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4 July 2002 - Still Busted!

After three weeks of unusual circumstances, I had hoped to return to my usual Mission routine. Alas, this was not to be! As I mentioned in my last report, torrential rains had come to San Antonio. The rains continued all the way through the weekend and up to the middle of the week. Although I was not at the Mission on 3 July 2002, I'm certain their attendance was held down by the promise of more rain and the threat of continued flooding. I, myself, was forced to return to San Antonio early from a visit to my mother's house when it appeared that the Medina River might rise above the bridge on IH-35. Back in San Antonio, I decided that I would go to the Mission to evaluate the situation there in person.

A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that only one new film was playing at the Mission this week. This film being "Men In Black 2". This was the first week of release for "Men In Black 2".

With the addition of this new film, I had seen 5 of the 8 films being exhibited this week. Keep in mind that the "movie week" began on Wednesday, 3 July 2002 in an effort to capitalize on the 4th of July holiday.

I decided to leave for the Mission earlier than usual. Why? I was concerned that the potential for heavy rain might force me to get off the highway due to a lack of visibility or that flooding might force me to detour to an alternate travel route.

I left my apartment at 7:15PM. Given the weather conditions, I made good time and arrived at the Mission at 7:50PM. When I arrived, only one ticket booth was open. There were no cars in line and I was able to drive right up to the booth. Not a good sign! Attendance was clearly off!

I purchased a ticket for "Scooby Doo" and proceeded without incident to the Screen 3 lot. On entering the lot, I saw two things of note. First, the snack cart was still sitting in the lot near the entrance to the "fun house" bridge. The doors of the cart were ajar. Was this a result of the weather or something more sinister? Driving past the snack cart, I noticed what appeared to be a computer monitor laying "screen down" in the second row over by the left fence. Why was it there? Who knows! It could have been flood debris although this seems unlikely as there was no sign of any flood damage. It could have found its way there as a result of "illegal dumping". It might even have been the result of a practical joke gone horribly wrong. We'll probably never know the truth!

Parking the car, I left my vehicle behind to begin my nightly patrol. When I started the patrol, the rain had slowed to a light mist. By the time I reached the far side of the "fun house" bridge, the intensity of the rain had increased to a drizzle. I began to get wet. Reaching the concession stand, my forward progress was slowed by the wet gravel near the entrance to the restrooms.

Inside the concession stand, I purchased some of the usual items: a Diet Coke and a large popcorn. That's right, still no hot dogs!

Leaving the snack bar, I saw further evidence that the weather was dampening (pun intended!) down attendance. "Men In Black 2" should have been packed instead only ten cars were sitting in the lot! As I reached the edge of the Screen 1 lot, I noticed the assistant manager walking from the concession stand towards the ticket booths. He was moving quite rapidly as the drizzle had now become a light rain. I changed course and walked over to the ticket booths. Being a good citizen, I informed him about the status of the snack cart. He seemed very relieved that I wasn't there to complain! He advised me that there was no reason for concern because there was currently no inventory being stored in the cart. (Note: This confirmed my observation of two weeks ago regarding the purpose of the snack cart. The only remaining question is why the cart is being kept in the Screen 3 lot. Could it be that since this the location is farthest from "the road" that it was chosen as a deterrent to potential mischief makers?) I took this opportunity to ask about the impact of the bad weather on the Mission and its patronage. He confirmed that attendance had been "way off" since the rain began. He also told me that the showings on Screen 4 had been cancelled for several days due to a missing "porthole glass". (Note: Could this have been the reason that "Lilo and Stitch" didn't repeat last Saturday night?) Not wanting to be a pest, I thanked him for his time and crossed over to the Screen 4 lot.

The attendance there was off too. The light rain started to become a heavy rain so I hurried back to the Screen 3 lot and the sanctuary of my car. By the time I reached it, I was completely soaked! Cats don't like having wet fur and I don't like wearing wet clothes! The next 15 minutes were very uncomfortable as I sat in my car eating popcorn. Would I be forced to watch the movie from inside the vehicle or would I be able to enjoy the freedom to watch a movie outdoors? Luckily for me, the rain stopped. There was still some time left before the movie. I gave in to temptation. I admit it. I walked to the concession stand and bought two hot dogs.

Returning to my car, the trailers began to roll as I sat down, outside, to eat my hot dogs. Although covered with mustard, I ate them with relish! (Pun intended!)

Here are the car counts for those that like them. The first set of counts are for my initial patrol. The second set of counts were taken during my return to the concession stand for hot dogs.

The Patrol:

Screen 1 - "Men In Black 2"/"Spider-Man" - 10 @ 8:00
Screen 2 - "Mr. Deeds"/"The Sum Of All Fears" - 3 @ 7:55
Screen 3 - "Scooby Doo"/"Lilo And Stitch" - 5 @7:50
Screen 4 - "Minority Report"/"Bourne Identity" - 3 @ 8:05

The "Hot Dog Run":

Screen 1 - "Men In Black 2"/"Spider-Man" - 35 @ 8:50
Screen 2 - "Mr. Deeds"/"The Sum Of All Fears" - 14 @ 8:55
Screen 3 - "Scooby Doo"/"Lilo And Stitch" - 10 @8:40
Screen 4 - "Minority Report"/"Bourne Identity" - 11 @ 8:45

Given the low visibility, these counts may reflect an UNDER count of the actual attendance.

Although it drizzled a few times, I was able to see all of "Scooby Doo" from my camp chair. I enjoyed the movie far more than any episode of the cartoon. I have to say the cartoon gave "moving pictures" a bad name with the low quality of animation used in its production. Is it just me or are there scenes in the trailer that aren't in the movie?

After the movie ended, I walked over to the concession stand for a "nature break". On my way back, I saw my favorite security guard. He stopped and we chatted for a few minutes. I learned that the attendance for the opening night of "Scooby Doo" had been over 2,000. I'm certain this represents only paid attendance - persons six years of age and older. That's not bad but it didn't break last year's record of over 3,000 for "The Fast and The Furious". When I commented on the night's poor attendance, he told me that management hadn't expected this many customers. Before I could continue this line of investigation, he was called away to the ticket booths.

Returning to the Screen 3 lot, I counted 22 cars waiting for the start of "Lilo and Stitch". I climbed into my car and proceeded home without incident.

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

WEEKEND BOXOFFICE
JULY 05 - 07, 2002

13 July 2002 - Rewarded!

After four weeks of unusual circumstances, I had hoped to return to my usual Mission routine. Alas, this was not to be! Two reports ago, I described the torturous process of upgrading the computer used by Rick Sambucini's son, Richard. This Saturday, I had agreed to return to the Sambucini household for round two. This time, we would be upgrading Rick's computer. Once again, I stipulated that I would be leaving for the Mission regardless of the state of the upgrade process. Rick reluctantly agreed to this condition.

A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that three new films were playing at the Mission this week. These films being "Reign of Fire", "Halloween: Resurrection" and "The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course". This was the first week of release for all three films.

With the addition of these three new films, I had seen only 3 of the 8 films being exhibited this week. Even more important, for the first time in a long while, I hadn't seen any of the films running as first features. Maximum choice! You've got to love it!

Two weeks ago, I described in painful detail the events involved in upgrading Richard's computer. This week, I'll have mercy on you all by being brief. We had the same problems we had two weeks ago plus we were plagued by a computer virus. That virus cost us most of the day's work. With time running out, I urged Rick to come with me to the Mission with the promise that we would return to work on the computer after the movie was over. At first he was reluctant to go, but I soon convinced him that this was the only course of action that might result in the timely completion of the computer upgrade. Call it blackmail. Call it friendly persuasion. But don't forget to call it effective!

We left Rick's house at 8:45PM. Since we were in my car, we traveled at a high rate of speed along the shortest possible route. Even so, by the time we arrived at the Mission, the second feature had already begun on Screen 4.

As we turned the corner around the Screen 1 tower, I could see that both ticket booths were open. Two to three cars were waiting in line in each entry lane. Compared to the 4th of July, this night looked like a winner! As we waited in line, a runner came by the car asking if we were interested in making a snack purchase. I thought this odd. Not thinking ahead, I rejected this opportunity to purchase a tasty treat.

Reaching the head of the line, I purchased two tickets to see "Crocodile Hunter" and then proceeded without incident to the Screen 3 lot. As we turned into the lot, I was gratified to see that business had indeed bounced back. The lot appeared to be more than half full. Since the movie had already started, I decided to park in the last row of the lot near the snack cart.

Rick and I emerged from the vehicle, but in a break with tradition, we did not leave it behind to begin a patrol of the property. Instead, we got out the camp chairs (the ones with the 25% larger seats) and sat down to watch the movie.

Although it never rained on us, there was a near constant barrage of lightning off to the left of the screen. The lightning provided an odd sort of counterpoint to the desert action in the movie. I was surprised at how few mosquitoes were in the area. I never felt the need to reach into my drive-in deployment bag for the "Deep Woods Off". If Rick was bitten, he kept it to himself.

Following the end of the movie, I decided we should make a quick patrol of the property and then head back to Rick's house to continue work on his computer. My companion signaled his agreement and we were off!

As we crossed the "fun house" bridge, Rick suddenly remembered my description of his previous crossing. He complained loudly that he hadn't been afraid at any time while crossing the bridge. Sure, it's easy to be brave after the danger has passed!

The Screen 2 lot seemed to be about 70% full. Cars were actually parked in the entry lane although it was obvious that there were empty spaces further up near the screen on the other side of the lot. Perhaps the drivers of these cars had decided to follow the dictates of the "drive-in code" and parked in a location that would annoy the least number of their fellow patrons. Having just done the same myself, I felt a sudden kinship for these unknown vehicular operators!

Rick and I quickly passed through the concession stand to the Screen 1 lot. I decided not to stop and make a purchase because I didn't want to delay getting back to the computer any more than necessary. Just moments later, I would regret that decision.

I would estimate the Screen 1 lot to have been about 50% full. That's pretty good for a movie like "Halloween".

As we walked across the lot, Rick and I got started talking about the employee uniforms. The conversation was so intense that we nearly missed what happened next!

We crossed out of the Screen 1 lot, and had just started to cross the bridge when I heard faint cries of "Terry Moore! Terry Moore!". Did I just hear my name being called out? I stopped walking and I heard my name again. This time much clearer than before. Confused, I turned around to see people following us across the Screen 1 lot. They were moving quickly towards us and I knew it was only a matter of moments before they reached our position. Only one thought came to mind, "will this encounter turn violent and am I prepared for that to happen"?

As they came closer, I was able to identify them. It was the manager and one of his assistants. At this point, flight ceased to be an option and I started walking towards them. Rick tagged along beside me. Someday, I'll ask him if he followed me out of loyalty or curiosity.

