Cinema World's monopoly swallows people in its gulp

In the fictional Alantic City of the Monopoly board game, players make money by buying every property they can. In real-life State College, Cinema World has tried to gain a monopoly on movies.

The company owns every area movie theater, so if you want to see Cabin Boy you'll have to wait until Cinema World gets it -- if they get it.

Cinema World officials have a reputation for being stingy with entertainment. In 1991, many wondered why it took the chain so long to bring Dances With Wolves to town. More recently, area filmgoers were fuming over the possibility that Schindler's List would never flicker across a local screen. Cinema World officials said they are at the mercy of the film distributors who control the number of prints in circulation, leaving filmgoers in the dark about when the movie might get here.

In a sense, Cinema World is too. State College is not a first-run movie town, and extremely popular movies in limited release, such as Schindler's List, usually go to bigger cities first. Until a print becomes available chances are the film won't come here.

The company's flaw lies in its failure to establish a good rapport with film goers who want to know what's going on. Local record store owner Greg Gabbard brought the fate of the film into question by putting a sign in his store's window telling people to question why the movie wasn't -- and isn't -- in town.

Gabbard seems to represent the larger problem of people feeling uncomfortable approaching Cinema World management to get answers.

Cinema World should fulfill its part of the bargain that ought to exist between filmgoers and theaters by making their officials responsive to consumer complaints. A customer service line to provide information about film availablity could improve Cinema World's service -- and its image.

Meanwhile, flimgoers should realize there are alternatives to Cinema World's stronghold. On campus, the Graduate Student Association shows quality foriegn films, big-budget flicks and student favorites for half the price of a downtown show while maintaining a solid relationship with its patrons. In the last two weeks, GSA has premiered Gettysburg and Ruby in Paradise.

So don't hold your breath waiting for Schindler's List to hit town, and don't think Cinema World is your only movie option, because there's a lot more entertainment out there past "Go."