Cinde-Refund

Studios may not be overly concerned about the drop in box office, but exhibitors apparently are. On June 24, AMC Theatres began offering refunds to moviegoers unsatisfied with Cinderella Man, which has grossed just $50 million in four weeks. ''We always want to drive attendance, and AMC executives saw Cinderella Man as a great movie that had perhaps been lost in a really deep release schedule,'' explains AMC spokeswoman Pam Blase, who adds that few have taken them up on the offer so far — though weekend sales after the offer still sank 38 percent. A similar strategy was employed for the 1994 remake of Miracle on 34th Street, but it was generated by the studio, 20th Century Fox (and no, it didn't work). You can be sure, however, that the studio behind Cinderella Man is down with the AMC refund. ''It was [AMC's] invention, and I'm very proud of what they did,'' says Nikki Rocco, president of distribution for Universal. ''Are we disappointed it's not a $100 million blockbuster? Of course. Do we still have faith in the movie? Absolutely.'' Question for AMC: Could you start giving refunds for Bewitched?