I soon found myself at a loss for words. The manager was very pleased to see me, in fact, he had been watching for me the last couple of weeks. He wanted to thank me for my efforts to promote the Mission. As a token of his appreciation, he gave me my very own Santikos name tag identifying me as a "special observer". I really didn't know what to say. I was taken completely by surprise! Yes, I'm sure it is a shock to hear that from a man who's personal motto is "expect the unexpected"! And could you believe it? This was my 65th trip to the Mission and the first one in which I hadn't purchased anything at the snack bar. I felt ill at ease without a Diet Coke or bag of popcorn in my hands while being praised for my support of the theater. I recalled my words to the owner of the Brazos Theater after Rick Stivers finished telling him about the number of people that had dropped by earlier in the day expressing support for the property -- "They can help the you most $15 at time". This being a reference to the car load price at the Brazos. But I digress...

Once I recovered from the shock of this unexpected honor, Rick and I crossed over to the Screen 4 lot. Given that this is the smallest lot, I wasn't surprised to see that it was packed. I'd estimate at least 80% of the spaces were full.

Returning to my car, Rick and I proceeded back to his house without incident. Once their, we worked on his computer until nearly 5:15AM. When I left, the computer had been upgraded to Windows 2000 and Rick's key application software had been reloaded. Yet another job well done -- for now!

Since I wanted to get back to Rick's computer as quickly as possible, I didn't stop to take any car counts. I've included my estimated attendance for each lot for reference purposes. These are ONLY estimates! Place no great faith in their accuracy!

Screen 1 - "Halloween: Resurrection"/"Sum Of All Fears" - 50%
Screen 2 - "Men In Black 2"/"Mr. Deeds" - 70%
Screen 3 - "The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course"/"Scooby Doo" - 50%
Screen 4 - "Reign Of Fire"/"Spider-Man" - 80%

I'm still quite pleased with my name tag. But I'm more pleased that the patrons had flocked back to the Mission once the majority of the bad weather had left the area. For those that don't know it, the central Texas region experienced torrential rains and severe flooding. This month is the wettest July on record for this area. Estimates of rainfall across the county vary from 12 to 24 inches of rain. Yeah, you read that right, one to two feet of rain. We'll never really know how much the rain hurt the Mission at the box office but I'm sure the lost ticket sales were substantial not to mention the drop in sales at the concession stand. Only strong community support can keep the Mission open!

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

WEEKEND BOXOFFICE
JULY 12 - 14, 2002

17 July 2002 - Distorted!

After five weeks of unusual circumstances, I had hoped to return to my usual Mission routine. Alas, this was not to be! Ever since the original trailer for "Eight-Legged Freaks" came out last summer, there has been considerable enthusiasm for this film amongst some of my coworkers. When the final release date was set for Wednesday, 17 July 2002, these individuals declared their intent to see the film at the Mission on opening night. I did not share in their excitement and enthusiasm.

Why not?

Three reasons for my disinterest come to mind immediately.

From a practical point of view, I find the summer exhibition schedule to be generally incompatible with my work schedule. In short, I get home too late to easily get up early enough to arrive at work on time. Even my flexible work schedule has its limits!

From an editorial point of view, I know that a weeknight visit to the Mission does not present a true picture of the health of the property. How so? If I tell you there were 20 cars in the Screen 3 lot on Wednesday, you might come away with the impression that attendance is dropping. If I tell you there were 192 cars in the same lot on Friday, you might come away with the impression that attendance is increasing. Weeknight visits also complicate the structure of the report because information about the weekend is vital to understanding what is happening at the Mission and needs to be included in each week's report. In the past, I've used in-line discussion, parenthetical notes and "bonus features" to convey this information. None of these techniques are truly satisfactory.

From a scheduling point of view, group trips tend to be more restrictive. If you live in a world of "go when you want to go, do what you what to do, stay as long as you want to stay and leave when you want to leave", then you know exactly what I mean.

Despite these and other reasons, I eventually agreed to join them on their trip. I would have preferred to return to my routine but sometimes sacrifices must be made!

Wednesday evening, Rick Stivers arrived at my apartment at 7:40PM. We loaded my camp chairs into the back of his van. Given the recent rainy weather, I made certain to slip a bottle of "Deep Woods Off" into my pocket. With everything packed, we headed off towards the Mission. John Miller and company would be meeting us at the Mission some time prior to the start of the movie.

Weeknight crowds are never very heavy at the Mission and we knew we had plenty of time to arrive there prior to the start of the movie. Having recently pinpointed the location of the old Town Twin drive-in, we decided to use the surplus time to perform a preliminary investigation of the site.

The Town Twin drive-in was located on the west side of San Antonio on the inside of Loop 410. I won't reveal the specific location of the site to protect the integrity of the remains. Although we knew the location from our satellite photographs, we had some difficulty finding it on the ground. The area around the actual site has seen some development over the years. The roads in the area seem to have been laid out nearly at random making it even more difficult to reach the site. We eventually did locate the property. It was heavily overgrown from the recent rains. If you didn't already know that a drive-in had been there, you would never be able to determine that fact from looking at the perimeter of the property. Having found the property and located a place to park, we concluded our preliminary investigation. A more detailed survey will have to wait until the area has dried out.

We arrived at the Mission at 8:20PM. As expected, there were no cars waiting in line and only a single ticket booth was open. Paying for our tickets without incident, we moved on into the Screen 1 lot. Rick parked his van in the second row on the right (exit) side of the lot. We unpacked the camp chairs and placed them in a line across the adjacent parking space with the intent of saving it for John Miller.

Leaving his van behind, Rick and I began a joint patrol of the property.

As we walked across the lot towards the marquee, Rick had an interesting idea. Regular readers of this report know that the Mission dropped the radio frequencies from the marquee several weeks ago. At the same time, they have failed to post them elsewhere on the property. This has caused considerable confusion even among the regular patrons. Rick gestured towards the old lane identification boxes and described how since they now served no purpose for identifying lanes, they could be converted over to frequency identification boxes.

Perhaps I had best describe this more fully. Across the front of the marquee, spaced out one per lane, are four lighted boxes. The front of each box is covered by a colored sheet of glass, or perhaps plastic. Over the far left lane is a box with a green cover. This green cover identified the movie being advertised above it as being exhibited in the green lot. I suspect, that in times past, this also indicated that if you wanted to see the movie corresponding to the green lot, that you needed to be in the lane under the green box. Does this make sense? I hope so! The other screens were identified by the colors yellow, blue and red. Each of the other three boxes has one of these colors on it. After the automated ticket system was installed, the color system was abandoned in favor of a numeric system. The green lot became lot one. The yellow lot became lot two. And so on. Even before that the Mission had adopted a policy of "any lane, any show". In fact, this phrase has now been added to the marquee in place of the radio frequencies. If Rick's idea was accepted by the Mission, the now abandoned boxes would have a new purpose. The green cover on the first box, now corresponding with the movie in lot one, would be replaced with a white cover stenciled with the radio frequency. The yellow cover would be replaced with a white cover stenciled with the radio frequency for lot two. And so on. When I have time, I'll take one of my many pictures of the Mission and create a concept illustration based on this idea.

As we continued our patrol, Rick commented on how it might be more desirable to use gravel to cover a lot than to pave it with asphalt. Why? Puddles of water were sprinkled around the lots in the troughs between the berms. Gravel would allow this water to drain into the soil below it rather than wait to be evaporated off the asphalt. Of course, any gravel placed on top of the berms would soon end up in the troughs between them.

When we reached the Screen 4 lot, Rick Stivers, like Rick Sambucini before him, made a fortunate discovery. Where Rick Sambucini found sandals, this Rick found a wallet. Although it contained no money or other items of value, Rick seemed happy with his discovery. As far as I know, he took it home with him.

In the Screen 3 lot, Rick and I discussed the growing problem with the "fun house" bridge. His solution to the problem was much more practical and mundane than mine. He thought the lower side could be raised up with jacks and cement poured into the holes around the legs to act as piers to support the bridge. I thought it would be much more interesting to bring in a giant hydraulic stamping machine to hammer the high side of the bridge down into the earth. I could see this in my mind's eye! The machine would, for no apparent reason, emit large clouds of steam after each hammering blow was delivered to the bridge. You could sell tickets to see something like that! No one would pay money to see a bunch of sweaty guys with jacks pouring concrete. Where is the entertainment value in that?

Crossing the Screen 2 lot, we stopped to examine the wooden support beams holding up the exterior staircase that leads up to the projection booth for Screens 3 and 4. Rick was firmly convinced these beams were critical to the stability of the platform.

Inside the concession stand, I purchased a large Diet Coke and a bag of popcorn. Rick purchased an order of chicken strips. My advice, eat them while they're hot! Rick stated his approval of the new snack bar layout. I was barely listening as I stood studying the largest freestanding promotional movie display that I've ever seen. It was so large that it nearly covered the windows facing the Screen 2 lot. And what movie was this gigantic display promoting? Stuart Little 2. Yup, that's right. I shouldn't have to point out the irony in this to anyone!

Leaving the concession stand, we crossed back over the Screen 1 lot to Rick's van. Once there, we settled in to wait for the arrival of John Miller and the start of the movie.

Here are the screen assignments for the evening. We took no car specific car counts on the patrol. I do recall that only the Screen 2 lot had more than six cars in it. This is as good a place as any to point out that "Sum Of All Fears" was dropped to make room on the schedule for "Eight-Legged Freaks".

Screen 1 - "Eight-Legged Freaks"/"Crocodile Hunter"
Screen 2 - "Men In Black 2"/"Mr Deeds"
Screen 3 - "Halloween"/"Reign Of Fire"
Screen 4 - "Scooby Doo"/"Spider-Man"

As we waited for John to arrive, I couldn't help but notice the state of the trash cans in the lot. They were full. They were really full! Patrons attempting to put waste into these trash cans had to compact the waste already inside them to get their waste items to go inside. There is absolutely no excuse for this! Even though it had rained that day, there was absolutely no reason why those trash cans couldn't have been emptied prior to the box office opening. If these trash cans aren't going to be cared for properly, they should be removed from the lots. Management shouldn't condition patrons to believe the trash cans will always be full at the start of the evening. If the patrons begin to expect them to be full, they won't even try to use them. At least some of those patrons will simply through their trash on the ground even though this violates the "drive-in code".

While we were waiting, Rick and I talked about making our own radio frequency signs and then installing them early in the morning before anyone arrived for work. We speculated on how long it would be before they were taken down, if ever.

John Miller arrived just as the trailers had begun to roll. He didn't park in the space we had saved for him. He parked one space over. In retrospect, this was not the best thing that could have happened.

Early in the presentation of "Eight-Legged Freaks", a new type of sound problem developed. The broadcast seemed to be "over driving" the higher frequencies of the sound track. This resulted not only in sound distortion but also produced stress on the radio speakers. If you can imagine a speaker box with separate speakers for low (woofer), mid-range, and high (tweeter) frequencies, then imagine the "tweeter" being stressed to the point of distortion while the bass and mid-range speakers are working normally. To make matters worse, since we were sitting between the vehicles, the volume had to be turned up even higher for us to hear the movie. This placed even more stress on the speakers.

About half-way into the film, I went to investigate the source of this new sound problem. As I reached the concession stand, I noticed the same distortion coming out of the speakers mounted on the building. This seemed odd but it proved one thing. The radios in the cars were not to blame! At the same time, the signal didn't seem weak (there were no other radio stations cutting in over the movie sound track). I went inside and complained to the staff at the concession stand. One of the assistant managers came over to discuss the situation with me. I pointed out that the sound problem in the lot could be heard from their own speakers mounted outside. We went outside and listened to the sound together. The assistant manager agreed there was a problem and vowed to visit the projection booth to investigate. I returned to my chair in the Screen 1 lot.

