridge had sank causing the bridge to tilt down. Rick's theory was that one side of the bridge had been raised up out of the ground causing the bridge to slope up. As it turns out, we were both wrong.

Rick crawled underneath the bridge to find that most of the piers on the formerly "low" side of the bridge had rotted clean through and snapped off. Perhaps it was the wind. Perhaps it was the raging floodwaters that sometimes drain through the creek. Perhaps it was the vibrations from the footsteps of legions of drive-in patrons. Whatever the reason, the rotted ends of the piers had slowly, over time, slide off each other causing that side of the bridge to sag in the middle.

I took an extensive series of photographs and I hope Rick will see fit to include some of them here to illustrate the situation. These same photos were the basis for a "photo story" in which Rick discovered a troll living under the bridge and dispatched it with hostile action. 

Wrapping up our examination, we stopped in at the concession stand. I made my usual purchase of two hot dogs, a large bag of popcorn and a large Diet Coke. Rick declined to make a purchase.

Returning to Rick's truck, Stephanie declared that she was ready for a tasty treat! Reluctantly, Rick handed her a $20 bill. Stephanie returned later with treats in hand. When Rick asked her for his change, she replied coyly, "What change"? I could see this was leading into one of those "what did you buy" discussions in which one party is forced to provided a purchase tally to the other. Perhaps Stephanie sensed the same thing. She fished a few bills out of a pocket and handed them to Rick. Although he didn't seem satisfied with the amount returned to him, he settled down to watch the movie.

Our movie selection for the evening was "X2: X-Men United". Thankfully, one of the security lights at the VFW was not turned on, or had burned out. This dramatically reduced the amount of light pollution hitting Screen 1. Although there were focus issues during the first movie trailer, they were resolved by the start of the film. There were no sound problems on this night!

A good time was had by all. Will Katie and Jeff ever return to the Mission? Only time will tell!

Just before we left, I made one last loop through the property. The number of cars in all four lots combined was between 70 and 80. Does this mean that the reports of "hundreds of cars" were wrong? I think not. Given the high attendance at the Mission the previous weekend, I suspect there just weren't that many people left that hadn't been to see "X2: X-Men United".

Epilogue: As it turns out, this was my only visit to the Mission during the week of 4 to 10 May, 2003. My next visit to the Mission was on 16 May 2003. As a result, I missed the "movie week" of 9 to 15 May 2003. For the historical record, the notes below contain the analysis of the weekly Mission advertisement for that week and the comparison between the Mission exhibition schedule and the top ten grossing films of that week.

Note 1:  "A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that three new films were playing at the Mission this week. These films being "Daddy Day Care", "Identity" and "Phone Booth". This was the first week of release for "Daddy Day Care". "Identity" and "Phone Booth" had previously opened in San Antonio."

Note 2:  "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."

WEEKEND BOXOFFICE MAY 9 - MAY 11, 2003

16 May 2003 - Flashback!

In a surprise plot twist, Rick Stivers decided that he wanted to go to the Mission, if the trip could take place on Friday. I agreed without reservation.

A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that two new films were playing at the Mission this week. These films being "The Matrix Reloaded" and "Malibu's Most Wanted". This was the first week of release for "The Matrix Reloaded". "Malibu's Most Wanted" had previously opened in San Antonio.

Rick arrived at my apartment at 7:15PM. After loading my drive-in kit and camp chair into his truck, we headed out onto the highway. We made no stops along the way and arrived at the Mission at 7:45PM.

Turning into the property, we found the entrance sign to still be completely blank. Just a white sign illuminated by two lights.

As we rounded the screen tower, we saw that most of the trim on the ticket booths has now been painted white. Although I still prefer a pinkish rose color for the trim, I have to admit the overall effect is pleasing to the eye.

The Mercado Bazaar sign is now hanging from the Screen 4 fence at the point nearest Roosevelt. It had been hanging on the Screen 1 fence near the ticket booths for the last two weeks. The sign is much more visible on the Screen 4 fence. A large "Now Hiring" banner has been attached to the second story of the concession stand on the Screen 1 side. This is clearly part of an effort to "staff up" prior to the official start of summer.

Reaching the ticket booth, Rick purchased three tickets for "Identity". Three tickets? Yes, three tickets. His daughter, Stephanie, had joined us for the evening. Our transaction complete, we proceeded to the Screen 4 lot without incident.

Rick spent a considerable amount of time searching for the best possible parking space. He opted to park on the far right side of the lot, so that the lights of the apartment complex wouldn't be visible behind the screen. After some thought, he pulled one row further back into the lot. Why? His original parking space was opposite the exit to the Screen 4 lot. The last time Rick and Stephanie had seen a movie on Screen 4, Stephanie looked out the exit just in time to see a large cat run over by an uncaring driver. Not only was she subjected to this horror, the cat didn't die right away. No, it flopped about for several minutes. The way I remember the story, Stephanie was unable to look away until the cat ceased to move. Obviously, Rick had decided to park further back to prevent Stephanie from having an unpleasant flashback to this unfortunate prior event. There is one other element of interest to this story. When movie was over, the cat's body was no longer laying in exit lane. It had disappeared at some point during the movie. Scary, huh?

Exiting the vehicle, Rick and I left Stephanie behind to begin our patrol of the property. We counted the cars in the Screen 4 and Screen 3 lots before crossing the footbridge over to the Screen 4 lot. After counting the cars, we headed inside the concession stand.

In a slight deviation from my normal behavior, I purchased only a Diet Coke and two hot dogs. Rick declined to make a purchase.

Exiting the concession stand into the Screen 1 lot, we walked the rows and counted all the cars in the lot.

Back in the Screen 4 lot, we unloaded our chairs and set up camp for the evening. As we talked, I ate my hot dogs. After I was done, I tossed the plastic containers into the back of Rick's truck. Rick had grown numb to this behavior. Stephanie had not!

She was laying in the back of the truck on a mattress and wasn't expecting to share the space with empty hot dog containers!

Here are the car counts for those that like them.

