# When will FOTR be pulled from theaters? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 1, 2002, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-fotr-be-pulled-from-theaters/116928 "2002-07-01T23:13:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2002, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-fotr-be-pulled-from-theaters/116928/1 "2002-07-01T23:13:16Z")
I know the DVD is coming out in August, so I expect it will leave before then, but I’d like to find out the exact date, so I can see it one last time (#5) on the big screen. I’ve searched the Tolkien and Movie sites, but haven’t been able to find an answer. A little help? I’ve been unable to find it thru google too. Je suis desolee! :mad: ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2002, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-fotr-be-pulled-from-theaters/116928/2 "2002-07-01T23:53:45Z")
I have to believe that will depend upon where you are, **Q**. Here, it’s been gone for some time (at least as far as I can tell). I’d call the Rake-It-In-aplex where it’s showing and ask how long they have it scheduled for. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2002, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-fotr-be-pulled-from-theaters/116928/3 "2002-07-02T00:17:58Z")
I already have the DVD. It does have this annoying little scroll every 15-20 minute, telling me I should call a number and rat out the people who sold it to me. And the English language subtitles are hysterical, but otherwise good quality. Bless you, Panthip Plaza! ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2002, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-fotr-be-pulled-from-theaters/116928/4 "2002-07-02T01:25:24Z")
My brother already bought the DVD. In Shanghai (we live in Chicago). For a dollar. But we haven’t watched it yet, since it’s in PAL format. Oh, the pain…Timmy ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2002, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-fotr-be-pulled-from-theaters/116928/5 "2002-07-02T09:05:17Z")
Well if it hangs around for another 28 weeks (getting 200K per)then it will pass Harry Potter in the US. Which would be good for me since I believe I predicted that Star Wars would be higher then LoTR which would be higher then Harry Potter. Man I got that wrong! ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2002, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-fotr-be-pulled-from-theaters/116928/6 "2002-07-02T13:20:34Z")
It’s been gone from Texarkana for months. In fact, it was here less than 2 months. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2002, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-fotr-be-pulled-from-theaters/116928/7 "2002-07-02T13:28:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tim R. Mortiss \* > \*\*My brother already bought the DVD. In Shanghai (we live in Chicago). For a dollar. But we haven’t watched it yet, since it’s in PAL format. Oh, the pain…Timmy \*\* I didn’t think that DVDs were PAL or NTSC specific\*. Maybe what your brother got was a VCD? For example, we have a NTSC TV, used to have a PAL TV, have been able to watch the same DVDs on both, but our VCDs bought in a PAL area don’t work anymore. It’s also possible that the DVD is not for the correct zone, I think China is zone 3, USA is zone 1. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2002, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-fotr-be-pulled-from-theaters/116928/8 "2002-07-02T13:39:04Z")
Moulin Rouge stayed in NYC for a long time _after_ the home video/DVD release. Most studios try to keep films in theatres as long as possible so ‘pulling’ it out is not the deal but rather when with the theatre owner say "Ummm no thank you I don’t want to play this another week.’ ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2002, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-fotr-be-pulled-from-theaters/116928/9 "2002-07-02T13:41:20Z")
> [@](#): > > I didn’t think that DVDs were PAL or NTSC specific\*. Read [this](http://www.hometheaterforum.com/bbs/faq/faq.html#1.19). ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2002, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-fotr-be-pulled-from-theaters/116928/10 "2002-07-02T13:50:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by KneadToKnow \* > \*\* > Read [this](http://www.hometheaterforum.com/bbs/faq/faq.html#1.19). \*\* Thanks, **KTK** , that explains it. We bought our DVD player in a PAL region (which means we can view PAL and NTSC, per the link). Our only problem now is with RCE. Sorry about the hijack. ---
**Author:** ![SuaSponte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/67e7ee/32.png) [@SuaSponte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuaSponte)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2002, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-fotr-be-pulled-from-theaters/116928/11 "2002-07-02T15:07:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zebra \* > Most studios try to keep films in theatres as long as possible so ‘pulling’ it out is not the deal but rather when with the theatre owner say "Ummm no thank you I don’t want to play this another week.’ I’m not sure about this. Particularly with major studio releases, the split of revenues between the theatre owner and the studio is such that the studio gets most of the ticket sale revenues in the beginning, and as time goes on the ratio becomes more favorable to the theatre owner. In the first couple of weeks, the theatre owner is effectively making no profit from the movie itself, instead relying on popcorn sales. But at the end, the studio is the one making almost no money. So unless there is a prestige factor involved (“our movie’s been showing continuously for over 3 years!”), the studio probably doesn’t care all that much when the theatre owner pulls the plug (and may indeed wish the run to end, so they can put a new movie on that screen and get the up-front revenue ratio again.) Sua ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2002, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-fotr-be-pulled-from-theaters/116928/12 "2002-07-02T15:59:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ShibbOleth \* > \*\*I already have the DVD. It does have this annoying little scroll every 15-20 minute, telling me I should call a number and rat out the people who sold it to me. And the English language subtitles are hysterical, but otherwise good quality. Bless you, Panthip Plaza! \*\* Hey, I have the same bootleg copy! ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2002, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-fotr-be-pulled-from-theaters/116928/13 "2002-07-03T02:11:45Z")
I’m surprised to hear that it’s still playing some places. It was gone before Valentines here. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2002, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-fotr-be-pulled-from-theaters/116928/14 "2002-07-03T02:28:01Z")
Hey, it was playing around here (Gainesville, Florida) at least until a month or so ago…that’s when I finally saw it. ---
**Author:** ![Atreyu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@Atreyu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atreyu)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2002, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-fotr-be-pulled-from-theaters/116928/15 "2002-07-03T10:58:52Z")
I saw FOTR again last Friday at a second-run theater in Forest Grove. It wasn’t the only theater around here still showing it either, for a McMenamin’s Pub Theater in Cornelius was showing it last weekend as well. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2002, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-fotr-be-pulled-from-theaters/116928/16 "2002-07-03T17:23:00Z")
I’m pretty sure Sua. Sometimes a studio will want to pull a movie but that kind of rare. If a they have picture A in an 8 screen place and that is the low grosser and they want to move in picture B then they will say ‘OK take out picture A’. Even the ‘Dollar Houses’ pay about 35% and most studios are interested in wringing out every dollar from a movie they possibly can.