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Frequently Asked Questions What are the new features on your website? How are films rated? What do the ratings mean? What do I do if I have a query or complaint about a rating? Why don't trailers play correctly when I download them from your website? Why are there no session times on your site for this weekend? How do I buy a movie ticket online? How do I unsubscribe from the "Cinebuzz Club"? What does "No Free Tickets" mean? How is a MEGAPLEX different to a multiplex? Why don't arthouse films screen at all locations? Why do children's films only seem to be released during holidays? Why do release dates change? Where can I find out about employment opportunities within your cinemas? How do I enter your competitions? How can I purchase gift vouchers? When is the next Movie Marathon? How old is a 'child'? What is Greater Union and Birch Carroll & Coyle's Privacy Policy?  What are the new features on your website? You may have noticed that we have recently updated our website with some new features and new design. This is all aimed to make your online experience with Greater Union and Birch Carroll & Coyle cinemas more user friendly. Many of the enhancements we have made to the site have come from suggestions from you. Just some of the new features include:
How are films rated? In this country, films are given a censorship rating by a statutory authority, the Office of Film and Literature Classification. These classifications assist adults to make informed decisions about the movies they choose to view, by providing advice which is consistent with community standards. After classification, it is then the responsibility of film exhibitors such as Greater Union and Birch Carroll & Coyle to display the ratings of each film appropriately and correctly, and most importantly, to enforce these restrictions at our cinemas. All of our cinemas take this responsibility very seriously. Our staff are made aware of the classification of each film screening at their location, and are taught precisely what each classification means. It is an offence for any cinema to admit a person under the age of 15 years to a film with a MA 15+ classification unless accompanied by a parent or guardian. No person under the age of 18 can be admitted to an R rated film. Unaccompanied patrons who are 15 years of age and have proof of age identification can be admitted to MA15+ classified features. What do the ratings mean? In Australia, films for cinema exhibition are classified with one of the following ratings: [G] For general exhibition Suitable for all viewers. Parents should feel comfortable that children can watch these movies without supervision. Access to these films is open to persons of any age. [PG] Parental guidance recommended for persons under 15 years This classification indicates to parents that their guidance is recommended for children seeing the film, but access is unrestricted. Movies classified [PG] will not be harmful or disturbing to children. [M] Mature. Recommended for mature audiences 15 years and over It is recommended that any persons under 15 years of age be accompanied by an adult when seeing this film, as content is considered to be potentially disturbing to those under this age. However access to [M] rated films is legally unrestricted, as the classification is only advisory. [MA] Mature Accompanied. Restrictions apply to persons under the age of 15 This classification is legally restricted. Children under 15 will not be permitted to see [MA] movies unless in the company of a parent or adult guardian. Cinema staff may ask for proof of age identification, and are entitled to refuse service if this is not produced. [R] Restricted to adults 18 years and over Access is legally restricted to persons only aged 18 years or over. No person under 18 years of age will be allowed in to the cinema at all. Cinema staff are entitled to refuse service to any person unable to prove that they are 18 years of age or above. What do I do if I have a query or complaint about a rating? Queries or complaints about classification of movies should be directed to the Office of Film and Literature Classification: Phone No: (02) 9581 7000 Fax No: (02) 9581 7001 Website: www.oflc.gov.au Why don't trailers play correctly when I download them from your website? Trailers are supplied to Greater Union and Birch Carroll & Coyle by the distributor of the movie. Many distributors are now producing these trailers in Quicktime version 5.0 only, which is the newest release of this software. You need to download this new software to view the trailers correctly. Quicktime 5.0 is available for free at www.apple.com/quicktime/ To make sure the website is running at an optimum level on your computer (including trailers), we suggest that you install a recent version of web browser - we recommend Microsoft Internet Explorer version 4.0 or higher. You can find free downloads of Internet Explorer at www.microsoft.com/ie. Why are there no session times on your site for this weekend? Session times are unable to be made public more than a week in advance simply because there are too many variables which effect session times. We update the session times on our website every Wednesday for sessions showing until the following Wednesday. So if you go onto our site on Wednesday morning to look up times for the next day or the weekend, you may find that the times are not available yet. All you need to do is visit the site later in the day and the times for the new movie week (starting Thursday) will be available. How do I buy a movie ticket online? All you need to do is click on "Session Times" and the top navigation bar, go through each step to select the cinema, movie and then