Screen 1 - "The Matrix Reloaded" / "Malibu's Most Wanted" - 110
Screen 2 - "X2: X-Men United" / "Daredevil" - 30
Screen 3 - "Daddy Day Care" / "Anger Management" - 28
Screen 4 - "Identity" / "Phone Booth" - 9

Even this early in the evening, it was clear that the Mission would be having yet another great night!

My hot dogs consumed, I picked up the empty containers and headed back to the concession stand for a large bag of popcorn. The car counts in lots 1 and 2 had gone up considerably. On my way back to Rick's truck, I recounted the Screen 3 and Screen 4 lots.

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

Screen 3 - "Daddy Day Care" / "Anger Management" - 78
Screen 4 - "Identity" / "Phone Booth" - 28

Fifteen minutes after I arrived back at the truck, the trailers started. Once again, Rick was fascinated by the trailer for "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen".

Finally, "Identity" started. Slightly over halfway through the film, Rick figured out the central plot point of the movie. I won't mention that solution here in case you plan to see the film yourself.

As soon as the credits began to roll, Rick and I were off counting the cars in the Screen 4 lot. We did the same for the Screen 3 lot, before heading up to the concession stand for a "nature break". I'd estimate that the screen 2 lot was slightly less than half full.

Feeling refreshed, I headed into the concession stand to take advantage of the refill policy on large drinks. I gave in to temptation and bought a corn dog, which I hosed down with mustard before I exited into the Screen 1 lot. Rick was already there waiting for me.

"The Matrix Reloaded" didn't sell out. It came very, very close but there were still a few spaces available in the back two rows of the theater.

Our car counting curiosity satisfied, we returned to Rick's truck in the Screen 4 lot.

Once again, here are the updated car counts for those that like them.

Screen 3 - "Daddy Day Care" / "Anger Management" - 152
Screen 4 - "Identity" / "Phone Booth" - 58

I have to admit that I'm surprised by the drawing power of the combination of "Daddy Day Care" and "Anger Management". Who would have thought it?

Moments after we were back in our chairs, "Phone Booth" started. "Phone Booth" was a much better film than I expected it to be. I was extremely pleased that the possibility of a phone booth even existing in New York City was addressed during the opening moments of the film.

As soon as the credits began to roll, we packed up our chairs and then proceeded home without incident. This trip makes three positive Mission experiences in a row for Rick. This is an all time record for him! Can this streak continue? Only time will tell!

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

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE  16-18 MAY 2003

24 May 2003 - $6

Early in the week, I knew that I'd be going to the Mission on Saturday to see "Bruce Almighty". Rick Stivers refused my invitation to join me, citing the controversial nature of the film.

A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that two new films were playing at the Mission this week. These films being "Bruce Almighty" and "Head Of State". This was the first week of release for "Bruce Almighty". "Head of State" had previously opened in San Antonio.

With the addition of these two new films, I had seen 3 of the 8 films being exhibited this week. Of these three, I'd seen two at the Mission and one, "The Matrix Reloaded", at the Blue Moon Drive-In Theater in Gu-Win, Alabama! Go there if you can!

I left my apartment at 7:59PM. Although this is much later than usual, I wasn't expecting any problems getting into the theater before show time. So far this summer, management has been opening up the ticket booths early to hold down the number of cars waiting in line to enter the property. I made no stops along the way. The weather was perfect for a night at the drive-in -- clear, warm and dry! The drive went perfectly until I turned on to White. I got a half block up the street before my forward progress was halted. With a screech of my brakes, I came to a stop behind the last in a long line of cars waiting to get into the Mission.

Perhaps, like many critics, the management of the Mission wasn't expecting "Bruce Almighty" to draw large crowds. If so, they were wrong. It took 32 minutes for me to reach the ticket booth after I got in line. Although I was doing time in a long line, I remained calm. Once the trailers began to run, I turned on my radio and spent the time watching the "coming attractions" from a distance. As I moved forward, I progressed through the Screen 4, Screen 3 and Screen 2 trailers. I'm happy to report that the vast majority of the people in line with me didn't seem disturbed by the experience.

As I rounded the screen tower, the last trailer played out on Screen 1 and "Bruce Almighty" began to roll. I had no trouble following the "audio only" portion of the program.

When I finally reached the ticket booth, I was shocked to learn that the price of an adult ticket had increased from $5 to $6! This provides an alternate explanation for the length of the lines. I know that it took over 35 seconds for me to purchase my ticket!

I already had my $5 out when I reached the ticket booth. I shoved the bill out the window to the runner only to have it refused! He handed me back my money as he said "Tickets are now $6". It took several seconds for this statement to register in my brain!

I pulled out my wallet, fished around for a $1 bill and then handed the money out the window to the runner. He took a moment to verify that I had handed him $6 and then he headed over to the cashier. Moments later, he returned with my ticket stub.

I'm sure my experience was repeated over and over the entire night.

What about patrons that paid with a bill large enough to cover the ticket fee? Making change in $4 increments ($10 - $6) takes longer than making change in $5 increments ($10 - $5). For the record, I oppose price increases without prior notification to the customers!

Ticket finally in hand, I proceeded into the Screen 1 without incident.

Once there, I was faced with the difficult proposition of locating a parking space. Although I could have parked in the last two rows, I drove forward slowly and parked in one of the vacant spots in the fifth row, on the far left side of the screen, near the entrance lane. Before I could exit my vehicle, the spots around me filled up with cars. Although I hadn't planned to stay to see "Head of State", I was forced to consider the possibility that I wouldn't be able to get out of the lot after the conclusion of "Bruce Almighty".

Leaving my car behind, I hurried over to the concession stand. Once inside, I purchased my usual meal of a large Diet Coke, a large popcorn and two hot dogs. After hosing down the hot dogs with mustard, I returned to my car. Getting out my camp chair, I settled down to watch the movie.

As soon as the movie was over, I headed off for a quick patrol of the property. I took car counts in the Screen 4 and Screen 3 lots. There were too many cars to count in the Screen 2 lot. I'd estimate the lot to have been 70% full. Although there were large numbers of cars on the right side of the lot, there were plenty of spaces remaining on the left side of the lot past the concession stand. "The Matrix Reloaded" and "Malibu's Most Wanted" continued to draw in the crowds on this screen.

