Terry Moore's Second Quarter 2005 Drive-In Theater Reports

Visit the Quarterly Reports Index to see past reports.

Due to circumstances beyond my control, I've fallen behind on my drive-in reports. Rather than fall further behind, I have decided to change the format of the report into something that I hope will be easier for me to keep on schedule.

At the start of this season, the management of the Mission was told that this would be the final season unless the property made a dramatic turn around. The new manager, a man with much energy and enthusiasm, continues to do his best to improve the physical condition of the property and, more importantly in this age of rampant capitalism, the financial results of the theater's operations.

21 May 2005

Weather: Hot and Dry

Schedule Analysis: A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that only one new film was playing at the Mission this week. This film being "Star Wars Episode 3" (SWE3). This was the first week of release for this film.

With the addition of this new film, I had seen 3 of the 7 films being exhibited this week. Seven films? Yes, that's right. I later learned that 20th Century Fox will not allow drive-ins to show a second feature with SWE3. Some drive-in owners claim that this restriction applied only to weekends and that double features are allowed on weeknights.

Departure Time: Expecting a big turn-out for SWE3 , I left my apartment 4:20 PM.

The Trip: I made good time across town and arrived at the Mission at 4:50PM. There were no signs of life so I decided to head on down to Military Drive. Once there, I stopped at the new A&W for a quick meal. Sadly, this A&W, which shares a building with a Long John Silver's, does not measure up to the one in Tyler, TX.

Returning to the Mission, I parked in the second entry lane. Taking advantage of the daylight, I got out my camera and walked the property taking what might be my last photographs of the theater. Returning to my car, I was surprised to find that I was still the only one waiting for the theater to open. As signs go, this was not a good one.

Pre-Movie Activities: The box office opened at 7:04PM. Both ticket booths were placed in service. I was disappointed to see that paper tickets were still being issued to patrons. Against my better judgement, I purchased a ticket for SWE3 and proceeded on into the Screen 1 lot without incident. Still expecting a big crowd, I parked in the spot closest to the exit. Leaving my car behind, I headed over to the snack bar for a Diet Coke.

Exiting into the Screen 1 lot, I sat down at one of the picnic tables. The manager came by and stopped to talk to me. As I had already suspected, SWE3 was doing average business for the Mission. Friday's total attendance was about the same as the previous Friday. That was the good news. The bad news was that between the length of SWE3 and the lack of a second feature showing with it, that the vast majority of the patrons were leaving the property immediately after the credits started to roll. As the manager put it, "this movie is killing our concession sales". How had he responded to this threat? He had dedicated the snack cart to patrolling the Screen 1 lot. The cart had pulled in significant sales but not enough to offset the general decline in sales. Pointing to my car, I asked if I need to park in my current location or in my traditional location about five spots further into the lot. Sadly, he responded, "You can park anywhere and not have trouble getting out".

On the bright side, he had discovered that a Santikos storage facility contained several cans of exterior paint and was able to talk the manager of that facility into giving it to him. With the help of a few employees, he used it to paint the floor of the breezeway which separates the concession stand from the bathrooms. When I checked it out later, I was pleasantly surprised to see how well the color of this paint, a medium gray, matched the interior of the breezeway (recently painted white) and the tile in the bathrooms ( a mix of white, gray and black squares).

After the manager was called away, I performed my usual survey of the lots before returning to my vehicle. Based on the manager's earlier comments, I relocated my car one row neared to the screen and five car spots closer to the projection line.

Here are the car counts for those that like them:

Screen 1 - Star Wars - 83
Screen 2 - Monster In Law & House of Wax - 27
Screen 3 - Unleased & Amityville Horror - 7
Screen 4 - Kicking and Screaming & XXX: State of the Union 15

The Movie: My expectations for SWE3 were extremely low. As the next couple of hours demonstrated to me, they were simply not low enough. While I found the obvious political commentary on the Bush Administration to be mildly amusing, that element of the film couldn't make up for the wooden acting and the empty, hollow shell of a "story" that this film pretends to tell.

