# What happens to theater films?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-theater-films/245344>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 16, 2004, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-theater-films/245344 "2004-05-16T01:17:15Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![SandWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8491ac/32.png) [@SandWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SandWriter)\
**Post date:** [May 16, 2004, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-theater-films/245344/1 "2004-05-16T01:17:15Z")

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Hey All,

What happens to movies after they are no longer seen in the theaters. On opening day there must be around 1000 copies (or more) of the same film.

Does it get sent back?

-TIAFYH

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**Author:** ![peculiar\_hailstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/46a35a/32.png) [@peculiar\_hailstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peculiar_hailstone)\
**Post date:** [May 16, 2004, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-theater-films/245344/2 "2004-05-16T01:37:53Z")

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yeah good question. Are the copies bought outright by the theatres, or do they still belong to the production company?

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**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\
**Post date:** [May 16, 2004, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-theater-films/245344/3 "2004-05-16T01:40:41Z")

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I imagine the individual studios take them back, and probably either put 'em in storage, hand 'em out as mementos to the higher-ups of the movie, or destroy 'em (depending on which movie… I betcha the _Gigli_ reels wound up toasting somebody’s marshmallow).

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**Author:** ![Harmonix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Harmonix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonix)\
**Post date:** [May 16, 2004, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-theater-films/245344/4 "2004-05-16T02:18:34Z")

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I used to work at a movie theatre. Our old films were sent to this discount theatre( seriously ghetto theatre) after we decided to replace the film with a better profitting film. I don’t know if we sold it to them, or it was rented or whatever.

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**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\
**Post date:** [May 16, 2004, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-theater-films/245344/5 "2004-05-16T02:19:55Z")

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There any number of secondary/tertiary markets for films. After they finish their run at a first-run house, films are often sent to second-run or Art houses. From there, they can travel overseas, or make the college circuit. I have spent many an evening at clooege theatres, watching films that had been released years before…the prints scratched and spliced…good times. 😃

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**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\
**Post date:** [May 16, 2004, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-theater-films/245344/6 "2004-05-16T02:21:09Z")

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> [@peculiar hailstone](#):
>
> yeah good question. Are the copies bought outright by the theatres, or do they still belong to the production company?

All films remain the property of the studio. You can get in big trouble if you “lose” one.