After the movie was over, I returned to the concession stand with Rick Stivers and John Miller. The sound distortion had continued throughout the film. This time, after a nature break, I ventured into the Screen 2 lot. I could hear the exact same distortion in the sound track to "Men In Black 2". The assistant manager saw me and came over to apologize that he hadn't been able to resolve the problem. When I asked how their speakers were set up, I was told that the speakers were connected to FM radios that picked up the same radio signals that were being projected into the lots. I was told the transmitters had been turned up to "the maximum allowed by law" in an effort to solve the problem. This confirmed for me that the distortion wasn't being caused by any type of external interference. In fact, I began to suspect that the amplifiers were turned up too far given the current weather conditions and that the signal was so powerful it was "over driving" the receivers. Rick and John seemed to think the problem was caused by water intrusion into the cabling. That's very possible given the massive amounts of rain we've experienced this month.

Returning to our vehicles, Rick and I left immediately. John remained behind to watch the first few minutes of "Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course". We all made it home without incident.

Although we had applied "Deep Woods Off" as a reflex action, we really didn't see, or hear, very many mosquitoes. I believe this is a tribute to the efforts of the city and county to eradicate these pests. Attendance was better than I expected for a Wednesday night. I counted 18 cars at the end of "Eight-Legged Freaks" and there were at least the same number in the Screen 2 lot watching "Men In Black 2".

Ten days have elapsed since this visit and I am still upset about the lack of attention to the trash cans. Yes, it sounds petty. But if these trash cans are going to be in the lots, they need to be emptied. Management can't control the weather but it can make certain the trash gets emptied. As the Mission gets more and more local press, attention to these small details becomes even more important. Now that the rains are over, I hope lot clean up will return to its prior level. Hey! If those trash cans get emptied each day, lot pick up might even be simpler to perform!

Although my calendar week streak at the Mission continues, this weeknight visit caused me to miss yet another "movie week" at the Mission. Even though I missed that "movie week", I still performed my standard weekly analysis of the movie exhibition schedule. I've included the results of that analysis below as "bonus features" to this report.

Bonus Feature 1 - Mission Advertisement Analysis for 19 July 2002:

A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that two new films were playing at the Mission this week. These films being "Stuart Little 2" and "The Eight-Legged Freaks". This was the first week of release for both films.

Bonus Feature 2 - Weekend Box Office Analysis for 19-21 July 2002:

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 very nearly as good as it gets! The only film at the Mission this weekend that didn't make the top ten was "Spider-Man".

WEEKEND BOXOFFICE
JULY 19 - 21, 2002

27 Jul 2002 - Reset!

After six weeks of unusual circumstances, I had hoped to return to my usual Mission routine. Alas, this was not to be! Why not? I wasn't out of town. I didn't spend the entire day before the film helping out with sheds or computers. No, it was none of these things. It was something completely unexpected.

What was it?

My car battery was stolen. Yes, that's right, my car battery was stolen! Sometime Tuesday night, someone removed the battery from my car. I suppose it was partly my fault. Living in a crime-free (until now!) zone, I've gotten careless about locking my car. Since the car wasn't locked, it was a simple matter for the thief to reach inside and pull the "hood release" handle. Despite becoming a crime victim, I was truly fortunate that the person that committed the crime made an effort to do as little damage as possible to my car. Nothing was broken. All the cables were still in place. The insulating battery wrap was still there as was the little bar that locks the battery in place. Yes, it could have been much, much worse. But if this happened Tuesday night, you're probably wondering why it disrupted my Mission routine. Read on, McDuff!

A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that only one new film was playing at the Mission this week. This film being "Austin Powers 3: Goldmember". This was the first week of release for "Austin Powers 3: Goldmember".

With the addition of this new film, I had seen only 2 of the 8 films being exhibited this week. This is not a misprint. Two is the correct number!

I left my apartment late at 7:40PM. I gave in to temptation and stopped along the way for a bag of cherry sours. When I arrived at the Mission, I couldn't help but exclaim, "Good Lord"!

As I turned into the Mission driveway from White, I could see that the Screen 1 lot was already packed. Was I incredibly late? No! It was approximately 8:12PM when my car rolled into line. I could already see it would be a good night at the Mission!

The lines of cars extended out around the screen tower but had yet to extend back onto Roosevelt or White. As I rounded the screen tower, I counted 12 cars in the line in front of me. The other three lines had about the same number of cars in them.

The grass along the Screen 1 wall appeared to have been mowed since I was last at the Mission. Given the large amounts of rain we've had, aggressive action must be taken to keep the grass down! I've heard that the Mission has had problems securing reliable help in this area. I'm hoping they have been able to put this problem behind them!

I find myself agreeing more and more with Rick Stivers that a certain minimal level of groundskeeping is necessary to draw in the crowds. Potential new patrons may be put off by tall grass and weeds especially at the entrance to the property.

As I was waiting in line, I couldn't help but notice that the end post for the Screen 1 wall, on the ticket booth side, had taken some damage. The paint on three of the bricks has been scrapped off. This could have happened during mowing if a riding lawn mower was used. I doubt a careless patron could have hit this post with a vehicle, given the distance between it and the nearest entry lane.

When I finally reached the ticket booth, I saw one of the assistant managers operating a small hand-held device. She squeezed it each time a car pulled up to the service point at the head of the entry lanes. It could have been a simple car counter or it may have been a more complex device that recorded the interval between "squeezes". The time between "squeezes" would approximate the the time required for each car to order and receive its tickets. See my previous reports for observations and analysis of the impact of the "ticket service times" on the productivity of the ticket booths.

As the runner approached my window, I readied my pen. I made my movie selection for the evening and passed my five dollars through the window. When the runner returned with my ticket, I carefully noted the radio frequency for Screen 4.

Putting down my pen, I proceeded without incident to the Screen 4 lot. I parked my car carefully so as to minimize the impact of the lights of the apartment complex on the other side of Roosevelt. Satisfied with my car's location, I left it behind and began my customary patrol of the property.

There were already a considerable number of cars in the Screen 4 lot. As I walked over to the Screen 3 lot, I had a paranoid episode. I would have swore that several patrons stood up and began chanting, "Chicken Man! Chicken Man!". I admit to stopping and staring at these people. Surely, they weren't chanting, "Chicken Man! Chicken Man!" at me! Finally, I decided it would be safer to face the crossing of the "fun house" bridge than to continue to investigate the strange behavior of this group of movie patrons!

As I made the crossing, I pondered how I could record the pitch of the bridge. If you have an idea, let me know!

Moving across the Screen 2 lot, I was forced to dodge a steady stream of incoming cars. The lot was already to packed for me to even consider counting the cars.

As I moved into the concession stand, I learned that not all of the action was outside in the lots. The concession stand was packed! I do believe this is the busiest I've seen the new concession stand. Five of the six register positions were open. I waited nearly ten minutes in line before reaching the counter. Why so long? Nearly ever person in line made a multiple purchase including food items such as hot dogs, hamburgers and chicken strips. Pickles was also very popular. Sadly, the ICEE machine was broken or sales would have been even higher! In my opinion, this was the busiest night I've seen at the concession stand in 2002. No other night has come close!

After finally getting my Diet Coke and popcorn, I exited into the Screen 1 lot. The movie trailers had already begun on Screen 1 and Screen 4. Like Screen 2, the number of cars was far to great for me to attempt to count them.

Leaving Screen 1 behind, I dodged several cars while crossing back over to the Screen 4 lot.

Here are the screen assignments and the car counts for Screens 3 and 4.

Screen 1 - "Goldmember"/"Crocodile Hunter"
Screen 2 - "Men In Black 2"/"Mr Deeds"
Screen 3 - "Halloween"/"Reign Of Fire" - 49
Screen 4 - "Stuart Little 2"/"Eight Legged Freaks" - 48

Since the trailers had already begun, I climbed into my car and inserted the key. I turned it to the accessory position and then activated my car stereo. Selecting FM, I began the torturous process of tuning my car radio to the correct frequency for Screen 4. That frequency being 106.3 FM. I admit it. I haven't tuned my car radio since the trip to the Brazos Drive-In over a month ago. During my visit to the Apache Drive-In, I was in a rental car so that doesn't count. Although I must say that tuning that radio was fairly simple. No, I had grown lazy and let my radio tuning skills atrophy. How had this happened? I'm lazy. Last year, I slowly programmed all the radio frequencies at the Mission into my car radio. Parked in lot 1? That would call for activating button 1. Parked in lot 4? That would call for activating button 4. And so on. I'd even loaded the Crossroads Drive-In and the Last Picture Show Drive-In onto buttons 5 and 6 respectively. When my battery was stolen, all these vital settings were lost! It only took a few minutes to buy a new battery but it will take me weeks to reset this radio!

After much difficulty, and not a little cursing, I managed to tune the radio to the correct frequency. "Stuart Little 2" was already in progress! Damnation!

Only a movie could relax me now! I exited the vehicle and "popped" the trunk. Reaching inside, I pulled out one of those camp chairs with a "25% larger seat". Unfolding it, I took care to place it just right.

As I sat down in my camp chair, I could see that the line of cars trying to get into the Mission extended back past Screen 4 and over the hill on Roosevelt. The line didn't dwindle down past Screen 4 until after "Stuart Little 2" was nearly half over.

Rick Stivers always wants me to write something about the movies. I'll indulge him this week by saying that if you liked "Stuart Little", you'll like "Stuart Little 2". I even liked one line of dialog so much that I added it to my e-mail "tagline" file.

When the credits began to role on "Stuart Little 2", I made a "rapid count" of the Screen 4 lot. A "rapid count" is the kind of count that leaves your heart pounding and your lungs gasping for breathe! I was able to count a total of 122 cars before heading off for a quick survey of the other lots.

In the Screen 3 lot, "Halloween" had drawn a very large crowd. I'm estimating that nearly 70% of the spaces were occupied. I did notice something odd. An entire row of parking spaces was left empty about two-thirds of the way back from the screen. My first thought was that this "empty row" looked like a "drive-in demilitarized zone".

Shaking my head, I moved on into the Screen 2 lot. I doubt anyone will be surprised when I report that "Men In Black 2" had drawn a huge crowd. I'm estimating the lot to have been nearly 90% full. There were empty spaces but they were few and far between except for the extreme left side of the lot.

All this walking is thirsty work so I decided to head into the concession stand for another Diet Coke. As I entered through the breezeway, I noticed the ATM machine had finally been installed. I suspect its current location will limit its use. The ATM machine is actually sitting in the "game area" by the video game change machine. Most people coming into the concession stand directly from the lots will never see this machine. In fact, this may not have been the first week the machine was installed. I rarely enter the concession stand from the breezeway and may well have missed it until now. Rick Stivers would know better. He actually surveyed the game room when we saw "Eight-Legged Freaks".