What story would that be? The movie attempts to tell two different, yet intertwined stories. The first story, a tale of politics and intrigue, relates how the Republic was finally transformed into the Empire. The second story, a tale of dark seduction, relates how Anakin Skywalker evolved into Darth Vader. Let's focus on the second story for the purposes of this review. The essential problem with this story is that Anakin wasn't seduced into joining the Dark Side. At the first hint that Dark Side could provide him access to "powers that some consider unnatural", he switched allegiances. Is the offer of "powers that some consider unnatural" such a powerful recruiting tool? I'm sure some will point to the sub-plot about these visions that Anakin keeps having that predict the death of his wife and how his fear of this potential future event leaves him vulnerable to the offer of "powers that some consider unnatural". I might agree with that reasoning if the acting in this film wa sn't so wooden and (I can't resist saying it) unnatural. He just didn't make me believe that he cared that much about her.

What could have been done to save this film? Rather than focus on a story of seduction that never happened, the film would be better focused on the theme of isolationism. As the movie progresses, Anakin is quickly isolated from his belief system, his comrades in arms, his wife and his friends. Finally, at the end of the film, he becomes isolated from his own humanity as he is encased in the armor the serves as his life support system. Once he reaches that point, he becomes the perfect tool for Palpatine's future schemes.

If you've seen the film, you notice that all those elements are already in the movie. What it lacks is the "glue" that connects these isolating events together into a grand scheme. What kind of "glue"? Expositional dialogue! Consider how much better this movie might have been with a few extra scenes in which Palpatine gloats over his scheme to "turn" Anakin. These scenes would have revealed that Palpatine was manipulating all the events which isolate Anakin.

How to do it? If Palpatine had underlings, he could simply explain the plot to them. Since he doesn't, he could either talk to himself or the writers could have resorted to that old plot device, the diary.

Did the film contain any seduction at all? Yes, it did. It seduces the weak minded in the audience into believing that the movie is fun and enjoyable. How does it do it? The script is packed with lines from previous Star Wars films. The sound of these words trigger memories of past cinematic pleasures. Memories that cloud the mind and sap the will. It does the same thing with images from prior films. From Wookies to Imperial Shuttles to a Death Star under construction, the cinematography was designed to manipulate past emotions for current financial gains.

But enough of that! I've just spent more time plotting this film than George Lucas did!

Post-Movie Activities: Even before the credits began to roll, I started counting the cars in the Screen 1 lot. As the manager predicted, as soon as the credits started, the patrons began to roll out of the theater. Completing my patrol, I returned to my vehicle to find it sitting alone in the darkness. I then proceeded home without incident.

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

Screen 1 - Star Wars - 189
Screen 2 - Monster In Law & House of Wax - 131
Screen 3 - Unleased & Amityville Horror - 58
Screen 4 - Kicking and Screaming & XXX: State of the Union - 61

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

Ranking	Title	Millions of Dollars	At The Mission
1	Star Wars Episode 3	$108.4	YES!
2	Monster-In-Law	$22.1	YES!
3	Kicking & Screaming	$10.7	YES!
4	Crash	$5.5
5	Unleashed	$4.1	YES!
6	Kingdom of Heaven	$3.5
7	House of Wax	$3.3
8	The Interpreter	$2.9
9	The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy	$2.1
10	Mindhunters	$1.0

28 May 2005

Weather: Warm and Dry

Schedule Analysis: A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that two new films were playing at the Mission this week. These films being "Madagascar" and "The Longest Yard. This was the first week of release for both films.

With the addition of these new films, I had seen 3 of the 7 films being exhibited this week. Seven films? Yes, that's right. "Star Wars Episode 3" remains on the Mission schedule.

Departure Time: I left my apartment 6:00 PM.

The Trip: I made good time across town and arrived at the Mission at 6:46PM. Along the way, I stopped to redeem a winning Coke bottle cap for a one litter Diet Coke. Yes, Virginia, people really do win these contests!

Pre-Movie Activities: The box office opened at 7:25PM. Both ticket booths were placed in service. I was once again disappointed to see that paper tickets were still being issued to patrons. Unlike last week, I purchased a ticket to see "The Longest Yard" without any hesitation or reservation. I parked in my traditional spot in the Screen 1 lot. Leaving my car behind, I headed over to the snack bar for a Diet Coke.

Exiting into the Screen 1 lot, I sat down at one of the picnic tables. As you would expect, I used this time to monitor the comings and goings of the Mission staff and patrons. I immediately noted one unusual patron sitting at one of the picnic tables on the Screen 2 side of the concession stand. No, I don't have X-ray vision! You can see through the concession stand windows to the other lot. But I digress....

