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

Visit the Quarterly Reports Index to see past reports.

As the second half of the summer began, the final fate of the Mission remained in doubt. Several minor improvements were made to the property in the previous quarter but none large enough to send a clear signal that the Mission would live on past the 2005 season.

Aggressive action by the Mission management and staff had resulted in improved sales at the concession stand. A weak movie exhibition schedule continued to hurt the box office performance of San Antonio's last remaining drive-in theater.

12 July 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 new films being "Fantastic Four" and "Dark Water". This was the first week of release for both films.

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 at 8:30 PM.

The Trip: I made good time across town and arrived at the Mission at 9:00PM. No stops were made along the way.

Pre-Movie Activities: The box office was already open when I arrived on the scene. One ticket booth was in service and two entrance lanes were in use.

This week I purchased a ticket for "The Fantastic Four". While I was waiting for the runner to return with my ticket and change, I could not help but notice that the "no outside food or drink" signs were once again posted on the ticket booths.

Proceeding into the Screen 1 lot, I decided to continue my 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, four rows back from the screen. Why make such a daring move? My logic was simple and obvious. Non-traditional parking had worked well for me the previous week, so why not do it again this week?

Leaving my car behind, I headed over to the snack bar for a large Diet Coke and a tub of popcorn. For those that don't know it, you get free refills on the tubs of popcorn.

Entering the concession stand, I was unable to determine if the air conditioning unit had been repaired or replaced. The air inside was comfortable but not cool. Have no fear! I'll continue my investigation into this matter!

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 - The Fantastic Four & Batman Begins - 19
Screen 2 - War of the Worlds & The Longest Yard - 4
Screen 3 - Dark Water & Land of the Dead - 12
Screen 4 - Mr and Mrs Smith & Bewitched - 5

I soon came to regret my decision to engage in non-traditional parking. In a car one row in front of me, the drive-in code was being repeatedly broken by a driver unable to keep his foot off the brake. As you can imagine, I saw "RED" in more ways than one!

My reaction? If you were hoping for a tale of hostile action, then you'll be disappointed to learn that I simply moved up one row. Did I seek revenge against this rude drive-in patron? No! I believe in setting a good example for others whenever possible!

The Movie: 'The Fantastic Four' is a triumph of good writing over mediocre acting. I enjoyed the film even though it suffers from a major plot flaw.

Follow this series of events from the movie and see if you spot the plot flaw.

1) Reed Richards builds a machine to recreate the radiation that the team was exposed to in space in hopes of reversing its effects. Since this is a "comic book" world, I'll accept that if you can create this radiation, 180 degrees out of phase, that it might reverse the previous exposure.

2) Reed attempts to use the machine on himself but fails due to a "lack of power" to the machine.

3) Victor Von Doom, techno-voyeur, watches this event using hidden cameras of a type which would make Rick Stivers green with envy. It's obvious enough, given the energy powers that he has previously displayed, that he plans to power the device himself. Ah, but to what end?

4) That question is soon answered when he uses the machine to both reverse the effect of the radiation on Ben Grimm and to increase his own powers. It probably isn't completely obvious that the shields on the space station appear to have prevented Von Doom from receiving the same dose of radiation as the other characters. This is almost certainly the explanation for why his powers manifest themselves much later in the film and in such an incomplete manner.

5) Having achieved his goals, Von Doom departs the Baxter Building leaving a bamboozled Ben Grimm behind to contemplate the dire fates of his teammates.

6) Several scenes later, Ben reappears as the Thing to save the day.

Found that plot flaw yet? I'll give you time to think about it as I move on with this report.

Post-Movie Activities: As soon as the credits began to roll, I made one final patrol of the property.

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

Screen 1 - The Fantastic Four & Batman Begins - 45
Screen 2 - War of the Worlds & The Longest Yard - 7
Screen 3 - Dark Water & Land of the Dead - 12
Screen 4 - Mr and Mrs Smith & Bewitched - 6

The only notable event of the patrol occurred when I passed through the concession stand breeze way. There is now an ice cream vending machine sitting next to the Coke machine! Was I tempted to purchase a frozen treat for the long ride home? You bet! I'd like to say that it was my tremendous willpower that prevented me from making a purchase but that wouldn't be the truth. No, the truth is that the machine was sold out! Yes, that's right, sold out!

