Petition: English language movies at Hua Hin cineplex

Post by **Chas** » Wed Aug 05, 2009 4:13 pm

Website is behaving funny

Post by **Chas** » Wed Aug 05, 2009 4:16 pm

Congrats fotoguy! You have achieved what nobody else seems to have been able to so far. Way to go! ( Interesting first comment though. . .!)

Curious about a couple of things: I always figured that they rented the movies and I wonder the rental cost difference ( if any) between soundtrack and dubbed. Maybe one is vastly more expensive than the other?))

I dont buy the guarantee thing at all though. (Big city markets/ distributors seem to have bidding wars for the latest flicks but this is one complex in one town . .who else is going to compete here to show anything?) I DO think they can predict what will draw a crowd though . .anyone here could. You KNOW that Transformers will get attention and the latest Thai ghost comedy flick . .but Julie/Julia isn’t even a blip on the horizon and Public Enemies wont draw IMHO. ( I haven’t liked Johnny Depp at all since that dreadful, simpering pirate deal) but I would see it.

And from what I have observed over the years . .this is not a very successful operation on any level to begin with. When has anyone ever seen more than 30 people at any showing of anything? (Including Thai movies) . . .VERY rare.

It is also curious that Transformers ran in all four theatres. . ..none of them sold out at least when I was there. ( They guaranteed sales for all four rental copies??)Whats up with that ploy?

Anyway, Bravo for trying!! Lets see if the AWOL survey goes anywhere.

Post by **pfotoguy369** » Wed Aug 05, 2009 10:03 pm

No, it's true when a big movie comes out they can ask for a $ amount guarantee

I was a Manager at a theater when Starwars came out. we hauled in $60k the first day all in cash. and people rob banks???

AWOL · Post by **AWOL** » Tue Aug 11, 2009 1:41 pm

Many thanks to pfotoguy for his personal efforts to find out what is going on, and it was he who originally started up the email campaign. He has done well to get a response. On to the subject of the petition itself, if you haven't already signed it or have not sent emails or contacted anyone you know who would be interested, please do so NOW! As it stands the petition has 279 signatures but we are looking for a lot more than that to even have a chance of showing the cinema that there is a demand for original soundtrack movies in Hua Hin. The estimate of foreigners living here is normally put at around 3000 so we would like to think a good proportion of them would sign, as well as their families. As has already been said though, this isn't just about the foreigners, its the Thais as well, and we already have a good number who have signed the petition, so please any reading this, add your name if you agree with it.
Remember the petition is only asking for what is offered in other places in Thailand, or something approaching that - if it works there then why shouldn't it in Hua Hin?

Post by **buksida** » Tue Aug 11, 2009 2:05 pm

If you want to get it translated into Thai I'd suggest posting it here:

http://huahin4u.com/forum/

Post by **jasonw** » Tue Aug 11, 2009 4:50 pm

279 signatures which is not bad, is it being highlighted on other websites? As good as HHAD is I reckon only about 5% of Hua Hin expats read the forum

Super Joe · Post by **Super Joe** » Tue Aug 11, 2009 5:51 pm

That 3,000 number, however it was gustimated, was quoted over 2 years ago so has probably increased now, although is that permanents or homeowners visitors. 279 is a respectable number, there's a Swedish association and a Dutch association in town, have you tried them ? Could well add a quick 50+ to the list.

Something else that just struck me is I should have put my wife, son, Mum and Dad on the list. Has everyoone done that ?

SJ

Terry · Post by **Terry** » Tue Aug 11, 2009 6:50 pm

Signed on behalf of the whole family - we would go much more often if the movies always had original soundtracks. Nobody minds reading the subtitles if needs be, but crappy dubbing is an insult to the original work.

Post by **bapak** » Sat Sep 05, 2009 2:25 pm

Inglourious Basterds on now in HH but in Thai only... Phone the theatre at 032 526 204
Enjoy.

Bapak

Post by **ladyarkles** » Sun Sep 13, 2009 6:00 pm

Signed and made a comment or two.

We could go to any cinema in Taipei (where there is very little English spoken) and watch films with the original soundtrack.
This seems a very shortsighted policy on behalf of the cinema management.

Good luck with this endeavour.

Rach xx

Post by **thaiorchid** » Sun Sep 13, 2009 11:10 pm

Rachel.
I find it quite amusing that someone, who has been in Thailand for a couple of weeks, is telling the management of a listed Thai company how to run their business.
Major Cineplex Group (MAJOR) 2008 revenue was app. 5.7 billion baht, with a profit around 700 million baht. So it seems they know, what they are doing.
But here we go again with the inflated opinion of selfimportance among expats.
R
Rachel, by the way, welcome to the forum.

Post by **chopsticks** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 12:20 am

No room for complacency with those sort of profit figures and it could have been better with a higher contribution from their Hua Hin branch if only they listened to some of their potential customers.

Post by **Vital Spark** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 12:29 am

When I was working in the Hua Hin area most of the students said that they preferred the original soundtrack with Thai subtitles. Not because they wanted to learn English, but apparently the dubbing is so dire and they like to hear what Leonardo Di Caprio (or whoever the latest heart-tbrob is) sounds like.

Those of you teaching in the Hua Hin area could perhaps encourage the students to sign up. It might add a bit of weight if they realise it's not just the farangs who want the real thing.

Just a thought...

VS

Post by **Farang** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 12:35 am

Good work Rach, way to go, girl! Thanks for your contribution in the team effort to get English soundtracks in HH cinema.

Thaiorchid,

Thank you for your tireless, and, it appears, incessant efforts in showing us at every opportunity how not to
have an inflated opinion of selfimportance in oneself.

Once again you do give a very convincing example of proper humility and decorum to the rest of us.

Post by **ladyarkles** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 7:21 am

thaiorchid,
Thanks for the welcome and the stunningly accurate character summary.
(have you been reading my mail, you little minx?

)

Dearie, I may have only been in this country for a couple of months (this jaunt) but I have been walking the earth for (oh let's see now.....) a jolly long time. I am able to form and express opinions on a number of different things. Scary trait in a woman that, isn't it?

Hope you have a beautiful day, I'm sending you another ray of sunshine to add to your collection.

hugs

Rach xx

thaiorchid wrote:Rachel.
I find it quite amusing that someone, who has been in Thailand for a couple of weeks, is telling the management of a listed Thai company how to run their business.
Major Cineplex Group (MAJOR) 2008 revenue was app. 5.7 billion baht, with a profit around 700 million baht. So it seems they know, what they are doing.
But here we go again with the inflated opinion of selfimportance among expats.
R
Rachel, by the way, welcome to the forum.

Hua Hin Forum

Petition: English language movies at Hua Hin cineplex

Duplicate

Impressed

Inglourios Bastards on in HH today but in Thai