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Movies Seldom for College Crowd

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File Photo by Katy Murray

Just Ask! -  Community businesses such as the Hollywood Cinema offer discounts for UAM students.

  The Hollywood Cinema, located on Dearman Drive, is Monticello's only movie theater.

   Many students from the University of Arkansas at Monticello have complained that the movies do not appeal to the college age group.

    "They don't seem to know the population and what would go over real well," said Jesse Davis, a 24-year-old UAM alumni and current resident of Monticello.

   Manager Tim Mullenax said the theater does not get a lot of independent films or art house movies, which generally interest the college age group, because the sales do not compare to comedy and action movies.

   Mullenax offered this example to show the difference of sales based on movie genres:

   "Syriana," a political epic about the state of the oil industry, showed for a week at Hollywood Cinema and only sold about 200 seats for the whole week. "Madea's Family Reunion," a comedy about a pistol-packing grandmother, who helps her love-troubled niece, sold out, pulling in a lot more money than "Syriana."

   Mullenax said, "The movie industry is a business. We have to focus on the bottom line."

   The Hollywood Cinema buyer, Jeff Kaufman, picks the movies a week in advance. Mullenax said every Monday they know the movies the theater will show for the week.

    "We try to have at least one kid's movie and at least one movie for adults," Mullenax said. "We try to appeal to the mass."

   For a listing of current movies playing at Hollywood Cinema, call 367-7100.