As I moved past the "game area" into the heart of the concession stand, I was amazed to find the same heavy level of patronage! This is even more incredible given that both "Goldmember" and "Men In Black 2" were still running outside. If this concession stand was busy now, I wondered how busy it would get at intermission! I decided that I didn't want to wait to find out so I left without making purchase.

Exiting into the Screen 1 lot, I found yet another lot packed with cars! This time, I have to raise my estimate to 95% full. Perhaps even higher. I had to look hard for empty spaces beyond the last row of the lot. Even that row was about half full!

I accelerated my pace and moved back to the Screen 4 lot at top speed! I knew that I wanted to leave before the start of "Eight-Legged Freaks". The drive-in code demands that we minimize the shining of headlights into the faces of our fellow movie patrons during feature presentations!

I made it back to my car with three minutes to spare! How did I know I had three minutes left before the start of the next feature? The classic intermission trailers contain a running countdown. "Old-timers" know exactly what I mean!

I safely negotiated my exit from the Screen 4 lot and proceeded home without incident.

On my way home, I considered just how close the Mission had come to selling out "Austin Powers 3: Goldmember". It was very, very close and they may have had a sell-out on Friday. For those that don't get the San Antonio newspaper, the Mission even participated in the "sneak preview" of "Austin Powers 3: Goldmember" on Thursday night. I thought that was really cool! And for those that do get the San Antonio newspaper, have you noticed that my complaints to DOps have paid off? The Mission has been listed in every Santikos advertisement since the Memorial Day weekend. It may even have been in every advertisement since the "grand re-opening" celebration at the start of May 2002. I'm slightly disappointed that no one except me seems to have noticed the change. Shame on you!

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. Rick Stivers has been looking for films that start at one position in the box office tally and then move up in later weeks. "Road to Perdition" did that last week. This week contained an even better example -- "My Big Fat Greek Wedding". This movie was in the top ten, dropped out, and then returned to the top ten again
this week. That's amazing!

WEEKEND BOXOFFICE
JULY 26 - 28, 2002

3 Aug 2002 - Threatened!

After seven weeks of unusual circumstances, I was finally able to return to my regular Mission routine. Hmmm...isn't that unusual in and of itself? But I digress...

A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that two new films were playing at the Mission this week. These films being "Signs" and "Master Of Disguise". This was the first week of release for both films.

With the addition of these new films, I had seen only 1 of the 8 films being exhibited this week. This is not a misprint. One is the correct number!

I left my apartment at 7:25PM. No cherry sours were purchased during the trip. I drove at a leisurely pace and arrived at the Mission at 7:55PM.

As I rounded the screen tower, I saw that both ticket booths were open, and that there were two to three cars waiting in each lane. It appeared that this might be down night at the Mission! Only time would tell.

As I neared the ticket booth, I noticed something new. On the center marquee support post, there is now a laminated advertisement for the snack bar. This advertisement is illustrated with photographs of the "tasty treats" available inside. Hopefully, these pictures will spur at least a few patrons to visit the new, improved snack bar!

I purchased a ticket for "Halloween: Resurrection" and proceeded to the Screen 4 lot without incident. Once again, I picked my parking spot with care so as to minimize the impact of the lights of the apartment complex on the other side of Roosevelt. Satisfied with my car's location, I left it behind and began my customary patrol of the property.

When I exited my vehicle, I couldn't help but notice the sound of "goth metal" echoing across the lot. As I walked through it, I realized that it wasn't just one rude patron playing his radio too loud! No! Many of the cars had their radios tuned to the same station. As I walked between the cars, my ears were assaulted over and over. How much of this could I take? Why was this happening? Why were so many radios tuned to the same station before the film started? Could this be the result of some atmospheric disturbance? This seemed unlikely! If the cause were atmospheric, the cars would be blaring out the sounds of that Tejano radio station in Corpus Christi!

If nature wasn't to blame, could this be the fault of man? The sounds coming out of the radios were clearly man-made. But who was to blame? Could it be possible that "Halloween" might be the type of film that would attract devotees of this particular type of music?

If so, would they prove dangerous? Had I placed myself in jeopardy by choosing "Halloween" instead of "Master of Disguise"?

Hoping to save my hearing, I sped up my pace and moved as quickly as possible (without showing any signs of fear) across the bridge to the Screen 1 lot. Safe at last? Read on!

Entering the Screen 1 lot, I noticed that it contained a considerable number of cars. There isn't anything really odd about that. The Mission has been doing well this summer. What was odd though, was that at least a third of the cars seemed to be parked in the last three rows in front of the concession stand. The patrons weren't sitting facing the screen either. No, there were facing the snack bar. But why? It isn't that interesting!

As I got further into the lot, I could hear the sounds of "goth metal" coming from in front of me! The music wasn't just coming from the cars. It was also blaring out of the speakers mounted on the outside of the concession stand. Had there been a hostile takeover of the Mission? Would Captain Chicken need to be called in to restore the property to the control of its rightful owners? For the first time, I cursed myself for not having a cell phone! Could I make it to the Screen 2 side of the concession stand where the pay phone is located? I had to! There was no other option!

To avoid drawing attention to myself, I continued to walk towards the concession stand at a brisk pace. My plan was simple. When I reached the concession stand, I would casually enter the breezeway and then slip through to the Screen 2 side. Once there, I would only need to remain free for the few minutes it would take to make a distress call to Captain Chicken. A simple plan but then the best plans are simple!

Before I reached the breezeway, I discovered the source of the "goth metal" sounds. It was a band. Yes, a band had come to the Mission. Although this style of music isn't normally associated with drive-in theaters, the name of the band was very appropriate given the venue. The name of the band is "Last Chance". Why appropriate? Because each and every day may be the last chance millions of Americans may ever have to discover the simple pleasures of the drive-in. Clearly, "Last Chance" had a small devoted following which had come to hear them play. I could only hope that some of these fans would stay after the performance to enjoy a movie under the stars.

Relieved that the Mission hadn't been taken over by musical anarchists, I entered the snack bar to make my usual purchase of Diet Coke and popcorn. Business was down compared to last week. I'd describe it as "continual". There were always customers waiting to be served; however, no lines actually developed. Munching on my popcorn, I exited into the Screen 2 lot.

The Screen 2 lot contained about two dozen cars. This was yet another indicator of a slow night at the Mission. As I walked across the lot, I consider how my jumping to conclusions had nearly resulted in a false alarm to Captain Chicken and a "furious pecking attack" for "Last Chance". I really need to take my own advice and "try to remain calm".

As I started across the "fun house" bridge to the Screen 3 lot, I considered the possibility of measuring the slope of the bridge using a carpenter's level and protractor. Unfortunately, I had neither of these items on my person.

Moving through the Screen 3 lot, I could see that the traffic entering the Mission had begun to pick up. By the time I reached the entrance to the Screen 3 lot , it was 8:25PM and the cars had begun to line up on Roosevelt. Maybe the night wouldn't be so slow after all!

Returning to the Screen 4 lot, I got out my camp chair and waited for the film to start.

Here are the car counts for those that like them.

Screen 1 - "Signs"/"Reign of Fire" - 62
Screen 2 - "Master Of Disguise"/"Men In Black 2" - 27
Screen 3 - "Austin Powers 3"/"Mr Deeds" - 33
Screen 4 - "Halloween"/"Eight Legged Freaks" - 14

Rick Stivers always wants me to write something about the movies. I'll indulge him by making a few comments about "Halloween: Resurrection". If you know Rick, then you know he has a keen interest in Internet enabled "spy cams". He is so closely associated with this type of video surveillance that some wags have even suggested that Rick wasn't really building a shed behind his house, instead he was secretly building a "spy cam" monitoring center. Since "spy cams" are fundamental to the plot of "Halloween: Resurrection", I'm sure Rick will watch the film with interest. Beyond that, I'd have to say that "Halloween: Resurrection" was a better "Halloween" movie than "Jason X" was a "Friday the 13th" movie.

Note: I deny any such references to my interest, ownership, or operation of any "Spy Cams" ....  Rick Stivers

When the credits began to role on "Halloween: Resurrection", I made a "rapid count" of the Screen 4 lot. A "rapid count" is the kind of count that leaves your heart pounding and your lungs gasping for breathe! I was able to count a total of 62 cars before heading off for a quick survey of the other lots. If you remember last week, this is a considerable drop from the number of cars at the end of "Stuart Little 2". "Halloween: Resurrection" has reached the end of its rope. I'm guessing it will be gone next week.

In the Screen 3 lot, "Austin Powers 3" had drawn a very large crowd I'm estimating that nearly 80% of the spaces were occupied. The extra cars filled in the "demilitarized zone" I mentioned last week. I admit to being surprised that "Austin Powers 3" would have this kind of staying power.

Crossing the "fun house" bridge, I moved on into the Screen 2 lot. I doubt anyone will be surprised when I report that "Master Of Disguise" didn't draw a huge crowd. I'm estimating the lot to have been only about 40% full.

I could see through the windows that the concession stand wasn't very busy so I went inside and purchased my second Diet Coke of the evening. Just as before, I describe the business as "continual".

Exiting into the Screen 1 lot, I found yet another lot packed with cars! I'd estimate it to have been 85% full. I was surprised to see "Signs" doing this well.

I accelerated my pace and moved back to the Screen 4 lot at top speed! I knew that I wanted to leave before the start of "Eight-Legged Freaks". The drive-in code demands that we minimize the shining of headlights into the faces of our fellow movie patrons during feature presentations!

I made it back to my car with two minutes to spare! How did I know I had two minutes left before the start of the next feature? The classic intermission trailers contain a running countdown. "Old-timers" know exactly what I mean!

I safely negotiated my exit from the Screen 4 lot and proceeded home without incident. It had been a better night at the Mission than I had first expected. Sadly, there are only a few big films left in this summer season. I'm hoping the Mission can do well enough with these films to make up for the revenue lost during the flooding in July. Only time will tell!

Some of you may be wondering why the title of this report is "Threatened". This title has nothing to do with my whimsical account of "goth metal" patrons. No, the title relates to an article that I read the following day in the Sunday San Antonio Express-News. If you live in San Antonio, you may have heard of the "River Road Project". The "River Road Project" is an effort maximize the potential of the San Antonio River above and below the area associated with the Riverwalk. The project is still in the conceptual phase and all kinds of ideas are being floated about what could be done along the river. The article in question makes mention of the "large amount of public land in the area bounded by the San Antonio River, Roosevelt, White and Southcross". So what? While the Mission isn't on public land it falls just outside this area. And the designers of the project are almost certainly including the park near the Mission in this area. It does after all belong to the city. And to what purpose could this land be put to? One idea is to create a "night time entertainment destination". Yeah, like that would work! And isn't the Mission already a "night time entertainment destination"? I think so. Here is a conspiracy theory for you. The fences at the Mission have been damaged for some time yet no repairs have been made to them. Why? Could Santikos already be making plans to sell the Mission to the city so that it could be incorporated into the "River Road Project"? It would certainly explain the lack of interest in repairing those fences! I'd advise you to experience the Mission now before it becomes part of another city sponsored development fiasco! Remember you heard it hear first!

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. Note to Rick Stivers: "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" moved up yet another notch this week.