Found that plot flaw? Consider this. How did Ben change back into the Thing? Did he use the machine to change back? If so, does it take less power to change back into the Thing? Was Ben's change only temporary? That would make more sense given that Reed's deformed body reverts to "normal" a few scenes after his failed attempt to use the machine. I don't know about you, but I think a "toss off" line explaining this would have helped the film. Or, perhaps I just missed something important?

Regardless, I enjoyed the film and could see it again.

Box Office Results: 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.

Ranking	Title	Millions of Dollars	Showing At The Mission	Seen By Terry Moore
1	Fantastic Four	$56.0	YES!	YES!
2	War of the Worlds	$30.5	YES!
3	Batman Begins	$10.0	YES!	YES!
4	Dark Water	$9.9	YES!
5	Mr. and Mrs. Smith	$7.9	YES!	YES!
6	Herbie: Fully Loaded	$6.0		YES!
7	Bewitched	$5.6	YES!
8	Madagascar	$4.0		YES!
9	Rebound	$3.0
10	Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith	$2.6		YES!

19 July 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 new films being "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and "Wedding Crashers". This was the first week of release for both films.

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

Departure Time: I left my apartment at 8:45 PM.

The Trip: I made good time across town and arrived at the Mission at 9:20PM. No stops were made along the way.

Pre-Movie Activities: The box office was already open when I arrived on the scene. One ticket booth was in service and two entrance lanes were in use.

This week I purchased a ticket for "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory".

Proceeding into the Screen 1 lot, I once again decided to deviate from my traditional parking behavior. I parked on the projection line, three rows back from the screen. You just have to wonder at what point does the continual deviation from past traditional behavior become the new traditional behavior?

Leaving my car behind, I headed over to the snack bar for a large Diet Coke and a tub of popcorn. For those that don't know it, you get free refills on the large drinks!

Entering the concession stand, I was still unable to determine if the air conditioning unit had been repaired or replaced. The air inside was comfortable but not cool.

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 - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory & The War of the Worlds - 16
Screen 2 - Fantastic Four & Batman Begins - 17
Screen 3 - Wedding Crashers & Mr. and Mrs. Smith - 11
Screen 4 - Dark Water & Land of the Dead - 8

The Movie: I had high hopes for "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory". After all, Johnny Depp is clearly the best actor of his generation. While I found the film to be enjoyable, I was continuously distracted by Johnny Depp's bizarre portrayal of Willy Wonka. Or rather, Johnny Depp's impersonation of Michael Jackson playing the role of Willy Wonka. It's just weird and disturbing. And I'm not the only one that came this conclusion! No, John Miller, who saw the film in an indoor, big box theater, made this same observation on the film. Does this case of art imitating life stop here? I don't think so! Consider how the basic story of the film compares to Michael Jackson's real life and the allegations about his personal conduct.

Willy Wonka lures children to his "factory" with candy. Michael Jackson lures them to his "ranch" with his celebrity. In the film, "bad" things happen to some of the children in the "factory" due to a lack of parental supervision. Allegations of "bad" things happening to children at the "ranch" are constantly reported in both the mainstream and fringe media. Simple coincidences? Maybe, maybe not!

Post-Movie Activities: As soon as the credits began to roll, I had an opportunity to be a hero instead of just playing one in "City of Heroes". The young couple parked to my right found themselves stranded at the drive-in when their car refused to start. Their car battery had lived a long and fruitful life but had finally succumbed to the hot Texas weather. I'd say "summer" weather except that implies we have "winter" weather here in South Texas! But I digress...

Fortunately, I carry a set of miniature jumper cables with me at all times. They have come in handy before and this time was no exception. After a few minutes of charging their battery, they were able to start their car. I waited with them a few minutes to be certain that it wasn't going to die and need another jump. Putting away my cables, I made a quick patrol of the property. When I returned to my vehicle, they were gone. Hopefully, they made it home safely.