click on the session time. Only the session times with an underline have tickets available to purchase online. Once you click on the underlined session time of your choice, you will be asked for the number of tickets you would like to purchase and your credit card details. Once your transaction is complete, your tickets will be available at the cinema to pick up. How do I unsubscribe from your newsletter "Cinebuzz"? To unsubscribe from our weekly newsletter, simply click on "Cinebuzz Club", then "Manage Your Account". If your cookie is installed, you will be asked for your password. Once you enter your password you will be taken to your profile where you can uncheck the box that asks if you would like to receive our weekly newsletter. What does "No Free Tickets" mean? "No Free Tickets" (once known as "No Free List") is a restriction imposed by the film distribution companies for selected films upon their release. It means that no special complimentary coupons or offers are valid for use on that specific film until the restriction has been lifted. Generally, the "No Free Tickets" restriction will last only 1-2 weeks after a films release, although there are exceptions. You can still use Screen Savers or pre-paid Gift Vouchers for No Free List films. How is a MEGAPLEX different to a multiplex? Multiplexes are cinema complexes with 6 to 15 screens, a MEGAPLEX has between 16 and 30 screens. Here is a list of Greater Union and Birch Carroll & Coyle MEGAPLEX cinemas throughout Australia: NSW MEGAPLEX Castle Hill MEGAPLEX Macquarie QLD MEGAPLEX Chermside MEGAPLEX Garden City MEGAPLEX Indooroopilly SA MEGAPLEX Marion WA MEGAPLEX Innaloo Why don't arthouse films screen at all locations? Film distributors often prefer to release "Art House" films into only a few, selected cinemas, usually in the inner city or urban areas. The reasons for this vary - it may be to maintain the exclusivity of a film. Additionally, Art House films are often made on a lower budget than mainstream movies and it sometimes too expensive for a distributor to widely release a film when the cost of prints is very expensive. You might not be aware, but each print of a film costs over $2000 so it is sometimes difficult for a distributor to recover these costs at suburban cinemas where interest in arthouse films is lower than in city or urban areas. Unfortunately Greater Union and Birch Carroll & Coyle play a limited role in deciding when and where a distributor will release films. Why do children's films only seem to be released during holidays? Greater Union and Birch Carroll & Coyle play a limited role in deciding when a distributor will release film. Distributors traditionally schedule a movie rated [G] or [PG] and aimed at pre-teens during the school holidays because they know that is when it will be most popular. It is important to remember too, that there are fewer of these films made, than those aimed at a teen or adult audience. Where possible, we do try and keep children's films screening on weekends for as long as possible after the holiday periods. Why do release dates change? Most films are released in the U.S first and then dated in each Territory around the world. A film’s release date is decided by the distributor and Greater Union/Birch Carroll & Coyle do not play a role in this decision. There are a number of reasons why release dates may change. The Distributors of the films look at when the film releases in the U.S and an ideal date to release the film here in Australia. With the big summer films they release some in the June/July holidays in Australia and then hold some back for the September/October holidays. There is sometimes a need to stagger these releases so that they are not competing against each other. Sometimes release dates are later due to materials such as posters and trailers being ready distributors want to be able to expose the film and advertise it before it is released. Where can I find out about employment opportunities within your cinemas? Simply contact your local cinema and will be able to advise of any available positions. They will also be able to provide any other relevant employment information, such as minimum age to work and rates of pay. You can find the number for all cinemas on our website under the Cinemas/Our Cinemas menu. How do I enter your competitions? You must be registered with our site to enter our competitions. Simply click on the 'Cinebuzz Club' and then the 'Join Cinebuzz' button on the homepage and follow the prompts. If you are already registered or you are using a different computer than usual, your cookies must not be enabled and, in both cases, you must also ensure you are logged into the site. Once you are logged in simply click on 'Interact' and then 'Competitions' on the homepage to view and enter our competitions. How can I purchase gift vouchers? Please log on to our brand new online voucher store www.experiencethis.com.au to purchase movie vouchers and other great gift 'experiences'. Gift vouchers are also available at the box office of your local cinema. When is the next Movie Marathon? Movie Marathons traditionally take place on national public holidays, although there are exceptions. We normally screen up to four different programs to choose from, featuring the latest releases at a wide selection of cinema locations. Keep checking the 'Special Offers' section, under the 'Movies' menu on our website, for upcoming Marathon details. How old is a 'child'? Children’s tickets are valid for use by persons aged up to, and including, 15 years. Persons 16 years of age and over must purchase an adult or student ticket (with relevant identification). Children under the age of 3 years are free. |
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