What was unusual about this patron? She was a young, attractive brunette. Nothing unusual about that, of course. What caught my interest was how uncomfortable she looked sitting there by herself. Clearly, she was a first time drive-in patron but was there more to the story? Only time would tell!

Tired of sitting, I began my patrol of the property. Nearing the ticket booths, I noticed the manager talking to a man in a burnt orange shirt. I approached them and engaged them in conversation about my latest Internet discovery -- the Technalight projection system. Something needs to be done about the picture quality at the Mission and I was hoping to interest the manager in this new development in the art of cinemagraphic projection.

As it turns out, the man in the burnt orange shirt is a new assistant manager at the Mayan Palace. Mr. Kunert has started sending over all new assistant managers to the Mission for training at this unique San Antonio establishment. As we talked, he told me his life story. He graduated from UTSA with a degree in criminal justice. He had been a police officer in the Dallas area before moving back to San Antonio. His girlfriend had come down to spend the weekend with him. He'd enjoyed his drive-in experiences so much that he thought he should share the experience with her; especially, since she had never been to a drive-in before.

I'm sure you see where this is going. Without thinking, I said, "Oh, she's the uncomfortable one up by the concession stand". His eyes grew wide and I knew that I had made the mistake of revealing the true extent of my powers of observation. It doesn't bother anyone for a costumed character, such as a giant chicken, to have "powers that some consider unnatural", but it does bother them when the "average joe" displays them!

Fortunately, I'm a master of distraction and I was able to quickly shift the topic of discussion. A few minutes later, I excused myself and continued my patrol before returning to the concession stand for a tub of popcorn.

Here are the car counts for those that like them:

Screen 1 - The Longest Yard & Unleashed- 32
Screen 2 - Madagascar & Kicking and Screaming - 22
Screen 3 - Star Wars Episode 3 - 16
Screen 4 - Monster-In-Law & House of Wax - 8

I waited at my car for some time before I got bored with eating popcorn. I decided that I would make another patrol of the property.

I counted the Screen 1 lot before entering the concession stand. Here, my willpower failed me and I purchased a pizza. Exiting into the Screen 2 lot, I wasn't that surprised to see a familiar looking shape moving towards me from the not-so-dark depths of the lot. I'm sure you're wondering if the familiar figure was Rick Stivers. Nope. This figure didn't move like an urban "Big Foot". No, it wasn't Rick Stivers. It was Rick Sambucini.

When he reached me, he wanted me to agree with him that it was a great and marvelous coincidence that he and I would meet in front of the concession stand. I just couldn't do that. Why? Frequent readers know that coincidences are a repeating theme in my drive-in adventures.

Undaunted by my lack of jubilation at the "great and amazing coincidence" that had brought us together, he launched into praise for my review of "Star Wars Episode 3". His only complaint was that I hadn't been hard enough on the film! We talked at length before walking back to his vehicle. The entire family had come to the Mission to see "Madagascar". After a few minutes of superficial conversation, I turned and headed back towards the Screen 1 lot. The previews had begun and I didn't want to miss any of "The Longest Yard".

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

Screen 1 - The Longest Yard - 64
Screen 2 - Madagascar & Kicking and Screaming - 63

The Movie: Having seen the trailer for "The Longest Yard", I had high hopes for this movie. Unlike last week, those hopes were realized! If you like the original film, you'll certain enjoy this remake. And, as an added bonus, you'll see Chris Rock burst into flames! Now, who wouldn't enjoy that?

Post-Movie Activities: As soon as the credits began to roll, I made a quick patrol of the property. I stopped in the Screen 2 lot to visit with Rick. His entire family enjoyed the drive-in experience. They decided to stay for "Kicking and Screaming". I decided to head home. Returning to my car, I noticed that nearly 80% of the cars had stayed to see "Unleashed". Even if that was a poor choice on their part, the concession stand was sure to have benefited from their decision to stay for the second feature!

As I exited from the theater, lightning began to flash all around me. Tuning my car radio to my favorite FM station, I wasn't at all surprised to hear "Riders on the Storm" pouring out of my speakers! I'm guessing Rick would have been amazed at this "coincidence"!