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

Screen 1 - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory & The War of the Worlds - 28
Screen 2 - Fantastic Four & Batman Begins - 18
Screen 3 - Wedding Crashers & Mr. and Mrs. Smith - 12
Screen 4 - Dark Water & Land of the Dead - 6

One thing that I've noticed in recent weeks is that Screen 4 has been looking much brighter. This week, Screen 3 also appears to have brightened up. Could the Mission have moved to Technalight? Only time will tell!

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	Seen By Terry Moore
1	Charlie and the Chocolate Factory	$56.2	YES!	YES!
2	Wedding Crashers	$33.9	YES!
3	Fantastic Four	$22.8	YES!	YES!
4	War of the Worlds	$15.2	YES!
5	Batman Begins	$6.0	YES!	YES!
6	Mr. and Mrs. Smith	$5.2	YES!	YES!
7	Dark Water	$4.6	YES!
8	Herbie: Fully Loaded	$3.6		YES!
9	Bewitched	$2.6
10	Madagascar	$2.3		YES!

26 July 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 new films being "The Island" and "The Devil's Rejects". This was the first week of release for both films.

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

Departure Time: I left my apartment 8:40 PM.

The Trip: I made good time across town and arrived at the Mission at 9:15PM. No stops were made along the way.

Pre-Movie Activities: The box office was already open when I arrived on the scene. One ticket booth was in service and two entrance lanes were in use.

This week I purchased a ticket for "The Island". Why "The Island"? If you recall last week's report, you'll remember that I had noticed an apparent improvement in picture quality on Screens 3 and 4. This week, I decided to put that observation to the test!

Proceeding into the Screen 3 lot, I continued my recent pattern of non-traditional parking behavior. I parked on the projection line, three rows back from the screen. From this point forward, I'm going to consider this parking pattern to be the new standard for Tuesday nights at the Mission!

Leaving my car behind, I headed over to the snack bar for a large Diet Coke and a tub of popcorn. As I began to cross over the foot bridge, I became concerned about the status of the snack bar. The light shining out the windows was subdued almost to the point that the snack bar appeared to be closed. As I moved closer, I could see that my concern was unwarranted. Several staff members were moving around behind the counter in an effort to service the customers standing in line.

Why were the lights subdued? Had the Mission switched over to lower wattage bulbs in an effort to fight America's dependence on foreign energy sources? Or was the change in lighting caused by something less patriotic?

Entering the concession stand, I performed an exhaustive inspection of the interior. From the inside of the snack bar, the lights appeared to be at their usual brightness level. Given that to be true, there could only be one explanation for this phenomenon!

That's right! The windows of the snack bar have FINALLY been tinted! Clearly someone got tired of listening to my constant repetition of this simple suggestion for reducing light pollution in Lots 1 and 2.

Does the tinting help? Oh, yes! Previously, I could easily read my notes as far as three rows into the lot. Now, I have difficulty reading them at the end of the cement platform which extends out from the building. Will anyone else notice the change? Perhaps not. As we all know, I possess "powers that many consider to be unnatural". And George Lucas? He still owes me $7. But I digress....

Exiting into the Screen 1 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 - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory & The Fantastic Four - 26
Screen 2 - The Devil's Rejects & Batman Begins - 16
Screen 3 - The Island & War of the Worlds - 8
Screen 4 - Wedding Crashers & Mr. and Mrs. Smith - 12

The Movie: Before I get into my review of "The Island", I want to confirm that the image quality on Screen 3 has greatly improved. The picture is far brighter than it was just a few weeks ago. Some scenes are almost too bright. But this is a problem that I can live with!

How was "The Island"? It certainly isn't as bad as paid reviewers would lead you to believe. The movie excels from a technical point of view. I can't say the same about the creative aspects of the film. There really isn't anything new here. Although this will surely spoil the film for John Miller and Ken Levi, let me just say that if you've read the following books, seen the following movies or watched the following television shows, then you've already seen "The Island"!

Consider this list:

A Brave New World
Logan's Run
Coma
The Prisoner
Bad Boys 2

I'm sure you'll see other works in "The Island" but these make up the bulk of the film.