I passed through the concession stand where I took advantage of the free refill policy on large drinks. Needing fortification for the second feature, I purchased a corn dog. It, too, was hosed down with mustard before I exited into the Screen 1 lot.

Once again, a major feature had failed to sell out at the Mission. There were probably two dozen spaces left in the last two rows of the lot. Now, don't get me wrong, this isn't a bad thing! This is a good thing. It means that no one was turned away from "Bruce Almighty". It also means that the Mission sold lots and lots of tickets. That makes this a "win-win" situation for customers and management. On the other hand, I do know that the staff is really excited at the prospect of breaking the modern attendance record. I'm sure it will happen. If not with "2 Fast, 2 Furious" then with "T3: Rise Of The Machines".

My inspection of the lot complete, I returned to my car to watch "Head of State".

Here are the car counts that I took between the first and second features.

Screen 3 - "Daddy Day Care" / "Anger Management" - 117
Screen 4 - "X2: X-Men United" / "Identity" - 58

Contrary to what some people might expect, nearly everyone stayed to see the second feature. I waited ten minutes after the end of "Head of State" before even attempting to exit the theater.

Once I finally got back on to White, I proceeded home without incident.

One final point, at various spots around the property, I noticed the remains of red, white and blue bunting. Not surprising since this was Memorial Day weekend. The past two years, Memorial Day weekend was billed as either the "Grand Opening" or "Grand Re-opening" of the Mission. Nothing was said about that this year. Perhaps I missed it. Perhaps everyone else just forgot about.

Here is the weekly comparison between the weekend Mission exhibition schedule and the top ten grossing films. Six of the top ten films were showing at the Mission this week. These are the best results this season.

WEEKEND BOXOFFICE May 23 - 25, 2003

31 May 2003 - Wrong Turn!

Last week, Rick Stivers was horrified to learn that the Mission had raised the adult ticket price from $5 to $6. He vowed not pay this inflated price! Instead he planned to ONLY go on carload night. Hmmm... Knowing that he actually wanted to see "Wrong Turn", I offered to buy his ticket for him. That way, he could see the movie and keep his vow! Not surprisingly, he agreed!

A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that two new films were playing at the Mission this week. These films being "Wrong Turn" and "How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days". This was the first week of release for "Wrong Turn". "How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days" had previously opened in San Antonio.

With the addition of these new films, I had seen 5 of the 8 films being exhibited this week.

Rick arrived at my apartment at 7:02PM. After loading my drive-in kit and camp chair into his truck, we headed out onto the highway. We made no stops along the way and arrived at the Mission at 7:29PM.

Turning into the property, we found the entrance sign to still be completely blank. Just a white sign illuminated by two lights.

As we rounded the screen tower, Rick commented positively on the state of the landscaping. One benefit of the "Mercado Bazaar" has been the increased attention to mowing and edging.

Reaching the ticket booth, I purchased two tickets for "Wrong Turn". Rick reacted positively to not having to pay for his ticket!

Ticket stubs in hand, we proceeded to the Screen 3 lot without incident. Rick once again parked at the back of the lot near the footbridge.

Exiting the vehicle, we began our patrol of the property. Crossing over the footbridge to the Screen 2 lot, we discovered that the wooden parts of the bridge have been stained or varnished. The iron hand rails have also been re-painted

After inspecting the lot, we headed inside the concession stand.

I made my usual purchase of a Diet Coke, large popcorn and two hot dogs. Rick gave in to temptation and purchased a Diet Coke and a funnel cake. While he waited for his funnel cake, I hosed down my hot dogs with mustard.

Hearing Rick laugh, I turned towards him. He yelled across the room at me, "Are your buns hot"? Refusing to accept any other interpretation of this remark, I gave one of my hot dogs a squeeze. The bun wasn't hot but it certainly wasn't cold either. Rather than be embarrassed any further, I walked back towards Rick and confirmed that the hot dogs were fine. He turned back towards the counter and repeated my statement to one of employees.

What was all this about? The employee was concerned that the hot dog buns she had used for my order might not have been in the bun warmer long enough. Hence the comment about my buns being hot.

It took some time for Rick to get over this incident. In fact, he didn't really stop laughing until his funnel cake was ready. How was it? He described it as "hot and greasy". Noting the look on my face, he followed this statement up with, "I like hot and greasy". Changing the subject, I asked him how this funnel cake compared to all the other funnel cakes he had ever eaten. He paused for a few moments, reviewing and comparing all his previous funnel cake experiences, and then replied, "This one is definitely in the top five. Maybe in the top three". Wow! Yet another positive response!

Exiting the concession stand, we inspected the Screen 1 lot before heading over to the Screen 4 lot. After a brief review of the situation there, we headed back to the Screen 3 lot.

Reaching Rick's truck, we got out our camp chairs and settled down to wait for the movie. In the race to be consumed, the funnel cake was the clear winner!

As the movie trailers began to roll, Rick wrestled with a difficult decision. Should he get another funnel cake? After a mental debate with himself, he decided not purchase another one. What was the deciding factor? Even though I had purchased his ticket, he had already spent $6 (that hated amount) at the Mission!

Here are the car counts for those that like them.

Screen 1 - "Bruce Almighty" / "Head of State" - 45
Screen 2 - "The Matrix Reloaded" / "X2: X-Men United" - 30
Screen 3 - "Wrong Turn" / "Identity" - 31
Screen 4 - "Daddy Day Care" / "How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days" - 12

It was reported to us that "Wrong Turn" had not done well at the Live Oak Cinema, the nearest hardtop theater to my home. The Mission did much better with this movie. About forty minutes into the film, cars arriving late were having difficulty finding parking spaces. Rick was surprised to see a car from Cotulla drive past us. I can't see why he was surprised. There is absolutely nothing to do in Cotulla on a Saturday night.

The most interesting thing about "Wrong Turn" was the incredible resemblance between the second victim of the inbreed mutants and our own Lisa Cooper. Rick seemed traumatized by her death. Having no trouble separating fantasy from reality, it didn't bother me at all.