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

Screen 1 - The Longest Yard & Unleashed- 117
Screen 2 - Madagascar & Kicking and Screaming - 69
Screen 3 - Star Wars Episode 3 - 28
Screen 4 - Monster-In-Law & House of Wax - 29

Box Office Results: 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. That's right! The entire Mission exhibition schedule was composed of current top ten releases! This is a rare event indeed!

Ranking	Title	Millions of Dollars	At The Mission
1	Star Wars Episode 3	$70.0	YES!
2	Madagascar	$61.0	YES!
3	The Longest Yard	$58.6	YES!
4	Monster-In-Law	$12.8	YES!
5	Kicking & Screaming	$6.5	YES!
6	Crash	$6.1
7	The Interpreter	$2.6
8	Unleashed	$2.5	YES!
9	Kingdom of Heaven	$2.2
10	House of Wax	$1.6	YES!

04 Jun 2005

Weather: Warm and dry with a cloudy sky!

Schedule Analysis: A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that only one new film was playing at the Mission this week. This film being "Crash" which had previously opened in San Antonio.

With the addition of this new film, I had seen 4 of the 8 films being exhibited this week. Eight films? Yes, that's right. Although "Star Wars Episode 3" remains on the Mission schedule, the exhibition terms have changed. The distributor now allows second features to be paired with this film.

Departure Time: I left my apartment 7:10 PM.

The Trip: I made good time across town and arrived at the Mission at 7:45PM. Along the way, I stopped to purchase a large Diet Coke.

Pre-Movie Activities: The box office was already open when I arrived on the scene. Both ticket booths were in service and all four lanes were in use. I was once again disappointed to see that paper tickets were still being issued to patrons. This week I purchased a ticket for "Madagascar". I parked in my traditional spot in the Screen 2 lot. Leaving my car behind, I headed over to the snack bar for yet another Diet Coke.

Exiting into the Screen 1 lot, I sat down at one of the picnic tables. Last week, I had mentioned the Technalight system to the manager. This week, I had brought a printout of the website with me to the theater. I waited patiently, like a three-legged cat by a gopher hole, for the manager to make an appearance.

As soon as he emerged from the projection booth, I made my move! Setting an intercept course, I headed him off as he neared the door to the concession stand. The papers were quickly passed on to him. Will this marketing exercise do any good? Only time will tell!

Unburdened, I made a swift patrol of the property before returning to my vehicle.

Here are the car counts for those that like them:

Screen 1 - The Longest Yard & Unleashed- 23
Screen 2 - Madagascar & Kicking and Screaming - 24
Screen 3 - Star Wars Episode 3 & House of Wax - 12
Screen 4 - Monster-In-Law & Crash - 32

The Movie: "Madagascar" is an entertaining film which many will find superior to "Robots".

Post-Movie Activities: As soon as the credits began to roll, I made another sweep through the property. Noticing severe focus problems on Screen 4, I located the manager in hopes that something could be done. As it turns out, the problems had already been reported by at least a dozen other patrons. The service technician had been called earlier in the evening and was already in route to the theater. That was good news indeed for those poor souls sitting in the Screen 4 lot!

While talking to the manager, I learned that the man identified last week as "the man in the burnt orange shirt" had enjoyed working at the Mission so much that he had requested to be transferred there! More on this as it develops.

When the repair technician arrived on the scene, I headed back towards me vehicle. Reaching it, I climbed inside and proceeded home without incident.

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

Screen 1 - The Longest Yard & Unleashed- 58
Screen 2 - Madagascar & Kicking and Screaming - 54
Screen 3 - Star Wars Episode 3 & House of Wax - 17
Screen 4 - Monster-In-Law & Crash - 45

Box Office Results: 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.

Ranking	Title	Millions of Dollars	At The Mission
1	Madagascar	$28.1	YES!
2	The Longest Yard	$26.1	YES!
3	Star Wars Episode 3	$25.1	YES!
4	Cinderalla Man	$18.3
5	The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants	$9.8
6	Monster-In-Law	$6.0	YES!
7	Lords of Dogtown	$5.6
8	Crash	$3.3	YES!
9	Kicking & Screaming	$2.3	YES!
10	Unleashed	$0.8	YES!

14 June 2005

Weather: Warm and dry!