Post-Movie Activities: As soon as the credits began to roll, I made a quick patrol of the property.

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

Screen 1 - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory & The Fantastic Four - 35
Screen 2 - The Devil's Rejects & Batman Begins - 18
Screen 3 - The Island & War of the Worlds - 15
Screen 4 - Wedding Crashers & Mr. and Mrs. Smith - 25

Next week, I plan to see whatever movie is playing on Screen 4. Could it's picture really have improved? Could the Mission have moved to Technalight? Only time will tell!

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	Seen By Terry Moore
1	Charlie and the Chocolate Factory	$28.3	YES!	YES!
2	Wedding Crashers	$25.7	YES!
3	Fantastic Four	$12.6	YES!	YES!
4	The Island	$12.4	YES!	YES!
5	Bad News Bears	$11.4
6	War of the Worlds	$8.9	YES!
7	Hustle & Flow	$8.0
8	The Devil's Rejects	$28.3	YES!
9	Batman Begins	$4.7	YES!	YES!
10	March of the Penguins	$4.4

2 August 2005

Weather: Hot and humid!

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 "Stealth". This was the first week of release for this film.

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

Departure Time: I left my apartment at 8:15 PM.

The Trip: I made good time across town and arrived at the Mission at 8:45PM. No stops were made along the way.

Pre-Movie Activities: The box office was already open when I arrived on the scene. One ticket booth was in service and two entrance lanes were in use.

This week I purchased a ticket for "The Devil's Rejects". Why "The Devil's Rejects"? If you recall last week's report, you'll remember that I confirmed that the image quality on Screen 3 has improved significantly. This week I decided to evaluate Screen 4. What does that have to do with "The Devil's Rejects"? That's the film that was playing on Screen 4!

Proceeding into the Screen 4 lot, I made an effort to park so that the struts of the screen blocked the security lights of the apartment complex across the street.

Leaving my car behind, I headed over to the snack bar for a large Diet Coke and a tub of popcorn.

Exiting into the Screen 1 lot, I completed my patrol of the property before returning to my vehicle.

Here are the car counts for those that like them:

Screen 1 - "Stealth" & "Batman Begins" - 6
Screen 2 - "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" & "Fantastic Four" - 7
Screen 3 - "Wedding Crashers" & "Island" - 15
Screen 4 - "The Devil's Rejects" & "War of the Worlds" - 7

The Movie: For those that don't know it, "The Devil's Rejects" is a sequel to "House of a 1000 Corpses". I saw that film several years ago at the Mission. I found "The Devil's Rejects" to be better than the original film if for no other reason than the special guest appearance by Ginger Lynn. Many may recall Ginger from her previous films in the 1980s. Many of which were almost certainly shown at drive-in theaters.

Although I found the content of this film to be a bit "strong" for the Mission, my contacts reported that the management has not received any complaints from patrons or other interested parties. Be warned! In some spots, the plot gets in the way of telling the story. What should you do to remain alert during these boring parts of the movie? Do what I did. Mentally recast the film with people you know. You can do this before, or even after, each character in the film is brutally murdered.

I can now confirm that the picture quality on Screen 4 has also improved greatly. By no means is Screen 4 perfect, but it is watchable again.

Post-Movie Activities: As soon as the credits began to roll, I made a quick patrol of the property. On the way back to car, I decided to stop by the box office. Many people will go out of their way to complain. Few will go out of their way to compliment. I'm one of those few!

After expressing my appreciation for the better picture quality on Screen 4, I stayed on to chat with the staff.

Attendance has been better than expected this summer; especially, during the week. Tuesday nights, traditionally the slowest night of the movie week, have far exceeded management expectations. Does this mean a 2006 season for the Mission? Perhaps not. There is still talk of closing it forever at the end of this season.

