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The latest movie theater news and updates
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August 9, 2010
Non-profit group purchases Moxie
SPRINGFIELD, MO — Locals can rejoice as the Moxie Cinema is saved by a non-profit group that was established to buy the theatre and make sure it’s business as usual there.
Springfield will retain its only independent movie theater – The Moxie Cinema – through the creation of the non-profit Downtown Springfield Community Cinema Fund administered by a volunteer board through the Community Foundation of the Ozarks.
No significant changes are planned for the Moxie’s operations under the new ownership. The Chiltons will serve as consultants through the end of August and plan to continue supporting the new venture informally after that.
Read more in the News-Leader.
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At 83, Poncan Theatre still a place where memories are made
PONCA CITY, OK — Since 1927, the Boller Brothers' Poncan Theatre been the jewel of Ponca City; it is still a place where films are still shown as well as serving as a venue for theater and other live performances, reflecting its early history as both a movie and vaudeville house. This article at NewsOK includes some memories and a short video.
More than 80 years later, northern Oklahoma residents still point to this historic downtown beacon with a pride that borders on reverence. It’s a place that holds special memories for generations of people who have enjoyed its many offerings.
The theater fell into a period of disuse in the 1980s but reopened following a costly renovation. In 1985, the Poncan was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today, the theater also serves as the home of Team Radio, a station that plays country music, classic hits and sports programs.
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Resident urges city to help save the Parma Theater
PARMA, OH — A local resident has proposed that the closed Parma Theater be converted to a mixed use venue. The theater opened in 1936 and was last operated as a triplex .
The center would house one “moderately sized” theater with a stage. A local theater troupe might produce plays there.
The building might also contain a small bistro with outdoor patio. Harman said the center would resemble Temple of Music and Art, an old theater that was restored in Tucson.
Read more at Cleveland.com.
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August 6, 2010
Movie theaters are heart of downtown
HOLLISTER, CA — In this story from the Gilroy Dispatch, the writer looks back to childhood memories of going to the nearby State Theatre. He also discusses the importance of the ritual of going out to the movies.
There’s a ceremony involved with “going to the movies” that TV can’t duplicate. You buy your ticket at the little booth under the marquee overhang, bending a bit to place your money through the little window. After stepping into the lobby, the uniformed usher takes your pass and tears it to show you are among the elect allowed to pass into the cinema sanctuary. Buttery popcorn, Junior Mints, Jujubes and Raisinettes – the holy communion of movie-goers – are displayed behind glass. Coca-Cola pours forth from the sacred soda machine. After buying your sacrament snacks, you proceed into the holy of holies … the darkened movie theater.
In the State Theater in Hollister, a heavy black curtain hid the screen before the show. When the theater dimmed to darkness and the drapes parted, the projector revved up and cast its image-filled light in a dust-mote beam over the audience. That night when my dad introduced me to the magic of movies, I found myself transported to another world where the drama of a duck that laid golden eggs unfolded before my eyes.
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Foreign forces transform Hollywood films
This article in theWall Street Journal discusses how global tastes are essential when deciding on which films to produce these days.
When director Adam McKay pitched a sequel to his 2004 hit movie “Anchorman,” he thought it would be a no-brainer for Hollywood.
The $20 million comedy, starring Steve Carell and Will Ferrell, grossed more than $90 million at the box office. But only $5 million of that came from ticket sales abroad. Viacom Inc.’s Paramount Pictures nixed the sequel this spring, fearing the comedy’s uniquely American brand of humor wouldn’t play abroad.
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Advice on new movie theater in Latin American country
I need some advice on how to start a movie theater. My idea is opening a small cinema in a Latin American country where there are traditional movie theater lovers. I have no experience in the industry, except how to appreciate a good movie and good service.
I just have the gut feeling that this idea will work. My idea is framed on a 100 to 200 seat movie theater. For budget and practical reasons, I prefer used equipment, including the seats.
I welcome all suggestions and offers.
Ralem.
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August 5, 2010
Renovation work begun on former Roxian Theater
MCKEES ROCKS, PA — Andrew Hieber first had a vision for the reuse of the 1928 Roxian Theater in 2004, hoping to turn it into a concert venue, but the project proved far more complex than he first thought. After several delays and rethinkings of the project, work has now begun to turn the former movie theater into what may be the centerpiece of a revitalized entertainment area on Chartiers Avenue.
The plan is to open a side wall to create space for ticket booths and a new entrance, refurbish the main floor with a new bar area and removable seats, raise the stage for safety and better sightlines and replace the 285 balcony seats with 225 seats sized for modern rear ends. The building is also getting an elevator, new wiring, plumbing and ventilation systems, new bathrooms and new light and sound systems.
In all, the cavernous space — five floors on a 27,000-square-foot footprint — will be able to hold 1,500 for a concert, but also will be able to function café-style for banquets, receptions and smaller shows.
There is more in this article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
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Lakeland Square 10 closed
LAKELAND, FL — Dickinson Theatres closed the Lakeland Square 10 on July 29. Although the caption under the picture accompanying a recent article reads “for good,” the information in the article announcing the closing indicates that theater has been sold and may reopen under new management.
“The theater’s not maintained,” