More theaters offer alternative programming

— -- To see a live performance of The Sleeping Beauty by Moscow's Bolshoi Ballet, dance lovers can skip the flight to Russia and go to a local movie theater on Nov. 20.

Instead of just showing the latest Hollywood blockbusters, multiplexes equipped with digital projection increasingly are providing patrons with a night at the ballet or the fights. And jeans-wearing opera lovers can enjoy a show at the same place they'd see a romantic comedy or an action movie.

Struggling theaters are on the prowl for additional revenue. The number of tickets sold, according to Rentrak's media measurement service, has dropped nearly 15% to 1.34 billion from 1.57 billion in 2002. Potential moviegoers, with high-definition, big-screen TVs at home and Netflix accounts are proving tough to pry off their couches.

Total box office sales for the year are on pace to be only slightly behind last year's $10.6 billion, thanks to rising ticket prices: averaging $7.96 per ticket in 2010, vs. $7.50 in 2009, according to Box Office Mojo.

To coax people into their seats, theaters are getting creative, by showcasing everything from New York City Ballet performances of The Nutcracker to Ultimate Fighting Championship matches in 3-D.

"It speaks to a transition in the industry," says Patrick Corcoran, director of media and research at the National Association of Theatre Owners. "Anything that can be transmitted digitally, you can show in theaters."

Big-screen fare ranges from recordings of live theater to concerts and sporting events, such as live 3-D showings of last year's soccer World Cup.

Some examples:

•The Sleeping Beauty live in HD, on Nov. 20. Tickets are about $18. Visit www.fathomevents.com for more information.

•Faust by the Metropolitan Opera live in HD, Dec. 10. Tickets are about $24 (www.fathomevents.com).

•George Balanchine's The Nutcracker live in HD, Dec. 13. (www.fathomevents.com; tickets go on sale Nov. 18).

•UFC mixed martial arts live in 3D, Feb. 4. Visit ufc3d.cinedigm.com for more information (no prices announced yet).

•Los Angeles Philharmonic, Feb. 18. Tickets are about $20 (www.fathomevents.com).

Showing alternative content is still a fairly new idea, Corcoran says. The company doesn't have exact numbers on its impact on theaters' profits.

Most theaters' revenue will come from movies, he says. But more diverse programming allows theaters to increase audiences and provide more options. "It looks like an area that's only going to grow," Corcoran says.

Expanding what's shown on screens "is a natural" and also helps offset the investment in 3-D of about $75,000 per screen, says analyst Michael Pachter of Wedbush Securities.

So far this year, market leader NCM Fathom, a division of National CineMedia, has had about 80 alternative content events, compared with 24 in 2006.

Last Wednesday, the 1,400-plus theater network teamed with Turner Classic Movies for the West Side Story 50th Anniversary Event.

When Fathom offers screenings of movies before the DVD releases, the show includes interviews and behind-the-scenes segments, says Michelle Portillo, public relations manager at National CineMedia.

The West Side Story event included taped interviews with the company that produced the movie adaptation, actor George Chakiris and Natalie Wood's voice double, Marni Nixon.

Theaters are also offering interactive events.