As I was wrapping up my visit, I noticed a large blue sheet of plywood leaning up against the fence. Curious as to what purpose it might serve, I gestured towards it. My answer was also returned in the form of a gesture. The runner pointed his finger up at the marquee which covers the ticket booths. Looking up, I saw a large gap in the ceiling. My eyes went wide when I realized that the gap was the same size as the sheet of plywood laying against the fence. It had fallen from the ceiling earlier in the evening. Fortunately, no one was hurt. The theater maintenance staff has been alerted to the problem. The timing of this incident couldn't be worse. The last thing that San Antonio drive-in patrons need is for senior management to get the impression that the Mission is literally "falling apart at the seams". It is falling apart, but not because of the advanced age of the theater. No, it is falling apart from lack of maintenance.

Thanking the staff for their time, I turned and walked away into the darkness. Reaching my vehicle, I proceeded home without incident.

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

Screen 1 - "Stealth" & "Batman Begins" - 6
Screen 2 - "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" & "Fantastic Four" - 12
Screen 3 - "Wedding Crashers" & "Island" - 25
Screen 4 - "The Devil's Rejects" & "War of the Worlds" - 15

Box Office Results: 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.

Ranking	Title	Millions of Dollars	At The Mission	Seen By Terry Moore
1	Wedding Crashers	$20.0	YES!
2	Charlie and the Chocolate Factory	$16.4	YES!	YES!
3	Sky High	$14.6
4	Stealth	$13.3	YES!
5	Must Love Dogs	$12.9
6	Fantastic Four	$6.9	YES!	YES!
7	The Island	$6.0	YES!	YES!
8	Bad News Bears	$5.6
9	War of the Worlds	$5.5	YES!
10	March of the Penguins	$4.0

20 August 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 "Red Eye" and "The Dukes of Hazzard". This was the first week of release for "Redeye". "The Dukes of Hazzard" had previously opened in San Antonio.

With the addition of these new films, I had seen only 1 of the 8 films being exhibited this week. Even that's deceptive since I saw "The Dukes of Hazzard" at the Crossroads Drive-In Theater and not at the Mission!

Departure Time: I left my apartment at 7:51 PM.

The Trip: I made good time across town and arrived at the Mission at 8:21PM. No stops were made along the way.

Pre-Movie Activities: The box office was already open when I arrived on the scene. Both ticket booths were in service and four entrance lanes were in use.

This week I purchased a ticket for "Four Brothers".

Proceeding into the Screen 3 lot, I parked in the third row just to the right of the projection line.

Leaving my car behind, I headed over to the snack bar for a large Diet Coke and a tub of popcorn.

Exiting into the Screen 1 lot, I completed my patrol of the property before returning to my vehicle.

Here are the car counts for those that like them:

Screen 1 - "Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo & Wedding Crashers" - 36
Screen 2 - "Skeleton Key" & "The Dukes of Hazzard" - 22
Screen 3 - "Four Brothers" & "Hustle & Flow" - 33
Screen 4 - "Red Eye" & "Stealth" - 7

Here is a bit of trivia for you. In the time it took me to visit the snack bar and make a complete circuit of the property, the car count in lot 3 when up from 33 to 53.

The Movie: How was "Four Brothers"? If you've seen "The Sons of Katie Elder", then you already know the plot of this film. I'll go so far as to say that if you can mentally exchange "the Old West" for modern day Detroit, replace the six-shooters with semi-automatics and change the land baron into a 'gansta' kingpin, then you can save seven or more dollars by skipping this movie!

Are there other differences between the two films? Yes, the biggest difference between the two films is that in "Four Brothers" we see the mother character prior to her death and in flashback scenes. That never happens in "The Sons of Katie Elder".

My biggest complaint about the film was that it kept teasing me with the idea that "Bobby", one of the four brothers that give the film it's name, would eventually set someone on fire. He carried around a gas can and he poured gas on people. He even threatened people with an open flame but he never actually did the deed.

Despite the recycled plot and the lack of human immolation , the film was able to hold my interest all the way through to the closing credits.

Post-Movie Activities: As soon as the credits began to roll, I made a quick patrol of the property. Returning to my vehicle, I proceeded home without incident.