WEEKEND BOXOFFICE
AUGUST 2 - 4, 2002

9 Aug 2002 - Deja Vu!

After one week without unusual circumstances, I found myself deviating yet again from my usual Mission routine. I had agreed to join Matt Cooper on a trip to Houston on 10 Aug 2002 to attend the 2002 Professional World Disc Gold Championships. Fearing that I would not return to San Antonio in time to visit the Mission, I decided to go Friday night. Since I'd have to get up early, there was no possibility of staying for a second feature. Frequent readers of these reports know that it has been some time since I was able to attend a double feature. I knew this would catch with me. I just hadn't expected it to be this week!

A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that two new films were playing at the Mission this week. These films being "XXX" and "Spy Kids 2". This was the first week of release for both films.

With the addition of these two new films, I had seen NONE of the 8 films being exhibited this week. This is not a misprint. None! Not One! Zilch! Zero! This has only happened once before when the Mission first reopened! Even more appropriate, "Spy Kids 1" was one of the films being exhibited that first week. I was immediately reminded of Yogi Berra's quote, "It's deja vu all over again".

Fearing that "XXX" might draw a sell-out crowd, I left my apartment early at 7:10PM. I progressed at my usual pace and arrived at the Mission at 7:36PM.

As I rounded the screen tower, I found only one ticket booth open. Six cars waited patiently in each of the two entrance lanes. Just a few minutes later, I was glad I had arrived early. Cars began to pour into the property and within minutes all four entrances lanes were packed and the lines wrapped around the screen tower. The second ticket booth opened at 7:40PM but by this point the flow of cars was just too heavy to keep the lines short.

Reaching the ticket booth, I purchased a ticket for "Spy Kids 2" and proceeded without incident to the Screen 4 lot. And before someone asks, I'm not deliberately picking the movie showing on Screen 4 to avoid having to struggle with reprogramming my car radio. If you review past reports, you'll see that once I get into a particular lot, I tend to stay in that lot for weeks at a time. I don't know why, it just happens that way!

Once inside the lot, I parked my car carefully so as to minimize the impact of the lights of the apartment complex on the other side of Roosevelt. Satisfied with my car's location, I left it behind and began my customary patrol of the property.

There were only a few cars in the Screen 4 lot. In the Screen 3 lot, I found a similar situation. Clearly, the action would be on Screen 1 tonight! This speculation was further reinforced by the situation I found in the Screen 2 lot. There just weren't very many cars in the lot. True, it wasn't even 8:00PM yet, but I'd expected to see more cars than this! Could "Signs" have faded so quickly?

As I moved into the concession stand, I discovered that the snack bar was doing better than the previous week. Not much, but better. I purchased a Diet Coke and a bag of popcorn and then exited into the Screen 1 lot. I quickly counted 40 cars with more cars pouring in every minute. Would "XXX" sell out?

Having nearly an hour to kill before the start of the movie, I subjected the area to an intense examination. I quickly noticed that the antennas had been removed! Yes, they were gone! For those of you not familiar with the Mission antenna system, the individual antennas are of the "rabbit ears" variety. A set of "rabbit ears" were attached to sides of the building to service the Screen 1 and Screen 2 lots and to the corners of the building to service the Screen 3 and Screen 4 lots. I don't know much about radio communications, but I knew that if the "rabbit ears" were gone, they had to have been replaced by some other type of antenna. I backed away slightly from the side of building into the lot and then looked towards the roof of the building. Eureka! I could plainly see the new antennas on the roof the building. These antennas are of a different type. I'd describe them as "whip" antennas with a twist. Each one appears to have a cross bar attached to it slightly above the base of the antenna.

Although it wasn't obvious from my vantage point, I suspect new antennas mean new cabling! Could this be the "final solution" to the sound problems that have plagued the Mission? Clearly more information was required!

Taking advantage of my celebrity status, I talked to several people about the new antennas. The antennas were supposedly installed the previous week. If so, then I missed them completely the night I was there to see "Halloween". The antennas are just the visible part of a larger sound improvement project. Not only have the antennas been replaced, but the "amplifiers" (could they have meant transmitters?) are also being replaced. At least two of the projectors will be getting new "sound pickups" in the very near future. I was even told that Santikos had applied to the FCC for an amendment to their FM licenses to allow them to increase the output power of the Mission's transmitters. This request was based on the increased amount of interference from other transmission sources in the area. According to my sources, the request was approved. One even boasted, "you'll never hear that Tejano station here again"!

Let's examine this information in relation to my recent experiences at the Mission. If you recall the report about the night we saw "Eight-Legged Freaks", then you might remember that we experienced a new type of sound problem that night. Below is a quote from that report:

"I was told the transmitters had been turned up to "the maximum allowed by law" in an effort to solve the problem. This confirmed for me that the distortion wasn't being caused by any type of external interference. In fact, I began to suspect that the amplifiers were turned up too far given the current weather conditions and that the signal was so powerful it was "over driving" the receivers."

Was I right on target? Could the FCC license amendment have been approved prior to this experience? If so, is it possible that the existing in-place equipment wasn't capable of performing properly at a higher output level? Could that be the real reason for the new antennas, cabling (if it is new) and replacement "amplifiers"? Obviously, Rick Stivers and John Miller, both communications-navigation specialists, would be better able to speak to this issue.

The new "sound pickups" will hopefully resolve the other sound problem we have experienced in the past -- "the whirring gear" noise.

Here are a few other tidbits of information.

My favorite security guard, the Bexar County Sheriff's Deputy, worked at the Mission during the Regal years. I had the impression that the Mission had never done well under their management. This is apparently not true. He told me that he had been working at the Mission the night "Titanic" opened. He described the Screen 1 lot as being absolutely full. How full is full? The current manager believes the capacity of the Screen 1 lot, if everyone parked properly, is 900 vehicles. I was very surprised by this revelation. Have we been too harsh on Regal?

The Santikos management has also authorized the repair of the tire spikes on the Screen 3 and Screen 4 exits. There has apparently been an epidemic of cars sneaking into these two lots in the last few weeks. I've actually seen this happen once myself although I wasn't sure of it at the time. I was counting cars and a car suddenly drove behind me out of nowhere. Only later did I realize that car had driven in through the exit.

Based on some radio chatter I overhead, the Mission plans to attempt to enforce a policy banning alcohol and outside food. I support the alcohol ban but I suggest they be very careful dealing with the issue of outside food. Will this hurt ticket sales more than it helps snack bar sales? It is possible that this will be a selective ban aimed at deterring the people who bring in huge stacks of pizzas and then sell them in the lots? If so, that's fine. But a total food ban would only hurt families and serve to keep them away from the theater. And once families begin to stay away, the property is doomed.

As you can imagine, I was very excited to learn of these new improvements to the Mission. I decided to celebrate by purchasing two hot dogs and covering them in extra mustard!

Exiting the snack bar for the second time, I could see that the number of cars in the Screen 1 lot had now grown far beyond my ability to count them. But would "XXX" sell out?

Leaving Screen 1 behind, I dodged several cars while crossing back over to the Screen 4 lot. As I was crossing over the bridge, I noticed the lights over the bridge were turned on. I can't remember how long it has been since I saw them turned on. Perhaps they were broken and have now been repaired. Of course, these lights were turned off during the movie presentation on Screen 4.

Here are the car counts for those that like them. Keep in mind that these counts were taken nearly an hour before show time.

Screen 1 - "XXX"/"Men In Black 2" - 40
Screen 2 - "Signs"/"Reign Of Fire" - 18
Screen 3 - "Austin Powers 3"/"Mr Deeds" - 5
Screen 4 - "Spy Kids 2"/"Master Of Disguise" - 19

How far off are these numbers? I recounted the Screen 4 lot during the last trailer prior to the start of "Spy Kids 2". I counted 96 cars in the lot. Cars continued to pour in during the movie. Given that I was driving to Houston the following morning, I didn't recount the lot at the end of the movie.

There was some minor drizzle during the movie. It was very refreshing!

Although I was in a hurry, I made a quick loop through the lots. Here are my estimates for the other three lots:

Screen 1 90% full (but not a sell-out!)
Screen 2 40% full
Screen 3 50% full

Remember, these estimates are based solely on my impression of the number of cars in the lot. Use them at your own risk!

I safely negotiated my exit from the Screen 4 lot and proceeded home without incident.

On my way home, I considered just how close the Mission had come to selling out "XXX". The staff considered the film to be a "sleeper hit" that would do better on Saturday once "word of mouth" got around about the film. To some that may sound odd, but I've noticed many films do better at the Mission in their second and third weeks of release than they do in their first week of release. And some movies are just drive-in movies. I don't mean that in a negative way. I simply mean that some movies are best experienced at a drive-in. "Eight-Legged Freaks" being a perfect example. Despite the sound problems, we enjoyed the movie. On the other hand, those that saw it in a "hard top" theater hated it.

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. Note to Rick Stivers: "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" moved up yet another notch this weekend! That's amazing!

WEEKEND BOXOFFICE
AUGUST 09 - 11, 2002

Bonus News:

On 8 Aug 2002, I dropped by the Institute of Texan Cultures. I was able to locate photographs of four of the San Antonio drive-in theaters that are now just fading memories. They are the Trail, the Fredericksburg, the Town Twin and the Alamo! I ordered copies for myself and I hope we'll be able to share them with you in the future.

On 10 Aug 2002, I drove us back from Houston on Alternate Highway 90. I wanted Matt Cooper to see the Crossroads Drive-In. He expressed interest in returning to see a movie there. With luck, this will happen! He's been to the Mission, an urban drive-in, and enjoyed the experience. I'd like to see his reaction to the Crossroads, a rural drive-in.

17 Aug 2002

This week, I was once again able to return to my regular Mission routine.

A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that two new films were playing at the Mission this week. These films being "Blue Crush" and "The Adventures Of Pluto Nash". This was the first week of release for both films.

With the addition of these new films, I had seen only 1 of the 8 films being exhibited this week. This is not a misprint. One is the correct number! Even so, that's higher than last week!

I left my apartment at 7:05PM. No cherry sours were purchased during the trip; however, I did stop for corn dogs!. I drove at a leisurely pace, consuming corn dogs as I drove, and arrived at the Mission at 7:45PM.

As I rounded the screen tower, I saw that both ticket booths were open, and that there were three to four cars waiting in each lane.

I purchased a ticket for "XXX" and proceeded to the Screen 1 lot without incident. Uncertain if I was going to stay for the second feature, I parked my car on the right hand side of the lot in the "exit row". Satisfied with my car's location, I left it behind and began my customary patrol of the property.

Given the lateness of the hour, I made a quick survey of the lots. The only unusual item I noticed was a tire abandoned in the Screen 3 lot. I suspect someone had been using it as a chair the night before and had driven off without it by mistake. This type of thing does happen from time to time.

