Implementing and evaluating SilverScreener: A marketing management supportsystem for movie exhibitors

Every Monday morning, Pathe Theaters in the Netherlands decides which movie s in its cinemas to retain and which to replace. It must choose replacement movies from those available at that time. We implemented the SilverScreene r model, a mathematical-programming system [Swami, Eliashberg, and Weinberg 1999] to help Pathe managers make those decisions for one six-screen theat er and tested its performance against the performance of two unaided simila r multiscreen cinemas. Using Pathe's historical data, managerial judgment, and theater-specific factors, we developed an attendance-forecasting system . While a fully controlled experiment was not possible, the revenues at the theater using the SilverScreener recommendations were higher than those at the two comparable theaters. Managerial attitudes towards the modeling sys tem improved after implementation of SilverScreener.