As the credits began to roll, Rick and I divided up the lot for a "quick count" of the cars. Our combined total was an amazing 180 cars! That's pretty darn near a sell-out.

Picking up my discarded hot dog containers, I told Rick that I was off to find a trash can. He followed along on his own agenda.

When we reached the Screen 2 lot, Rick got in line at the portable toilets. I disposed of the hot dog containers and then walked down the back row of the Screen 2 lot. Many times, even when the lot seems full, there are lots of parking spaces on the right side of the lot. Not this night! I saw very few open parking spaces. I'd estimate the lot to have been over 90% full, perhaps more.

Completing my count, I walked back to the concession stand and came to a halt next to the bright lights from the kitchen. Moments later, Rick walked up. Glowing in the night, he had no trouble locating me.

We crossed over to the Screen 1 lot. The story was much the same there. While there were spaces available in the back two rows, the lot was covered with cars. Once again, I'd estimate the lot to have been 90% full, perhaps more.

Moving on, we found Screen 4 wasn't doing as well. I'd estimate the lot to have been 40% full.

Returning to Rick's truck, we packed up our chairs and proceeded home without incident. This was Rick's 4th positive Mission experience in a row, an all-time high!

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.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE May 30 - June 1, 2003

Supplemental Dated 11 June 2003:

In my drive to catch up on these reports, I left out the most interesting point from the 31 May 2003. The titled of that report should have been "Wrong Turn".

In yet another of those coincidences that are so common to my life, not only had we just seen a movie titled "Wrong Turn", I discovered that the directions I had been giving out to the Mission also contained a "wrong turn".

As Rick and I were heading home from the Mission, we came to a stop at the intersection of White and Southcross. Glancing out the window, I noticed a street sign next to the stop sign. No surprise there. Cities are full of street signs. What was surprising was that sign didn't say "White". No, it said "VFW Boulevard".

I mentioned this to Rick. He turned, looked out the window and confirmed that the street sign did indeed say "VFW Boulevard". How did he react? He said, "This street is White and we have the photographs to prove it". Given the choice between believing my eyes or my photographs, I have to go with my eyes. At least part of White is now "VFW Boulevard". The next time I travel by the Mission during the day, I'll check the entire length of the street.

In the meantime, use my previously provided directions to the Mission with caution. Be prepared to replace "White" with "VFW Boulevard" as necessary. Even if you take a "wrong turn" with my directions, I doubt you'll encounter any inbred mutants in San Antonio!

7 Jun 2003 - 2 Early, not 2 Late

Regular readers of this report know that I fell behind during the writing of the extra long installment, "Survey Said!". I'm happy to announce that with this report, I've finally caught up! Yea!

A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that two new films were playing at the Mission this week. These films being "2 Fast, 2 Furious" and "Biker Boyz". This was the first week of release for "2 Fast, 2 Furious". "Biker Boyz" had previously opened in San Antonio. In fact, "Biker Boyz" had previously run at the Mission during its initial release.

With the addition of these two new films, I had seen 7 of the 8 films being exhibited this week. This is up two from last week but only because I had previously seen "Biker Boyz" at the Mission.

Two factors combined to lead me to decide to leave extra early for the Mission. First, I remembered my 32-minute wait to get into the property two weeks before when "Bruce Almighty" opened at the Mission. Second, two years before, "The Fast and The Furious" helped set the modern attendance record at the Mission. I expected no less of a crowd for the sequel.

I left my apartment at 6:10PM. I made no stops along the way. I arrived at the Mission at 6:35PM. The weather was perfect for a night at the drive-in -- clear, hot and dry!

Sometimes, the hardest part of writing a drive-in report is coming up with the title. As I was driving along, it hit me! I'd call this report "2 Early, not 2 Late". I thought it was funny then and I still think its funny now!

As I neared the entrance to the Mission, I couldn't help but notice that the new sign near the entrance remains white, without lettering or symbols. Will this sign ever be completed? And yes, you will read this paragraph every report until it does!

As I rounded the screen tower, I was not surprised to find that I was not the first to arrive for evening. No, I was second. Just how early was I? Having seen every movie at the Mission with the exception of "2 Fast, 2 Furious", I had no choice but to see it. The projected start time for the film was 9:00PM. I had arrived 2 hours and 25 minutes before show time!

At 6:40PM, the manager and an assistant manager came out to the ticket booths. They opened one booth, went inside and then came out carrying stacks of orange safety cones. A stack of cones was dropped off at each lot entrance. They then locked the booth and returned to the concession stand.

What could this mean? Only one thing! When they "send out the cones", they are predicting sell out crowds!

At 6:50PM, all four car lanes were at least six cars deep and two were wrapped around the screen tower.

At 7:30PM, the staff arrived to open the ticket booths. Cars had already begun to line up on Roosevelt to get into the property.

One additional issue that the Mission faces with their $6 adult ticket price is the increased amount of change required to support the same number of transactions. Deciding that I would be part of the solution, and not part of the problem, I planned to pay for my ticket with one-dollar bills. And yes, I always push in a cart when I go into the grocery store!

Reaching the ticket booth, I purchased a ticket for "2 Fast, 2 Furious" and proceeded to the Screen 1 lot without incident but not without excitement. Being the second to arrive at the Mission had paid off. I was the second patron into the theater.

Turning into the Screen 1 lot, I took advantage of it being nearly empty (the employee cars were parked near the concession stand and the first car into the lot had already reached the first row near the screen). I accelerated wildly and drove across the lot at high speed. Although the berms in Lot 1 are rather mild, there was still a considerable amount of bounce to the ride! After a sudden braking turn, my car skidded to a halt in the first space in the exit row. I had no intention of being trapped (like I was two weeks ago) and being forced to see "Biker Boyz" again. On a side note, the line "I want your lid, Smoke", summarizes the entire movie. And to be honest, I can't remember if that line is even in the movie!

Leaving my car behind, I headed directly to the concession stand. No count was made of the Screen 1 lot. After all, when I exited my vehicle there were only two cars to count!

