Check out this interesting look at a case study of an LA exhibition war, by Hollywood Elsewhere’s Jeffrey Wells.

Wells noticed that an amicable working relationship between multiplexes on the west side—a Landmark arthouse on Pico, and a large AMC near Century City—is falling apart, with the Landmark now running more blockbuster fare.  At the end, Wells includes this passage:

Before they altered or broadened their identity by letting mainstream popcorn movies in, Landmark had been…how to say it? The term is either “suffering” or “somewhat hurting,” but then so has everyone else in the indie exhibition sector. It’s not a flush time right now. The Landmark has been plugging along, but the biggest indie films they’ve been showing have been The Visitor, Mongol and Guillame Canets’ Tell No One. That’s fine as far as it goes, but an operation like the Landmark needs more grease on the axles.

As someone else put it, “There’s so much good product around now. Why not just just give people what they want?”

You’ll remember Hollywood was abuzz a few weeks ago, after former Miramax prez Mark Gill said the sky was falling in the art film world because of too much product.

If there are so many art films out there, why are none of them playing at the film capital of the world’s premiere art house?