On my way out of the concession stand, I stopped to gather more information on the new antennas. I can now confirm that new cabling has been installed between the antennas and the communications equipment inside the projection booths. I must also update my description of the antennas. Each antenna has three "ribs" extending from the main shaft near the base. Obviously, each "rib" is 120 degrees from the next "rib". My study of the antennas concluded, I returned to my car. The trailers began to run as I popped open the trunk to get out my camp chair. I quickly deployed it and then wedged in my truck lid support. This support is actually a piece of cardboard which holds the trunk lid so that the top of the lid is at the same height as the roof of my car. This prevents the trunk lid from blocking the view of any patrons parked behind me. Yes, this is yet another example of the drive-in code in action!

Here are the car counts for those that like them.

Screen 1 - "XXX"/"Men In Black 2" - 43
Screen 2 - "Signs"/"Austin Powers 3" - 26
Screen 3 - "Pluto Nash"/"Spy Kids 2" - 21
Screen 4 - "Blue Crush"/"Master Of Disguise" - 26

When the credits began to role on "XXX", I made another quick survey of the property.

Reaching the Screen 4 lot, I performed a "rapid count" of the cars that had stayed after "Blue Crush" to see "Master Of Disguise". I was very surprised to find 106 cars still in the lot! There were too many cars in the other lots to effectively count. Here are my estimates based on the percentage of the lot apparently covered by vehicles.

Screen 1 - 90% - "XXX" pulled in a large crowd but couldn't sell out!

Screen 2 - 50% - I'm surprised this many people would come to see "Signs".

Screen 3 - 40% - Ditto for "Pluto Nash".

During my patrol, I stopped at the concession stand for another Diet Coke. I'd describe the level of business as "steady". That's good but not great.

Returning to my car, I decided that I wouldn't be staying for the second feature. I started my car, turned left and drove directly out the exit. I arrived home without incident!

This was the first weekend at the Mission since school started. In general, I'd describe attendance as down from prior weeks; however, the flooding in July makes comparisons difficult. I thought it interesting that both the new films of the week were being exhibited on the screens with the smaller lots. I think this symbolizes the generally lower quality of movie releases which is endemic to this time of year. More analysis to come as we get closer to closing out the summer season at the Mission!

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. Note to Rick Stivers: "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" moved up TWO more notches this week. Finally, a "sleeper hit" that merits the title!

WEEKEND BOXOFFICE
AUGUST 16-18, 2002

24 Aug 2002 - Missing!

Due to circumstances beyond my control, I was once again unable to maintain my usual Mission routine.

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

With the addition of this new film, I had seen only 1 of the 8 films being exhibited this week. This is not a misprint. One is the correct number! This makes two weeks in a row that I've only seen 1 of the films being exhibited! How long can this streak last?

Due to my own computer problems, I was unable to leave my apartment in time for the first showing at the Mission. Since I hadn't seen any of the second features, I decided I would leave later, and arrive there in time to see one of them.

I finally left my apartment at 10:30PM. I made no stops along the way and arrived at the Mission at 10:50PM. Only one ticket booth remained open and there were no cars in line. As I pulled to a stop, the runner came over and said, "Hello, Chicken Man!". Yes, he said, "Hello, Chicken Man!". He then expressed concern for my late arrival. I could hear the other runner saying something about Captain Chicken but I wasn't able to make out the rest of her statement. I have to admit that I'm now tempted to rent the chicken costume again and wear it to the Mission. Chicken Man indeed!

I purchased a ticket for "Men In Black 2" and proceeded to the Screen 1 lot without incident. Since I was arriving late, I parked in the concession stand row to avoid bothering other patrons. Yes, this is yet another example of the drive-in code in action!

I arrived just a little too early. "XXX" still had ten more minutes to run. I walked over to the concession stand and made my usual purchase of a large popcorn and a Diet Coke.

Munching my popcorn, I made a quick patrol of the lots. Attendance was definitely down from the week before.

Here are the car counts/estimates for those that like them.

Screen 1 - "XXX"/"Men In Black 2" - 60%
Screen 2 - "Signs"/"Austin Powers 3" - 70%
Screen 3 - "Undisputed"/"Pluto Nash" - 25%
Screen 4 - "Blue Crush"/"Master Of Disguise" - 76 cars

Between a lackluster movie release schedule and high school football, attendance has certainly decreased. I can't wait to see what happens after Labor Day. Last year, attendance dropped like a rock. Will it hold up this year?

Completing my survey of the property, I returned to my car. By this time, the snack bar commercial had begun to run. I popped my truck and reached inside for the trunk lid wedge. I couldn't find it. Perhaps the contents of the trunk had shifted during one of my "power stops" on Pat Booker? I pulled out a camp chair, unfolded it and then sat it down on the ground. With one less item in the trunk, I felt certain I'd find the trunk lid wedge. Once again, I couldn't find it. Okay, I'd had enough of fumbling around in the near darkness of my trunk. I reached into my drive-in deployment kit and pulled out a flashlight. Being careful to aim it into the trunk, I turned it on to find less than I expected! There was no truck lid wedge to be found! And a a camp chair was missing too! Had I been robbed yet again? Could be! I then decided to employ that classic location technique, "Where Did I See It Last?"! I remembered coming to the Mission the weekend before. I knew I had the trunk lid wedge that night. I recalled the details of my patrol and my return to my car. And that's when it hit me! I had simply climbed into my car and driven off that night! I'd left my camp chair behind and most likely lost the trunk lid wedge when I hit the first bump. Damnation! And it would have to have been one of the chairs with a 25% larger seat! Oh, well... At least since I was parked in the concession stand row, I didn't need to worry about my trunk lide bothering other patrons!

I found "Men In Black 2" to be much more enjoyable than "Men In Black". Why? I doubt the movie itself was better. Clearly, it could only have been the movie venue that made the difference! Any movie is best seen under the stars! I waited until the majority of the patrons had left the theater and then proceeded home without incident.

This is the second time I've been to the Mission since I've noticed their new antennas. How has the sound been lately? Although I rarely have sound problems when I go there without Rick Stivers, I must say that the signal has been much stronger the last two weeks. This week, I even had to get up and turn down the volume on my radio. Don't read too much into that! I was also much closer to the antenna than I would have been if I had arrived in time for the first feature. I'll continue to monitor the sound quality.

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. Note to Rick Stivers: "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" moved up TWO more notches this week. How high can this film climb?

WEEKEND BOXOFFICE
AUGUST 23 - 25, 2002

31 Aug 2002 -   Back By Popular Demand?

This week, I was once again able to return to my regular Mission routine.

A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that only two new films were playing at the Mission this week. These films being "Fear Dot Com" and "Like Mike". This was the first week of release for "Fear Dot Com". "Like Mike" had previously opened in San Antonio.

With the addition of these two new films, I had seen only 2 of the 8 films being exhibited this week. This is not a misprint. Two is the correct number! This is a step up from last week when I had only seen 1 of the 8 films being exhibited.

I left my apartment at 7:35PM. I made no stops along the way and arrived at the Mission at 8:10PM.

Some of you may know that I like to drive with the driver's side window rolled down. I just do. There is no reason why. As I approached the entrance to the Mission, I thought I heard music. I couldn't be sure, of course. As you can imagine, driving at 50 MPH generates considerable road noise. As I slowed to turn into the entrance, I became certain that I could hear music. Not just any music, but music that I had heard before. I just couldn't recall where.

As I rounded the screen tower, I could see that both ticket booths were open and there were about a dozen cars in line. As I came to a halt at the end of the shortest line, I recognized the music. It was "goth metal". And "goth metal" only means one thing at the Mission. "Last Chance" had overcome their own name and had returned to the Mission for another engagement!

I purchased a ticket for "Fear Dot Com" and proceeded to the Screen 1 lot without incident. Since I had already decided to stay for the double feature, I parked in my traditional Lot 1 location. This would be the left side of the first row. Why the left side? Since the right side is near the exit, I like to leave those spots free for patrons that plan to stay for only a single movie. Also, parking on the left allows me to monitor the length of the line of cars waiting on Roosevelt to enter the property.

Since I had arrived late last week, I decided that I would perform a very aggressive patrol of the property. Leaving my car behind, I took the time to take a complete count of Lot 1 before heading into the concession stand. Once inside, I made my usual purchase of a large popcorn and a Diet Coke.

I exited from the concession stand into the Screen 2 lot. The portable toilets there have been removed. One more sign that the summer movie season is over. Crossing over to the Screen 3 lot, I verified that the tire I had seen two weeks ago was no longer there. Walking over to the Screen 4 lot, I noticed nothing out of the ordinary. I returned to my car just as "Last Chance" was finishing up their final set.

Here are the car counts for those that like them.

Screen 1 - "Fear Dot Com"/"Undisputed" - 44
Screen 2 - "Signs"/"Austin Powers 3" - 68
Screen 3 - "XXX"/"Men In Black 2" - 118
Screen 4 - "Blue Crush"/"Like Mike" - 30

These counts are better than I expected given the weak movie schedule. But how reliable are these counts as an indicator of total attendance? After I returned to my car, I got out my chair and deployed my new trunk lid wedge. Sitting down my pop corn and Diet Coke, I walked over to the mound of gravel near the left wall. I climbed on top of it and counted the cars waiting in line. I counted 22 cars between the ticket booths and the curve of the screen tower. After I noted this number in my notebook, I immediately recounted the cars. The count had now increased to 27 cars. Consider this, I had previously counted 260 cars in all four lots. The 27 cars I counted in line AT THAT PARTICULAR MOMENT represent an increase of 10.4% over the total number I had previously counted in the lots. I think this proves that car counts are like flood waters, they can rise with unexpected speed! I advocate using my counts as a measure of MINIMUM attendance.

I returned to my car just as the trailers began to roll. I immediately noticed the best part of having "Last Chance" play at the Mission. And, no, it isn't that I'm fond of "goth metal".

Since the trailers couldn't start until after "Last Chance" stopped playing, it was now much darker than it usually is when the trailers start. Given the problems the Mission faces in the area of light pollution, the later the movies start, the better!

"Fear Dot Com" isn't a film about the impact of the "Dot Com Crash" on the retirement dreams of "baby boom" era Americans. No, "Fear Dot Com" is more of a traditional ghost story updated with today's technology. I enjoyed it. You might too.

After "Fear Dot Com" ended, I made yet another sweep of the property. The Screen 4 lot contained 72 cars. I'm surprised that many people would stay to see "Like Mike". Walking over to the Screen 3 lot, I made the mistake of trying to walk behind the last row of cars. You can't do that. The last row isn't a complete row and it dead-ends into the back fence. Although there were none of the orange barriers indicating a sell-out at the entrance to the lot, I believe Screen 3 did sell out. And why wouldn't it? "XXX" and "Men In Black 2" is a great double bill. Crossing over to the Screen 2 lot, I found it to be about half full. Given how long "Signs" and "Austin Powers 3" have been out, I'm amazed the lot was this full. Crossing back through the concession stand breezeway, I found the Screen 1 lot to be about 40% full. All things considered, not bad attendance!

Returning to my car, I settled in to watch "Undisputed". I found it to be about 10 minutes too long. When the credits started to roll, I started packing my car. I waited a few minutes to allow most of the patrons to leave and then I headed 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. Note to Rick Stivers: "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" moved up TWO more notches this week. Can it move up to the top slot? I doubt it!