Schedule Analysis: A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that three news film were playing at the Mission this week. These films being "Mr. and Mrs Smith", "High Tension" and "Lords of Dogtown". "Lords of Dogtown" had previously opened in San Antonio.

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

Departure Time: I left my apartment 7:45 PM.

The Trip: I made good time across town and arrived at the Mission at 8:25PM. Along the way, I stopped to purchase a large Diet Coke.

Pre-Movie Activities: The box office was already open when I arrived on the scene. Only one ticket booth was in service and only one entrance lane was in use. As soon as I rounded the screen tower, I knew that at least one major change had been made to the property! New shutters have been installed on the ticket booths. Their design required the "No Outside Food or Drink" signs to be removed. Hopefully, they are gone for good! I understand that theaters make the bulk of their money from their snack bars but part of the drive-in appeal is that patrons can bring snacks with them to the movies. Besides, this policy was never enforced rendering the signs moot.

Why new shutters?

The old shutters were installed to keep rain out of the ticket booths. These new shutters will also provide protection from the elements but this is not their primary purpose. No, these shutters are meant to protect the contents of the ticket booths from theft or vandalism! What's inside them that needs this protection? The Santikos theater chain has purchased a new "theater management system" from Radiant Systems. The terminals for this system appear to be very expensive. Rather than move them in and out of the ticket booths each day, management decided to upgraded the shutters.

Does the installation of the new system suggest that there is hope for a 2006 season at the Mission? Only time will tell!

This week I purchased a ticket for "Mr. and Mrs. Smith". Given my past experiences with movies featuring Angelina Jolie, I wasn't expecting much from this film.

I parked in my traditional spot in the Screen 1 lot. Leaving my car behind, I headed over to the snack bar for yet another Diet Coke.

Exiting into the Screen 1 lot, I sat down at one of the picnic tables. As I was sitting there, one of the employees came by and apologized to me for the failure of the air conditioning system in the snack bar. There are hopes that the current system will be replaced next week. If so, this would be the type of major investment that would signal that the Mission has a future beyond the current season.

Following this revelation, I made a swift patrol of the property before returning to my vehicle.

Here are the car counts for those that like them:

Screen 1 - Mr. and Mrs. Smith & Lords of Dogtown - 6
Screen 2 - The Longest Yard & Unleashed - 1
Screen 3 - High Tension & House of Wax - 0
Screen 4 - Madagascar & Kicking and Screaming - 0

These counts are surprisingly low even for a Tuesday night. Nearly everyone I spoke with blamed the low turn-out on the playoff game between the Spurs and the Pistons. Given how that turned out, Spurs' fans would have had a better night at the Mission!

The Movie: "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" surprised me. After a slow start, the movie was more entertaining than I expected it to be. And I don't mean just those scenes with Angelina Jolie in lingerie and tight sweaters!

John Miller, like Ken Levi before him, continues to complain that my reviews ruin the movies for him. This week, I'll respond to those complaints by being just a little more cryptic about the contents of the film. Consider the classic movie "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid". Recast that film with a heterosexual couple, move the setting of the film forward in time a hundred years and then add a happy ending to it. Now compare that film to "Mr. and Mrs. Smith". Notice that it's nearly the same movie?

Post-Movie Activities: As soon as the credits began to roll, I made another sweep through the property. Returning to my car, I proceeded home without incident.

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

Screen 1 - Mr. and Mrs. Smith & Lords of Dogtown - 14
Screen 2 - The Longest Yard & Unleashed - 3
Screen 3 - High Tension & House of Wax - 5
Screen 4 - Madagascar & Kicking and Screaming - 0

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

Ranking	Title	Millions of Dollars	At The Mission
1	Mr. and Mrs. Smith	$50.3	YES!
2	Madagascar	$17.2	YES!
3	Star Wars Episode 3	$14.9
4	The Longest Yard	$13.9	YES!
5	The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl	$12.6
6	Cinderella Man	$9.7
7	The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants	$5.7
8	The Honeymooners	$5.5
9	Monster-in-Law	$2.6
10	High Tension	$1.9	YES!

23 June 2005

Weather: Warm and dry!

Schedule Analysis: A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that only one new film was playing at the Mission this week. This film being "Batman Begins".

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

Departure Time: I left my apartment 8:30 PM.

