Film studios release new movies on the basis of anticipated viewership.

Bruce Copio, general manager of Mahoning Valley Cinema in Mahoning Township, explained that a movie such as "Godzilla" will be released in as many as 3,800 theaters nationwide, while other films might be released to less than 1,000 theaters, mostly in major cities.As a result, he said Mahoning Cinema has instituted an "Exceptional Film" series during which some of those limited run films will be brought to the local screen.This weekend, "The Grand Budapest Hotel" will be shown in Mahoning."The Grand Budapest Hotel" was released in just 1,400 theaters on March 28. It stars Willem Dafoe, Jude Law, and Bill Murray."We have a lot of people in the area who like these movies and we got a lot of requests for them," he said, noting that usually they are more sophisticated than wide-spread films.Lou Silverman, owner of Mahoning Valley Cinema for the past seven years, said, "The art film series is a very rare thing in a small town."He added that to make viewing more enjoyable, he has spent over $500,000 to convert to digital format in all eight theaters. This includes $460,000 for the installation.Also, gray screens were installed for 3D viewing in three of the theaters.The next major expenditure will be upgrading the sound system, he said.Silverman said he got great reviews on "The Grand Budapest Hotel," stating, "It's the story of a so-called fictional hotel that attracts an interesting clientele."Copio said that for a theater to be considered for the "Exceptional Film" series, "we have to get a reputation from the studio that we can generate the audience because we're kind of off the beaten path."