WEEKEND BOXOFFICE
AUGUST 30 - SEPTEMBER 1, 2002

Special Note: This week, Santikos announced that it would close and demolish the Century South Theater. The Century South was the first multi-screen indoor theater in the Santikos theater chain. It opened in 1968. I can't remember that far back but I do remember seeing many films there. I saw "Star Wars" there before the film hit the big time. I saw it there again a few months later after the theater had been upgraded with a Dolby stereo sound system. It was like watching an entirely different movie! "Star Wars" stayed at the Century South for a year. That's right, an entire year. We saw it many times at the matinee price of $1.50. What else did I see there? I remember seeing "Superman" and "Battlestar Galactica". I'm sure I saw others but those three stick in my mind. Will I miss the Century South? Not really. It had no personality. What happens next? Even before the dust settles, Santikos will begin the construction of a new theater at the same location. This theater will be called "The Mayan Temple". I'm hoping it will be themed to match its name. At the same time, "The Silverado" another Santikos indoor theater nears completion. What's paying for all this? I suspect the Mission is the big cash cow in the Santikos theater chain. I can only hope that once all the new theaters have been built, that the Mission won't be shuttered due to its age and location.

7 Sept 2002 - Barely Made It!

Due to circumstances beyond my control, I was once again unable to maintain my usual Mission routine.

A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that only two new film were playing at the Mission this week. These films being "Swimfan" and "Windtalkers". This was the first week of release for "Swimfan". "Windtalkers" had previously opened in San Antonio.

With the addition of these new films, I had seen 4 of the 8 films being exhibited this week.

Due to an emergency at work, I was unable to leave for the Mission in time for the first showing. In fact, I came very close to breaking my attendance streak. I find it very difficult to walk away from a situation that needs my attention. I did find the willpower to do it in this case.

I finally left my office at 10:15PM. I made no stops along the way and arrived at the Mission at 10:40PM. Only one ticket booth remained open and there were no cars in line. As I rolled to a stop at the ticket booth, I knew that I had only two choices -- "Windtalkers" or "Austin Powers 3".

After a few moments of thoughtful consideration, I purchased a ticket for "Windtalkers" and proceeded to the Screen 1 lot without incident. Although it is my usual practice to park in the back of the lot when I arrive late, I decided that I would park in the front row. Although not a full moon, there was plenty of light available to drive safely across the lot to my intended parking spot. Attendance was down considerably making it less likely that I would annoy other patrons.

Reaching my destination, I turned off the motor and exited my vehicle. I was tense and nervous. Could I even stay through an entire movie? I wasn't sure. I did know that I was hungry. I hadn't had a chance to eat all day. This problem I knew I could easily solve. I left my vehicle behind and headed directly towards the concession stand.

Once inside, I purchased a large Diet Coke, a large popcorn and two hot dogs. I drowned the hot dogs in mustard and then exited into the Screen 2 lot. Here too, attendance was down. I relaxed for a moment, eating my first hot dog. Wiping away the excess mustard from my lips, I started moving at a rapid pace to the Screen 3 lot. Once there, I found more of the same. I saw happy patrons but I didn't see that many of them. I quickly moved on to the Screen 4 lot. Once there, I finished my second hot dog as I inspected the fence near the entrance to the lot. It appears that repairs have finally begun on the most damaged sections. Hurrah!

I returned to my car where I knew I would face an enormous struggle with my inner demons. Could I stay or would I go? Only time would tell!

I had clearly missed the first ten to fifteen minutes of "Windtalkers". I think this improved the film for me. How is the sound at the Mission now? I watched the first half of the movie with my speakers turned off. I was able to enjoy the film listening to the sound from the cars near me. By the middle of the film, cars began to leave. I couldn't blame them. I wanted to go too! Still, I decided to remain calm. I used my car radio for the last half of the film. The FM signal was very strong but I don't believe the new sound pickups have been installed in the Screen 1 projector. More on this in future weeks.

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

Here are the screen assignments for the week.

Screen 1 - "Swimfan"/"Windtalkers"
Screen 2 - "Signs"/"Austin Powers 3"
Screen 3 - "XXX"/"Men In Black 2" Screen
4 - "Fear Dot Com"/"Undisputed"

I counted 31 cars in the Screen 4 lot. The other lots had more cars in them. I'd estimate the average attendance per screen to have been about 50 cars. Both Screen 2 and Screen 3 had more cars than Screens 1 and 4. If my estimate is correct, that would be about 200 cars for the entire theater. Good or bad? I'd rate it "good". We are now out of the summer movie season. High school football has begun. The average movie quality has started to decline. Older films are returning to the Mission in the second exhibition slot. These are the times that try men's souls or at least the wallets of theater owners. On the plus side, traffic was strong in the concession stand when I bought my tasty treats.

How was the summer season at the Mission? Let's define summer season at the Mission not as Memorial Day to Labor Day but as the first week in May (Cinco De Mayo?) to Labor Day. From the first week in May until the rain started the last week in June, I'd estimate that attendance was better than last year. Once the rains started, attendance dropped and never seemed to recover completely even after the area dried out. The fences at the Mission took a horrible beating from all the summer storms and they look pretty bad (to be truthful, they never looked that great to begin with). On the plus side, the new concession stand layout proved to be extremely productive. My personal wait times dropped dramatically. On the down side, the loss of the "faux butter" machine eliminated the erotic scenes which so appealed to my prurient interests.

I suffered an additional blow on Saturday when my plan to visit the Crossroads Drive-In was unexpectedly cancelled. Tropical Storm Faye swept through Shiner on Friday night doing minor damage to the fences surrounding the property. The owner decided it would be in the best interest of all concerned to cancel the final night of the season. I really wanted to go and I was "down" the entire rest of the weekend. I had visited the Crossroads the first night of the 2002 season and had been unable to return during the rest of the season. I wanted to make that final visit to "bookend" the season -- first night and last night. Even Captain Chicken was hyped about making the trip. On the plus side, the Crossroads will be reopening during the holiday season for three nights to show "Harry Potter 2". The Captain and I WILL make it out there for one of those showings!

Here is the weekly comparison between the weekend Mission exhibition schedule and the top ten grossing films. This week is a bit unusual as two films were packaged together as a single release -- "Spider-Man" and "Men In Black 2". Since the Mission wasn't showing "Spider-Man", the Mission exhibition schedule contained five of the top ten grossing films of the week plus one half of this unusual film package.

Note to Rick Stivers: As I predicted, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" didn't make it to the top spot. Maybe next week?

WEEKEND BOXOFFICE SEPTEMBER 06 - 08, 2002

For box office estimates and lots of other interesting movie information, I recommend the following site:

http://www.acnielsenedi.com/bonews/bonewsframes.html --

14 Sep 2002 -  Corrections!

This week, I was once again able to return to my regular Mission routine.

A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that three new films were playing at the Mission this week. These films being "Stealing Harvard", "Barbershop" and "Juwanna Mann". This was the first week of release for "Stealing Harvard" and "Barbershop". "Juwanna Mann" 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. This is not a misprint. Two is the correct number! This is a drop down from last week when I had seen 4 of the 8 films being exhibited.

I left my apartment at 7:30PM. I made no stops along the way and arrived at the Mission at 7:55PM.

As I rounded the screen tower, I could see that both ticket booths were open and there were about a dozen cars in line.

I purchased a ticket for "Barbershop" and proceeded to the Screen 4 lot without incident. I parked in my usual parking space on the left side of the lot in the second row.

Leaving my car behind, I began my patrol of the property. The fence near the entrance to the Screen 4 lot is not being repaired. It is being replaced. The new fence appears quite solid and is of similar design to the old fence except that the vertical "slats" are spaced further apart. Rick Stivers believes this is precaution against the wood swelling in damp weather. I believe it is an effort to lower the wind resistance of the fence in hopes of keeping it from being blown down.

After counting the cars in the Screen 4 lot, I crossed over to the Screen 1 lot. Noting nothing unusual there, I headed into the concession stand. Once inside, I made my usual purchase of a large popcorn and a Diet Coke.

I exited from the concession stand into the Screen 2 lot. Once again, I noted nothing out of the ordinary. I moved at a leisurely pace over the "funhouse" bridge into the Screen 3 lot.

As I walked along counting cars, I found myself under attack by mosquitoes. By the time I reached the Screen 4 lot, I had already killed a half dozen of them. I should add that I killed them without remorse or guilt. Returning to my car, I got out my camp chair and settled down to wait for the start of the film. I had just gotten comfortable when I was attacked by a second wave of mosquitoes. After some furious slapping attacks, I drove off enough of them to buy me time to get out the "Deep Woods" Off. Reaching into my drive-in deployment kit, I felt myself being swallowed up by a powerful feeling of deja vu. Yet again, something was missing from my trunk! The "Deep Woods" Off was missing! Where could it be? Was it lost? Nope. I suddenly remembered using it a couple of weeks ago while mowing. I could now clearly recall dropping that vial of vital fluid into my blue bag and not back into the trunk. I had arrived at the drive-in without "protection"! Damnation! What was I to do? Battle it out with the mosquitoes? Nope! Brute force is not a deterrent to bloodsucking insects. I needed DEET! If I couldn't get it, I knew that I would have to go home.

Putting my chair back into the car, I climbed inside and started the engine. Verifying that I still had my ticket stub, I drove out the Screen 4 exit and turned south onto Roosevelt. I should point out that this would not have been possible during the summer season. This exit would have been blocked by the large number of cars in line to enter the property.

As I drove south on Roosevelt, I considered my options. I could think of only one place to get DEET within the immediate area. I would have to shop at Wal-Mart. But not just any Wal-Mart, I'd have to shop at the demon Wal-Mart that had taken the life of the Trail Drive-In. I knew that I could do it, but I didn't know if I should do it.

Would shopping at this Wal-Mart be a desecration of the Trail's memory? Or would it be a living tribute to the Trail since I'd be buying a product for use at another drive-in? Oh, the burden of a sensitive soul!

I sat in the Wal-Mart parking lot debating this issue. I was glad it was nearly dark as I must have looked quite bizarre slapping away at mosquitoes inside my car! Finally, I made up my mind and headed inside.

I quickly found the DEET products in the back of the store. Fortune smiled on me as I was actually able to find a cashier waiting to serve me! Although few will believe this, I was in and out in less than five minutes!

Before getting into the car, I sprayed myself down with DEET. I swaggered up to the car door and made a great display of getting inside. Although I could hear them buzzing around me, no mosquito dared land on me! I drove back to the Mission with the windows down. I'm not a cruel person. I knew those mosquitoes would want to exit my car rather than face the stench of DEET!

Arriving back at the ticket booth, I proudly displayed my ticket tub. For unknown reasons, I felt compelled to explain why I had left and then returned. The runner looked at me like I was insane and then said, "We sell mosquito repellant at the snack bar for $7 a bottle". I stifled the obvious retort of "Since when?" and instead drove back to the Screen 4 lot. My preferred parking space was still available. I parked the car and got out. Looking up at the screen, I could see that "Barbershop" was just beginning. I'd only missed the trailers! I got out my chair and sprayed it with DEET. I then sprayed myself with yet another coat of this repellant chemical. Sitting down, I began to chew my now cold popcorn. As the movie played on, I could still hear the buzzing sound of the mosquitos but I was not bitten again!