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

Screen 1 - "Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo & Wedding Crashers" - 96
Screen 2 - "Skeleton Key" & "The Dukes of Hazzard" - 70
Screen 3 - "Four Brothers" & "Hustle & Flow" - 115
Screen 4 - "Red Eye" & "Stealth" - 68

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	Seen By Terry Moore
1	The 40-Year-Old Virgin	$21.4
2	Red Eye	$16.2	YES
3	Four Brothers	$12.5	YES!	YES!
4	Wedding Crashers	$8.0	YES!
5	The Skeleton Key	$7.7	YES!
6	March of the Penguins	$6.5
7	The Dukes of Hazzard	$6.0	YES!	YES!
8	Valiant	$5.9
9	Charlie and the Chocolate Factory	$4.4		YES!
10	Sky High	$4.0

27 Aug 2005

Weather: Clear and Hot!

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

With the addition of these new films, I had seen only 2 of the 8 films being exhibited this week. Even that's deceptive since I saw "The Dukes of Hazzard" at the Crossroads Drive-In Theater and not at the Mission!

Departure Time: I left my apartment at 7:48 PM.

The Trip: I made good time across town and arrived at the Mission at 8:18 PM. No stops were made along the way.

Pre-Movie Activities: The box office was already open when I arrived on the scene. Both ticket booths were in service and four entrance lanes were in use.

This week I purchased a ticket for "Red Eye".

Proceeding into the Screen 4 lot, I parked in the second row just to the left of the projection line.

Leaving my car behind, I headed over to the snack bar for a large Diet Coke and a tub of popcorn.

Along the way, I noticed signs of fresh paint all around the property.

The hand rails on both the foot bridge and the car bridge have both painted red. Whoever painted the rails on the foot bridge wasn't very careful with the paint! There are dark red spots all over the boards. If the painter had used a darker shade of red, I might even have suspected that an injuryed patron might have run across the bridge spewing blood with every pounding heartbeat! Hmmm.... Maybe I'll save that story for Halloween!

The curbs have also been freshly painted with a vivid, but probably not flourescent yellow paint. How can I be sure the paint is fresh? The weeds growing up through the cracks between the curbs and the pavement are dappled with yellow spots. Since the current manager is very aggressive about keeping the property mowed and trimmed, the spots couldn't date back much futher than a few days, or a most a week.

Also, the arrows on the pavement just past the ticket booths have also been painted. Well, not all of them. Just the red and yellow arrows. Still, it is a start!

Arriving at the snack bar, I stepped inside and was welcomed by a cool refreshing breeze! Had the air conditioning finally been fixed? I asked didn't get a satisfactory response from the girl behind the counter!

Exiting into the Screen 1 lot, I completed my patrol of the property before returning to my vehicle.

Here are the car counts for those that like them:

Screen 1 - "The Brothers Grimm" & "Wedding Crashers" - 26
Screen 2 - "The Cave" & "Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo" - 11
Screen 3 - "Four Brothers" & "Skeleton Key" - 22
Screen 4 - "Redeye" & "Dukes of Hazzard" - 12

The Movie: How was "Red Eye"? Let's just say its time for Wes Craven to retire.

Post-Movie Activities: As soon as the credits began to roll, I made a quick patrol of the property. Returning to my vehicle, I proceeded home without incident.

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

Screen 1 - "The Brothers Grimm" & "Wedding Crashers" - 62
Screen 2 - "The Cave" & "Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo" - 87
Screen 3 - "Four Brothers" & "Skeleton Key" - 97
Screen 4 - "Redeye" & "Dukes of Hazzard" - 58

Given that the high school football season has begun, these numbers are far better than I would have expected!

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	Seen By Terry Moore
1	The 40-Year-Old Virgin	$16.3
2	The Brothers Grimm	$15.1	YES!
3	Red Eye	$10.3	YES!	YES!
4	Four Brothers	$7.9	YES!	YES!
5	The Cave	$6.2	YES!
6	Wedding Crashers	$6.1	YES!
7	March of the Penguins	$4.7
8	The Skeleton Key	$4.5	YES!
9	Valiant	$3.5
10	The Dukes of Hazzard	$3.1	YES!	YES!

3 September 2005

Weather: Warm and Humid!