Entering the concession stand, I walked up to the counter. Since it was early in the evening, I purchased only a large Diet Coke and two hot dogs. After hosing down the hot dogs with mustard, I headed outside to begin my patrol of the property.

Given that I had arrived extra early, I had time for extra patrols. I made three complete rounds of the property before heading back to the concession stand for a refill of my Diet Coke and a large bag of popcorn.

Here are the car counts for each of those patrols. Notice how quickly the lots began to fill up after the box office opened at 7:30PM.

At 7:42PM:

Screen 1 - "2 Fast, 2 Furious" / "Biker Boyz" - 50
Screen 2 - "Bruce Almighty" / "Head of State" - 22
Screen 3 - "The Matrix Reloaded" / "X2: X-Men United" - 20
Screen 4 - "Wrong Turn" / "Identity" - 10

At 7:54PM:

Screen 1 - "2 Fast, 2 Furious" / "Biker Boyz" - 81
Screen 2 - "Bruce Almighty" / "Head of State" - 36
Screen 3 - "The Matrix Reloaded" / "X2: X-Men United" - 35
Screen 4 - "Wrong Turn" / "Identity" - 17

At 8:06PM:

Screen 1 - "2 Fast, 2 Furious" / "Biker Boyz" - 120
Screen 2 - "Bruce Almighty" / "Head of State" - 47
Screen 3 - "The Matrix Reloaded" / "X2: X-Men United" - 46
Screen 4 - "Wrong Turn" / "Identity" - 21

During my last patrol, I stopped to visit with one of the employees. I was curious to find out if the modern Mission attendance record had been broken the night before. I was very surprised to learn that the old record remained unbroken. That doesn't mean the crowd wasn't large, it was. It just wasn't a record-breaking crowd. What had happened? The lower than expected attendance was being attributed to the national telecast of one of the NBA Championship games. Although I have no interest in the Spurs, many in San Antonio do. It is very possible that the free telecast held down attendance.

While the employees are focused on breaking the single day attendance record (and who can blame them, it is exciting), the management of the theater is almost certainly focused on the weekly attendance totals. The occasional "great night" won't keep the property open. Only consistent high weekly sales will do that!

Just after sunset, the trailers started. By this time, the lot appeared to be nearly 75% full and I could see cars lined up over the hill on Roosevelt.

How was "2 Fast, 2 Furious"? I enjoyed it but not as much as I enjoyed "The Fast and The Furious". I believe the same could be said of the other patrons. At the end of "The Fast and The Furious", there was actual applause, cheering and scattered horn honking. At the end of "2 Fast, 2 Furious", there was no visible excitement. No applause, no cheering and no horn honking.

After the credits began to roll on "2 Fast, 2 Furious", I headed off to make one last patrol of the property. As I neared the entrance to Lot 1, I saw the cones spread out across the entrance lane. That confirms it. "2 Fast, 2 Furious" sold out. As I was crossing over to Screen 4, I saw yet another line of cones blocking access to the Screen 3 lot. That confirms it, "The Matrix Reloaded" had sold out.

I performed a quick count of the cars in both the Screen 3 and Screen 4 lots. You'll notice that the car count in the Screen 3 lot, designated a sell-out by the placement of the cones, was actually lower than the count I recorded last week. Does that mean the total car count was lower? I think not. I discovered large areas in the center of the lot to be empty, indicating that many patrons had left as soon as the credits began to roll on "The Matrix Reloaded".

Here are the car counts for those that like them.

Screen 3 - "The Matrix Reloaded" / "X2: X-Men United" - 173
Screen 4 - "Wrong Turn" / "Identity" - 116

Crossing over to the Screen 2 lot, I discovered it to be nearly completely full. "Bruce Almighty" had come very, very close to selling out. I'd estimate the lot was at least 95% full. Had all these people really come to see "Bruce Almighty"? No! I counted at least two dozen cars that were parked "backwards" so that their occupants could watch "2 Fast, 2 Furious" on Screen 1. Try that inside a hardtop theater!

Passing through the concession stand, I rejected the idea of getting in line for a refill. It just wasn't worth it.

Back in the Screen 1 lot, I stopped to talk to an employee monitoring the lot. Had they broken the single day attendance record? Yes, they had a new record. I don't have permission to release the number to the general public. Let's just say that the drive-in theater in San Antonio isn't dead! Can this new record be broken anytime soon? Perhaps. It all depends on "T-3: Rise of the Machines". Can the weekly attendance set new records? I'm sure it can given the quality of the films currently on the exhibition schedule.

By the time I reached my car, "Biker Boyz" was already in progress. I started my car and drove out the exit without hesitation. I 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. You'll notice that "Bend It Like Beckahm" has returned to the top 10 this week. Could it be this year's "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"?

WEEKEND BOXOFFICE June 6 - June 8, 2003

12 Jun 2003 - The Drive-In Enthusiast's Burden

Having once again been recruited to drive my mother to her family reunion in East Texas, I knew that I'd be unable to attend a showing at the Mission during the coming weekend. Normally, this wouldn't be an issue. I'd simple go to the Mission earlier in the week. But this time, the situation was just a bit more complicated.

If you recall my previous report, "2 Early, not 2 Late", you know that when I left the Mission that night, I had seen all of the films currently on the Mission exhibition schedule. That's right, I'd seen all eight films.

Faced with this situation, most people would have simply used this as an excuse to skip a week. But not me, I'm a drive-in enthusiast!

Although I know my continued patronage at the Mission isn't critical to the survival of the theater, I feel compelled to act as an example to others. Yes, I could have saved $6 plus my concession stand money, but at what cost to my personal credibility? How could I ask others to go to the Mission if I wasn't going myself? I prefer advocacy by example! I'm a "do what I do" kind of guy!

But what to see? There was really only one choice. During our visit to the Blue Moon Drive-in Theater, in Gu-Win, Alabama, Rick Stivers and I missed the first forty minutes of "The Matrix Reloaded". By purchasing a ticket to see this film, I could see the part of the film that I had previously missed. After that, I could either head home or attempt some night photography.