Here are the car counts for those that like them.

Screen 1 - "Swimfan"/"XXX" - 27
Screen 2 - "Signs"/"Austin Powers 3" - 25
Screen 3 - "Stealing Harvard"/"Men In Black 2" - 14
Screen 4 - "Barbershop"/"Juwanna Man" - 20, then 37

After "Barbershop" ended, I performed a "quick count" of the Screen 4 lot. I counted 89 cars. I'm sure there were more cars, but many patrons chose to skip "Juwanna Man". So many in fact, that I'd have to describe them as flooding towards the exit! Still, even 89 cars is pretty good for a Saturday night in the "fall" movie season.

After completing the "quick count", I headed up to the concession stand for a "nature break". While there, I saw a new Mission employee. There's nothing unusual about that, except this employee is definitely a member of management. Could the Mission have a new manager? It's possible. I haven't seen the current manager for quite some time. Let's hope the person I saw was just another management trainee. The current manager really seems to care about the Mission. Now that I think of it, could this person have been the former manager of the "Century South" theater? He certainly needs a job for at least the year it will take to build the new "Mayan Palace" theater! I'll monitor this situation closely!

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. Six of the top ten films were showing at the Mission this week.

WEEKEND BOXOFFICE SEPTEMBER 13 - 15, 2002

Corrections:

31 Aug 2002: Not all the portable toilets have been removed. Four units have been removed. Two units remain on site.

7 Oct 2002: The correct number of cars in the Screen 4 lot was 51, not 31.

21 Sep 2002 - Under New Management!

For the second week in a row, I was able to follow my regular Mission routine. How long will this trend last? Recent history suggests it won't last long!

A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that two new films were playing at the Mission this week. These films being "Trapped" and "Ballistic: Ecks Vs. Sever". This was the first week of release for both films.

With the addition of these two new films, I had seen only 2 of the 8 films being exhibited this week. This is not a misprint. Two is the correct number! Yet another two week trend emerges!

I left my apartment at 7:50PM. I made no stops along the way and arrived at the Mission at 8:15PM.

As I neared the Mission entrance on White, I was shocked to see cars lined up around the screen tower! This was clearly unexpected! When I finally rounded the screen tower, I could see that only one ticket booth was open. Could management have been taken by surprise? Had the manager expected a continued drop in attendance? Enquiring minds want to know!

Once the line of cars reached Roosevelt, the second ticket booth opened. See my previous reports regarding car service times at the Mission for more information on this subject. I also noticed a critical change in the marquee. In previous weeks, the statement "Open Year Round" could be found on the lower right hand corner of the marquee. Now, that has changed to simply "Open". Could this be an indication that the Mission will close during the winter? I hope not! Now more than ever, America needs it's drive-in theaters!

I purchased a ticket for "Swimfan" and proceeded to the Screen 2 lot without incident. This was the first time I'd been back to Screen 2 since my car battery was stolen months ago. Knowing that I would not be staying for the second feature, I parked on the left side of the lot near the exit lane. As soon as I stopped the car, I programmed the radio frequency into my car radio. Button 2 should always been Screen 2 at the Mission! If you attend a showing on Screen 2, the frequency is 89.7 FM.

Leaving my car behind, I began my patrol of the property. Since it was already getting dark, I made my patrol a quick one! The only new item of note was the continued fence repair in Lot 4. The old fence has been torn down from the lot entrance all the way back to Roosevelt. New posts have been set into place. Let's hope this is the beginning of a total fence replacement!

Before returning to my car, I stopped in at the concession stand to make my usual purchase of Diet Coke and popcorn. Although the concession stand was busy, I took the opportunity to ask if the Mission had a new manager. My employee connection seemed surprised by my question! Hey, I'm not an "official observer" for nothing! He confirmed the Mission had a new manager and that he had come over from the Century South after it had closed. The old manager continues to visit the property from time to time. That makes me feel lots better!

With this mystery solved, I returned to my car and settled in to watch the movie. The weather was absolutely beautiful. The moon was nearly full and its light was bright enough to see most of the activity in the lot. After "Swimfan" ended, I made a quick check of the property before returning to my car and heading home.

I admit it. I was very surprised at the general level of attendance. I'd estimate that every lot contained 50 to 100 cars. I actually counted 61 cars in the Screen 4 lot just prior to the start of "Barbershop". If this trend continues, the Mission should do well this winter! Let's change that sign back to "Open Year Round"!

Here are the screen assignments for those that like them.

Screen 1 - "Ballistic"/"XXX"
Screen 2 - "Swimfan"/"Signs"
Screen 3 - "Trapped"/"Stealing Harvard"
Screen 4 - "Barbershop"/"Juwanna Man"

Rick has been extremely busy at work the last few months and has been unable to update the web site as often as he would like. Stay with us though! We'll get back on track soon!

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. Note to Rick Stivers: It looks like "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"'s luck has run out. I knew that talk of a TV series would kill public interest in the film.

WEEKEND BOXOFFICE
SEPTEMBER 20 - 22, 2002

28 Sep 2002 - Don't Explore Fair Avenue!

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

A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that two new films were playing at the Mission this week. These films being "The Tuxedo" and "Sweet Home Alabama". This was the first week of release for both films.

With the addition of these two new films, I had seen only 3 of the 8 films being exhibited this week. This is a step up from last week when I had only seen 2 of the 8 films being exhibited.

Remembering what happened last week, I decided to leave my apartment earlier to avoid any lines at the Mission. I walked out the door at 7:17PM. I made no stops along the way and arrived at the Mission at 7:42PM.

As I neared the entrance to the Mission, I was shocked to see cars in line around the screen tower! I usually don't like lines but in the case of drive-ins, I'm willing tolerate them!

As I rounded the screen tower, I could see that once again only one ticket booth was open. The cars moved forward slowly and I could see the line of cars had begun to stretch back out onto Roosevelt. Like last week, it was at this point the second ticket booth opened. The time was 7:50PM.

I purchased a ticket for "The Tuxedo" and proceeded to the Screen 1 lot without incident. Since I had already decided not to stay for the second feature, I parked on the right side of the lot near the exit lane.

Since I had arrived late last week, I decided that I would perform a very aggressive patrol of the property. Leaving my car behind, I took the time to take a complete count of Lot 1 before heading into the concession stand. Once inside, I made my usual purchase of a large popcorn and a Diet Coke. I'd describe the level of business as brisk which is one step up from steady!

I exited from the concession stand into the Screen 2 lot. As previously reported, two portable toilets remain there. My progress towards the Screen 3 lot was halted by a steady flow of patrons crossing over into the Screen 2 lot. I suspect the snack bar was their destination. The younger patrons screamed with delight as they crossed over the "fun house" bridge. Their parents were not as amused by the journey! I heard several speculating on the structural integrity of the bridge! Oh, to be young and fearless again!

Crossing over to the Screen 3 lot, I noticed several large trash bags full of trash. Walking over to the Screen 4 lot, I noticed no progress had been made in rebuilding the fence. My patrol complete, I returned to the Screen 1 lot. Rather than head directly for my car, I walked over to the mound of earth near the fence. Climbing on top of it, I counted 42 cars in line waiting to enter the property. Yet another good night at the Mission!

Climbing down, I returned to my car. I got out my camp chair and then tuned my radio to the Screen 1 frequency. Button 1 should always be Screen 1 at the Mission! With my radio tuned and ready, I settled down to wait for the start of the movie.

Here are the car counts for those that like them.

Screen 1 - "The Tuxedo"/"XXX" - 42
Screen 2 - "Ballistic"/"Barbershop" - 26
Screen 3 - "Sweet Home Alabama"/"Signs" - 47
Screen 4 - "Swimfan"/"Trapped" - 19

I was very surprised to find "Sweet Home Alabama" showing on Screen 3 but I wasn't surprised to see that it had an early lead in the car count. Why? I'd noticed very positive reaction from the patrons whenever the trailer for this movie ran. More on this later!

Cars continued to stream into the lot even after the movie started. I really enjoyed "The Tuxedo". I nearly laughed myself silly during the line "Sometimes Clark Delvin likes to talk about himself in the third person". Why? We recently got a new boss at work who talks about himself in the third person all the time. I find it funny but somehow vaguely disturbing. Other high points? The film pokes fun at the entire "natural spring water" craze that has swept the nation. I'll say no more about it lest I spoil the film!

When the credits began to roll, I stood up, turned around and declared, "Good Lord"! The lot was packed!

As I walked towards the concession stand, I decided that if I saw the new manager, I would introduce myself. I did not reach this decision lightly. I'm famed for my covert activities and not my overt actions! Normally, I'd relish the opportunity to slip back into the shadows but this time I decided to try a new approach.

I nearly changed my mind though when I saw him standing outside the concession stand. Should I really do this? After some thought, I decided that I should. I walked over to him, extended my hand and declared, "Hi, I'm Terry Moore". I didn't say that in the ordinary way. I used the tone of voice that implies that he should already know who I was. He repeated my name as we shuck hands. As he released my hand, he seemed to relaxed. Had he heard of me or had he simply decided I wasn't threatening?

Although it was a short conversation, we covered a variety of topics from the closure of the Century South to the soon to be opening Silverado. When I commented on the level of attendance, he seemed surprised. He told me "the numbers" hadn't changed much since the summer ended. I can think of no better news! Last year, attendance dropped off considerably after the summer ended. On the other hand, I'm sure he was comparing the current attendance to the lower summer attendance after the storms of late June and early July. He seemed to be enjoying himself. I excused my self to continue my patrol before I became a nuisance. One of my life rules is "Leave before they are ready for you to go, and you'll always be welcome to return".

Leaving the manager behind, I crossed over to the Screen 2 lot. Here too, the number of cars had increased since I had passed through earlier in the evening. When I crossed over to the Screen 3 lot, I found it to be nearly completely full! Although the orange barricades were not up at the entrance to the lot, I believe "Sweet Home Alabama" sold out. For more on that, see the box office report below. Swinging through the Screen 4 lot, I quickly returned to the Screen 1 lot. I packed the car and then proceeded home without incident. Well, that isn't really true.

As I turned onto Fair Avenue from South Presa, I decided that I would follow Fair Avenue to "see where it goes". I advise you not to do this. Fair Avenue continues on for another three or four blocks and then dead-ends into another street. Only my encyclopedic knowledge of the streets of San Antonio allowed my to find my way home (Yes, I realize I could have just turned around and drive back down Fair Avenue, but where's the point to that?). After a few well executed turns, I ended up on W.W. White Road. I was surprised to see a restaurant called "Chatman's Chicken". Could the sign actually have read "Ghatman's Chicken"? If so, how many of these restaurants are there? Just that one and the one on Pat Booker Road? That's a mystery for another day! Having recently found the site of the old Towne Twin drive-in, I realized that I was driving right past it before getting onto the highway. Towne Twin! I salute you!

After reaching the highway, my journey home was swift and without incident!

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. Note to Rick Stivers: "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" continues to fade.

WEEKEND BOXOFFICE
SEPTEMBER 27 - SEPTEMBER 29, 2002

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