Schedule Analysis: A study of the weekly Mission advertisement revealed that two new films were playing at the Mission this week. These films being "Transporter 2" and "The 40 Year Old Virgin". "The 40 Year Old Virgin" had previously opened in San Antonio.

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

Departure Time: I left my apartment at 6:50 PM.

The Trip: I made good time across town and arrived at the Mission at 7:30 PM. No stops were made along the way.

Pre-Movie Activities: The box office was still closed when I arrived on the scene. Fourteen cars were waiting in line by the time the box office opened at 7:40PM.

Although booth ticket booths were opened and all four entry lanes were placed into service, the theater appeared to be short staffed and unprepared for the number of cars waiting for service.

This week I purchased a ticket for "Transporter 2". Why this film? Very rarely, I'm influenced by a movie review. In this case, the reviewer claimed that the film was filled "wall to wall with absurd action". I don't know about you, but that sounds pretty compelling to me!

Proceeding into the Screen 1 lot, I parked in my traditional location near the exit lane.

Exiting my vehicle in a manner both decisive and determined, I headed over to the snack bar for a large Diet Coke and a tub of popcorn.

Before I could reach the snack bar, I noticed it. It was sitting there in plain sight for anyone to see. What was it? It was the answer to a mystery that I've been investigating for several weeks. On the roof of the snack bar was a large multi-ton gray air conditioning unit. That clinched it! A new air conditioner has come to the Mission!

How could I be sure this unit wasn't there before? Two seasons ago, a previous Mission manager painted the snack bar blue with white trim. You may remember that I thought a pale rose color would have been a better choice for the trim than white.

Nearly every part of the snack bar was painted either blue or white including the air conditioning units on the roof! Yes, that's right. The old air conditioner was blue!

Add the color change to my report last week of cool air in the snack bar and you have proof positive that Mr. Santikos has decided to invest at least some money in the Mission this year.

Arriving at the snack bar, I made my usual purchase of a large Diet Coke and a tub of popcorn.

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

Here are the car counts for those that like them:

Screen 1 - "Transporter 2" & "Four Brothers" - 23
Screen 2 - "The 40 Year Old Virgin" & "Wedding Crashers" - 8
Screen 3 - "The Cave" & "Skeleton Key" - 18
Screen 4 - "The Brothers Grimm" & "Red Eye" - 15

The Movie: How was "Transporter 2"? While not filled "wall to wall with absurd action", I found the movie to be extremely entertaining. I'm sure that if Rick Stivers sees this film, he'll find the "face licking" scenes to be extremely offensive!

Post-Movie Activities: As soon as the credits began to roll, I made a quick patrol of the property.

Along the way, I ran into the manager. He confirmed what I already knew. The new air conditioning unit had been installed the previous week. Sadly, he doesn't see this as a sign that the Mission will return for a 2006 season. He wanted me to know that he had recently been given the "go ahead" to start rebuilding the fences around the Screen 3 lot. That would be truly good news if it happens!

Returning to my vehicle, I proceeded home without incident.

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

Screen 1 - "Transporter 2" & "Four Brothers" - 86
Screen 2 - "The 40 Year Old Virgin" & "Wedding Crashers" - 47
Screen 3 - "The Cave" & "Skeleton Key" - 40
Screen 4 - "The Brothers Grimm" & "Red Eye" - 23

Yet another good weekend performance at the Mission!

Box Office Results: Here is the weekly comparison between the weekend Mission exhibition schedule and the top ten grossing films. Eight of the top ten films were showing at the Mission this week. That's right! The entire Mission schedule was composed of "top ten" films!

Ranking	Title	Millions of Dollars	At The Mission	Seen By Terry Moore
1	Transporter 2	$20.1	YES!	YES!
2	The 40-Year-Old Virgin	$16.5	YES!
3	The Constant Gardener	$11.0
4	Red Eye	$9.4	YES!	YES!
5	The Brothers Grimm	$9.0	YES!
6	Four Brothers	$6.4	YES!	YES!
7	Wedding Crashers	$5.8	YES!
8	The March of the Penguins	$5.8
9	The Skeleton Key	$4.0	YES!
10	The Cave	$3.8	YES!