My mind made up, I left my apartment at 8:30PM and arrived at the Mission at 9:00PM. No stops were made along the way.

Since it was a Thursday night, I expected attendance to be light. As I rounded the screen tower, I was not surprised to see only one ticket booth open. I was surprised to find two lines of cars, each line seven cars long.

When I finally reached the ticket booth, I purchased a ticket to "The Matrix Reloaded" and proceeded to the Screen 3 lot without incident.

Once in the lot, I parked in the back row near the footbridge. I selected this location since it would provide me with the perfect base camp for a photographic expedition. From this point, I'd have a clear view of the screen 3 lot and would be able to quickly cross over the foot bridge to the Screen 2 lot for additional pictures.

Exiting my vehicle, I made a quick patrol of the property. I stopped at the snack bar where I purchased a large Diet Coke and two hot dogs. I skipped my usual large bag of popcorn to avoid getting my fingers oily. I had no desire to lubricate my camera with cooking oil!

As I cycled through the lots, I was amazed at the high attendance level. I even considered abandoning my plans for night photography due to the number of vehicles entering the property.

My patrol of the property complete, I returned to my car.

Here are the car counts for those that like them.

Screen 1 - "2 Fast, 2 Furious" / "Biker Boyz" - 66
Screen 2 - "Bruce Almighty" / "Head of State" - 27
Screen 3 - "The Matrix Reloaded" / "X2: X-Men United" - 17
Screen 4 - "Wrong Turn" / "Identity" - 18

The two hot dogs didn't survive the movie trailers. About twenty minutes into "The Matrix Reloaded", I realized that we had, in fact, not missed 40 minutes of the film. The gap was much shorter, perhaps 18 minutes at most. Faced with even more free time than I had planned for, I got out my camera and tripod.

I've never attempted to use this camera, a Canon Rebel 2000, for night photography before. In the near total darkness, I fumbled around for several minutes attempting to attach the camera to the tripod. After nearly every conceivable manipulation of the tripod and camera, I hit on the correct "hand jive" required to join the two together. Yea!

I carried the combined unit across the footbridge. Reaching the far side, I extended the legs of the tripod to their maximum length and then played a game of "moon landing". In consideration of the other drive-in patrons, I held down the volume of my self-generated sound effects.

When I pulled the camera off the shelf, it was already loaded with a roll of film. Since nearly all of my pictures are taken in bright sunlight, the film in the camera was ISO 100. Clearly not the best choice for night photography! Even so, there were only a few frames left and I preferred to use them rather than discard them.

I soon discovered the primary problem with taking pictures at night -- not enough light for auto-focusing. Damnation! Being extremely nearsighted, the last thing I wanted to do was manually focus a camera! Oh well, having come this far, why stop?

I aimed the camera at the side of the snack bar, focused it as best I could, and then depressed the shutter button. I heard the shutter move but it didn't sound quite right. Hmmm.... could the camera be broken? I hoped not! Undaunted, I picked up the tripod and swung it around to face towards the ticket booths. Just as the tripod was coming in for a "landing" (with muted sound effects), I heard a familiar metallic sound. What was it? It was the shutter closing. That picture was certainly ruined!

Having a better idea about the exposure time required for ISO 100 film in near darkness, I finished off the roll and then crossed the bridge back to my car.

More fumbling was required to reload the camera with a fresh roll of film. This time, the film was more suited to night work being rated at ISO 800. In simple terms, this film was 8 times more sensitive to light than the previous roll.

This more sensitive film reduced the lag time between the shutter opening and the shutter closing to the point that I no longer had to worry about moving the camera too quickly.

Emboldened by my growing experience with the camera, I decided to use the timer mode to take a picture of myself at the drive-in. Being the cautious type, I decided to practice the procedure in the far back corner of the Screen 3 lot just in case something went wrong. And as you probably expect, something did.

I apologize if this gets too technical. Placing the camera into "landscape" mode, turns off the flash. I knew that worked. I also knew how to turn on the timer. After the timer was activated, I knew that I'd have eight seconds to move in front of the camera and then strike a dramatic pose.

I set up the camera, aimed it, pushed the timer button and then hurried around in front of the lens. I chose the always popular, "looking into the future" pose, and then froze in place.

Seconds later, I was blinded by six pulses from the camera's flash. Before my eyes could even begin to recover, the flash discharged six more pulses. Temporarily blinded, I was unable to locate the camera. Swinging my arms about like some kind of shambling muck monster, I slowly advanced towards what I hoped was the camera. One of my hands touched the cold metal of the tripod. I had found it! Now, could I stop it?

As my fingers moved across the top of the camera in a blind search for buttons and switches, I had only one thought, "How do I stop this crazy thing"? That thought died stillborn. The camera flash discharged yet again at what I hoped was maximum power! Could the "big bang" have been any brighter?

I heard the shutter open and close and I knew this episode had run its course.

What had happened? A careful examination of the camera manual revealed the cause. The timer mode always activates "red eye reduction" and "foreground light fill" regardless of any other camera mode. That's nice to know!

Thanks to my use of "operational risk management", only my eyes were strobed. Yet another potential violation of the drive-in code had been avoided!

When I could see again, I returned to my car and proceeded home without incident.

Oh, and before I forget, the entrance sign outside the Mission is still absolutely, completely blank. I knew you would want to know!

Epilogue: This was my only visit to the Mission during the week of 8 to 14 June, 2003. My next visit to the Mission was on 21 June 2003. As a result, I missed the "movie week" of 13 to 19 June 2003. For the historical record, the notes below contain the analysis of the weekly Mission advertisement for that week and the comparison between the Mission exhibition schedule and the top ten grossing films of that week.

Note 1: "A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that three new films were playing at the Mission this week. These films being "Dumb & Dumberer", "The Italian Job" and "Hollywood Homicide". This was the first week of release for "Dumb & Dumberer" and "Hollywood Homicide". "The Italian Job" had previously opened in San Antonio."

Note 2: "Here is the weekly comparison between the weekend Mission exhibition schedule and the top ten grossing films. Six of the top ten films were showing at the Mission this week."