The Trip: I made good time across town and arrived at the Mission at 9:05PM. Along the way, I stopped to purchase a large Diet Coke.

Pre-Movie Activities: The box office was already open when I arrived on the scene. Only one ticket booth was in service and only one entrance lane was in use.

This week I purchased a ticket for "Batman Begins". When the runner returned with my change, he also handed me a coupon good for a free Batman comic book at the comic shop on Military Drive. Although there have been several major promotional events at the Mission, for example the Jeep promotion when the second Tombraider film came out, this is the first time that I've seen a promotion related to a local business.

Proceeding into the Screen 1 lot without incident, I decided to make a dramatic departure from my traditional behavior. Instead of parking on the right side of the screen near the exit, I parked on the projection center line, five rows back from the screen. Why make such a daring move? I have no answer to that question!

Leaving my car behind, I headed over to the snack bar for yet another Diet Coke.

Exiting into the Screen 2 lot, I made a swift patrol of the property before returning to my vehicle.

Here are the car counts for those that like them:

Screen 1 - Batman Begins & Unleashed - 10
Screen 2 - Mr. and Mrs. Smith & Lords of Dogtown - 6
Screen 3 - The Longest Yard & High Tension - 3
Screen 4 - Madagascar & Kicking and Screaming - 0

These counts are surprisingly low even for a Thursday night. Like my previous visit to the Mission, the staff blamed the low attendance on the San Antonio Spurs. I'm inclined to believe this explanation since Game 7 of the NBA Championship was being shown locally on "free TV".

And there you have the primary difference between me and nearly everyone else. While nearly everyone else was sitting at home "supporting" the Spurs by watching them on "free TV", I was out supporting my local drive-in with my time, money and considerable appetite for snack food!

The Movie: The last few Batman movies have been complete disasters. Even the best of them fails to measure up to the worst episode of "Batman: The Animated Series". Given that, I was somewhat concerned that Warner Brothers, like George Lucas, would end up owing me $7 if I saw the film.

How was it? I enjoyed the movie but I have no interest in seeing it again. Rather than comment on the plot of the film, and thus take the chance of ruining it for John Miller, I'll make one observation on the behavior of two of the key characters.

Does it seem just a bit odd that Alfred Pennyworth and Lucius Fox are so ready, you might even say eager, to assist young Bruce Wayne in becoming a masked vigilante? Is this simply a convenient plot device to save the time? Or, should we believe that the situation is so bad in Gotham City that even rational men are willing to engage in irrational acts? Could there be another explanation? I can think of two.

The most likely explanation would be simple greed. The movie points out that Bruce Wayne had made Alfred his heir in case of death. By his sudden return to Gotham City, Bruce effectively took millions, perhaps even billions, of dollars out of Alfred's pockets. Embittered at the lose of this fortune, Alfred would have had an excellent reason to help Bruce do anything that might get him killed. And Lucius Fox? Well, perhaps Alfred simply cut a deal with him to aid in the "assisted suicide" of Bruce Wayne?

While this explanation makes perfect sense in the "real world", it doesn't work as well in the fictional world of caped crusaders and masked vigilantes. What explanation works well in that world? How about this one? Perhaps Thomas Wayne wasn't just a doctor and a philanthropist? What if he too had been a masked vigilante? And if he was a masked vigilante, would it be such a stretch to believe that Alfred and Lucius helped him in his adventures? That would go a long way to explaining why Alfred and Lucius are so ready to enable Bruce Wayne to become Batman. Think about that the next time you're stopped at a red light!

Post-Movie Activities: As soon as the credits began to roll, fireworks began to explode all around the theater. Cars began honking their horns. That was it, the Spurs had just won the NBA Championship.

Fearing that civil unrest might break out, I immediately packed up my car and proceeed home. Although I was forced to make several detours, I finally made it home without incident.

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

Ranking	Title	Millions of Dollars	At The Mission
1	Batman Begins	$48.7	YES!
2	Mr. and Mrs. Smith	$26.0	YES!
3	Madagascar	$10.7	YES!
4	Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith	$10.0
5	The Longest Yard	$8.2	YES!
6	The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl	$6.7
7	Cinderella Man	$5.6
8	The Perfect Man	$5.3
9	The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants	$3.1
10	The Honeymooners	$2.6