Why does Kansas City ignore the Union Station Extreme Screen Theater (ie IMAX)? (Independence: live, prices)

[kcmo]

I was in KC for the holidays as well as St Louis. We wanted to see Star Wars in IMAX. Real IMAX, not the fake slightly larger screens you have at AMC megaplexes etc.

So while in St Louis we tried to see it at the Science Center with relatives, but could not get tickets, it was sold out weeks in advance for future shows.

So we decided to try and see it in KC. Now I understand that the Union Station extreme screen is not IMAX, it's IWERKS, but it's the same size, same quality etc. It's much better than anything at any local theater complex if you want a very large screen, good sound etc. Nobody in KC we talked to even knew it was playing there. Tickets were plentiful and and available the day of any show time, however, we just couldn't make time to get down there while in KC due to other commitments.

So we decided to see it at the IMAX in Indianapolis on the way home. Luckily I bought tickets about a week in advance and was able to get four tickets to a 10pm show, the rest were sold out. It was amazing and worth the effort to see the movie on a real IMAX screen.

Then today, I get a tweet from Crown Center that Union Station is now selling tickets for $5 for Star Wars where the average price for other IMAX venues is $15-20.

KC get out and support the Union Station Extreme Screen (It's just as good as a true IMAX branded theater) before it closes just like the Zoo IMAX closed due to lack of support.

Star Wars at Union Station for $5? Why would you see it anyplace else?

[shindig]

I saw it in 3D at the Extreme Screen over the holidays on a Wednesday afternoon and it was packed, probably 80-85% full.

[Bluefox]

Wow... I actually never even knew there was an IMAX (or similar) theatre in Union Station. So you can attribute one person to being completely oblivious to its existence. Of course I've only been here 2 years. I'll definitely be checking it out.

[Truly Missouri]

Is the $5 ticket price only for matinee hours? That is, shows before 5 pm. I think a lot of theaters show movies around that price, but only for matinee. If not, than that is more than worth it to make a trip to Union Station.

[kcmo]

Originally Posted by shindig

I saw it in 3D at the Extreme Screen over the holidays on a Wednesday afternoon and it was packed, probably 80-85% full.

That's good to hear. It should have been sold out for every show during the holidays like other similar theaters, but that's a better crowd than I thought was showing up for it.

When we lived in KC, we were members of Science City and we saw many blockbuster movies there as well as many of the typical educational IMAX documentaries and often there would be no more than a dozen people in that huge theater even during prime time weekend times.

I'm surprised it's still open. The planetarium closed for a while, but was reopened. Union station has a very good planetarium and by far the largest movie screen in metro KC yet very few people know about either one of them. I'm sure marketing has something to do with it as there is amost no marketing for it, never has been.

So hopefully people see this and go check it out. It's a really nice theater and if it's really $5, that's the cheapest I have ever seen. The fake IMAX screens at places like Independence 20 are a joke compared to the Union Station theater and they are expensive.

[kcmo]

Originally Posted by Truly Missouri

Is the $5 ticket price only for matinee hours? That is, shows before 5 pm. I think a lot of theaters show movies around that price, but only for matinee. If not, than that is more than worth it to make a trip to Union Station.

https://boxoffice.unionstation.org/c...treme%20screen

Yea I guess it is only for the 12:30 pm show. But even the regular prices of $10 is very good.

[TabulaRasa]

Poor marketing.

[shindig]

Yeah I think it's a lack of marketing. When I txt'd my friend to see if she wanted to go, she didn't know there was a 3D screen in Union Station and she goes there for brunch all the time...lol

[twan2001]

no one knows it's there... it's like the union station doesn't even try.

[brandthom]

From someone from a Marketing background, this ball was completely dropped by Union Station not the city itself. That theater would be packed if they actually did a decent job (or even bad honestly) job at promoting it. But the only promotion they have for it is random sparse spots inside Union Station itself. So its just a case of plan no one knowing its there.