Business Analytics and Data Analysis Assignments

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4. The problem you just worked out is a very simple version of movie scheduling. In reality, what factors complicate this scheduling problem? (1 point)

- List out as many factors as you can and organize them in your discussion

- In some cases, people might show up to the theater as walk-ins, without a specific movie or time in mind. Planning movie start times for the times where there are greater arrivals may help this. For example, if the theater is downtown, perhaps many people stop by after lunch.

- In addition, beyond the box office operations, the concessions stand would need to plan around the movies and their demand. For instance, they would want to make popcorn before a rush.

- Technical or theatre malfunctions with the screens, movie file, and perhaps not all seats are available

- Movies all vary in length making it more difficult to schedule. To optimize revenues you want to limit downtime. Plus, movies often have 15-20 minutes of advertisements and trailers, some people also stay later to watch ending credits

- How frequently to play each movie, seeing as some have a much higher demand than others

- Possibly running out of 3D glasses

- Staffing and labour allocations:

- Difficulties in scheduling and not having enough staff on site to support the number of showings at certain hours

- Needing more time and staff in between shows:

- In reality, the theatres are constantly being used. During the transition time after a movie finishes and another is set to play on the screen, depending on the theatre size, there may not be enough time between showings for staff members to clean up the space

- Briefly discuss how you could solve a real problem

One problem with scheduling is the issues with what time of day to play certain movies. The problem for the movie theatre is to ensure that they choose an optimal schedule for show times so that it is the most profit-maximizing option, seeing as how show times have an influence on demand. For movies that are targeted to an older audience (PG 13 or Rated R), the theatre’s scheduling times need to be aligned with the time of day when that audience tends to come to the theatre. For example, it would be better to schedule Rated R movies in the evening, as adults are more likely to attend movies at that time than children are.