WEEKEND BOXOFFICE June 13 - 15, 2003

21 Jun 2003 - Shed 2

No, "Shed 2" isn't a retro horror film, the best example of which being the recent "House of a 1000 Corpses". No, "Shed 2" isn't anything like that. Let me explain.

Last year, construction was completed on a shed in Rick Stivers' backyard. If you remember my report on this subject, you know that this isn't just any shed. No, it is the Taj Mahal of sheds, grand and glorious!

For reasons not fully explained by Rick, he wanted to have a gathering in his backyard to mark the shed's first year in service and to honor those involved in the construction.

That construction was essentially completed on 22 June 2002. I was part of the team which finished the final assembly. I even stayed late to help Rick "paint out" the first coat of paint on the shed. In fact, I stayed so late that I barely reached the Mission in time for the second feature. That night was a busy night for the Mission, with two sell-out first features. In fact, the only way I was able to see "The Rookie" was to park my car in another lot and then walk over to the Screen 3 lot.

Fearing that the party would also run late, I decided early on to see one of the second features. But which one?

A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that three new films were playing at the Mission this week. These films being "The Hulk", "Finding Nemo" and "Holes". This was the first week of release for "The Hulk". "Finding Nemo" and "Holes" had previously opened in San Antonio.

With the addition of these three new films, I had seen only 2 of the 8 films being exhibited this week. Of the second features, I had seen only one, "Bruce Almighty". That left me with three movie choices: "Holes", "The Italian Job" and "Hollywood Homicide". "Holes" was the obvious choice, since I had wanted to see it since I first saw the trailer weeks ago.

My movie selection made, I departed for Rick Stivers' house. When I arrived, the gathering was already in progress. As the daylight turned to twilight, the crowd began to disburse. I was one of the last to leave.

Driving on through the darkness, I arrived at the Mission at 10:55PM. The sign near the entrance to the property remains blank.

Rounding the screen tower, I wasn't surprised to discover that only one ticket booth was in operation. Reaching it, I purchased a ticket for "Holes" and then proceeded to the Screen 3 lot without incident.

Arriving at the lot, I discovered that it was nearly full. I parked in the back row near the footbridge. As I exited my vehicle, the credits for "Finding Nemo" began to play out across the screen.

I performed a quick count of the lot at my best rate of speed. I was struck by the large number children in attendance. Some groups were as large as a dozen kids. Nearly all appeared to be under six, the threshold for free admission. Still every vehicle had at least two adults in addition to the small mobs of children. Normally, animated films do poorly at the Mission. I may just have to check this film out myself!

Crossing over the footbridge, I evaluated the attendance in the Screen 2 lot before heading inside the snack bar. I varied my usual purchase by substituting two corn dogs for my usual hot dogs. I hosed them down with mustard before exiting into the Screen 1 lot.

Have I mentioned my theory that the consumption of large amounts of mustard can protect the human body from exposure to ground level ozone? Become a test subject, use lots of mustard!

For those that don't know it, a pirated version of "The Hulk" was released on the Internet several weeks ago. Studio executives feared that this premature, and unauthorized, release of the film would hurt total attendance. We'll never know for sure, but it certainly did hurt attendance at the Mission! The orange safety cones at the entrance to the lot were proof that management considered the film to be a sell-out. More important, I saw only a handful of spaces vacant in the entire lot. Cars were even parked in the infield area so close to the screen that it could only be seen by laying down and looking straight up!

Moving over to the Screen 4 lot, I discovered that even "Dumb and Dumberer" had attracted a large crowd including one drive-in fan driving a vintage hearse!

Returning to the Screen 3 lot, I got out my camp chair and settled down to await the start of "Holes". Sadly, the two corn dogs didn't last long enough to share the movie with me!

Here are the car counts for those that like them.

Screen 1 - "The Hulk" / "The Italian Job" - Sell-out - 98% full
Screen 2 - "2 Fast, 2 Furious" / "Hollywood Homicide" - 80% full
Screen 3 - "Finding Nemo" / "Holes" - 115
Screen 4 - "Dumb and Dumberer" / "Bruce Almighty" - 155

How was "Holes"? I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to others. Are there any objectionable parts to this film? Some might consider suicide by spotted lizard to be in bad taste.

When the credits began to roll, I packed up my chair and proceeded home without incident.

Here is the weekly comparison between the weekend Mission exhibition schedule and the top ten grossing films. Seven of the top ten films were showing at the Mission this week. This is the best set of films so far this year at the Mission.

WEEKEND BOXOFFICE June 20 - June 22, 2003

28 June 2003 - Hey! Hey Paul!

This weekend, Rick Stivers and I had volunteered to help a coworker, Doug Eash, move into his new home.

When we arrived on the scene, Doug introduced us to one of his friends, a man identified only as "Paul". The four of us spent the majority of the day moving furniture. As we were packing the last load of the day, Doug mentioned the Mission. "Paul" expressed immediate interest in the subject. He hadn't known there was a drive-in in the local area. Rick, ever helpful, provided him with an overview the Mission. From a distance, I could hear "Paul" express his admiration for the drive-in lifestyle. I added "Paul" to my mental list of potential drive-in converts as I picked up yet another box and moved wearily towards the door. I never even suspected what would happen later that evening!

A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that only one new film was playing at the Mission this week. This film being "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle". This was the first week of release for this film.

I was able to glean one other important piece of information from the Mission advertisement. It had to happen, of course, but I was still surprised. Several weeks ago, the adult admission price increased from $5 to $6. The Wednesday night carload price did not increase, staying at $10. Finally, after all these weeks, the carload price has now increased to $12. Why now? I can think of three explanations.

Since the Mission continues to see sellout crowds on the weekend, the lower carload price may have been part of deliberate attempt to pull some of the weekend business back to Wednesday. Sure, a $2 discount for two people isn't very significant, but that $2 will buy you a three-liter bottle of Diet Coke! Or, if spent at the Mission, a hot dog hosed down with mustard. If this was the reason for keeping the price at $10, why raise it now? Perhaps not enough business was being diverted from the weekends by the lower price?

Another possibility is that the initial price of $10 was meant to be a "teaser" price to reintroduce "carload night" to the general public. Remember, a significant portion of living Americans have never been to a drive-in and have no concept of "carload night". Although we didn't see large crowds when we went on carload night, I continue to hear reports of heavy attendance. If these reports are accurate, then there is no longer any reason for a "teaser" price.

The last possibility is the most embarrassing one. Perhaps the carload price should have increased at the same time as the other ticket prices? Could this have been a simple case of miscommunication? We'll never know. What we do know is that the carload price is now $12.

After a very necessary shower, and a few hours relaxation, I started out for the Mission at 7:30PM. The clouds were heavy and there were reports of rain in the area. As I neared the Mission, I could see that the pavement was wet. Turning onto VFW Boulevard, I saw a rainbow shimmering in the air in front of me. There wasn't a pot of gold at the end of this rainbow. No, it was something even better, a drive-in theater.

***

I arrived at the entrance to the Mission at 7:50PM. Despite the threat of rain, all the entrance lanes were full and a line of cars was wrapped around onto Roosevelt.

As I turned into the entrance, I confirmed that the entrance sign continues to be blank. As the lines of cars inched forward, the number of cars on Roosevelt continued to grow. By the time I reached the ticket booth, the line extended all the way back to Screen 4.

I purchased a ticket for "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" and proceeded to the Screen 1 lot without incident. Since I didn't plan to stay for the second feature, I parked on the far right near the exit.

Parking my vehicle, I began my customary patrol of the property.

After performing a full count of the Screen 1 lot, I headed into the concession stand. Here I made my usual purchase of two hot dogs, a large Diet Coke and a large popcorn. Business in the snack bar was brisk. Yet another surprise given the threat of rain.

Exiting into the Screen 2 lot, I was surprised by the large number of cars waiting for the start of "The Hulk". As I walked across the lot towards the foot bridge, I could see lightning in the distance. The clouds had clearly grown heavier while I was in the snack bar.

Reaching the foot bridge, I crossed over it without incident. Once again, I found a large number of cars waiting for the start of "2 Fast, 2 Furious".

As a slight drizzle began to fall, I pushed on towards the Screen 4 lot. Here I found a much smaller crowd. My work done, I began the trek back towards the Screen 1 lot.

Cars continued to stream into the property and I was forced to wait for an opening to cross over the entrance lanes. Without warning, a van slammed on its breaks and slide to a stop just in front of me. Had I been in Central or South America, this would have been the prelude to a kidnapping. Given the rarity of this type of crime in San Antonio, I was more curious than frightened.

The window of the van opened. The driver of the van leaned towards the window and shouted, "Terry! Terry!". Squinting my eyes, I focused them on the face of the driver. Could it be "Paul"? Yes, it was! Moving closer to the van, "Paul" yelled, "I told you I liked drive-ins"! Yes, he had. More important, he had turned his words into action! I gave him a couple of suggestions on where to park in the Screen 4 lot. I was surprised yet again to learn that "Paul" subscribes to the drive-in code of conduct. He had planned to park his van in the last row of the lot out of respect for the other patrons. Wow!

The cars lining up behind "Paul's" van forced an end to the conversation. He continued on into the Screen 4 lot. I continued back to my car in the Screen 1 lot.

Reaching my car, I pulled out my camp chair and settled down to wait for the movie. Sadly, the two hot dogs did not survive to
share the movie with me. As I was eating, I noticed that the line of cars on Roosevelt was gone. Cars continued to enter the property but at a much slower pace; especially, for a Saturday night. Looking back towards the concession stand, I saw "Paul" walking towards it with his son. I had no further contact with them and can only hope they had a good time.

As the trailers began to roll on the screen, I reached down for my large popcorn. It was time to be entertained!

Here are the car counts for those that like them. The Screen 1 count was taken at 8:06PM. All of the others came later.

Screen 1 - "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" / "Hollywood Homicide" - 47
Screen 2 - "The Hulk" / "Bruce Almighty" - 97
Screen 3 - "2 Fast, 2 Furious" / "The Italian Job" - 54
Screen 4 - "Finding Nemo" / "Holes" - 23

How was "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle"? It was much better than the TV series, although that isn't saying much. I enjoyed it although I was surprised that it didn't do better at the Mission. This movie has all the required elements for a good drive-in film: beach scenes, explosions, over the top violence and gratuitous car chases.

After putting my camp chair in the trunk, I made one final sweep of the property.

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

Screen 3 - "2 Fast, 2 Furious" / "The Italian Job" - 143
Screen 4 - "Finding Nemo" / "Holes" - 63

I'd estimate the Screen 1 lot was 40% full and the Screen 2 lot was 70% full. Not bad, but far to many cars to count during an
intermission!

Returning to my car, I proceeded home without incident.

Here is the weekly comparison between the weekend Mission exhibition schedule and the top ten grossing films. Seven of the top ten films were showing at the Mission this week. This ties last week for the highest number of top ten films showing at the Mission this year.

WEEKEND BOXOFFICE June 27 - June 29, 2003

Special Note: Rick Stivers and his family visited the Mission on Tuesday night. He reported strong crowds, beyond his expectations. This was Rick's fifth positive Mission experience in a row. Here is a quick summary of his experience:

1) He disliked "The Hulk". He thought it might have made a good 90 minute, made for television, movie.

2) He lamented the lack of detail in the night scenes and blamed at least some of it on light pollution from the Mission's ticket booths.

3) He noticed the sound became "scratchy" during the second half of the film, most likely from a bad sound pickup.

4) He had yet another excellent funnel cake.

5) He enjoyed "Holes" even after missing the first 15 minutes of the film.

6) He was extremely happy with the performance of his newly installed speaker jacks and the large box speakers that he plugged into them. Finally, he has the kind of sound system he feels necessary for a good movie experience!

7) He felt extremely helpful when the cars near him turned off their speaker systems. I know he'd be happy to provide sound for the entire lot if he had the opportunity!

Thus ends the 2nd Quarter of 2003's Mission Drive-In Reports.  Please visit the Report Index for more reports.

If you have any comments, corrections, or additions you can reach me Here.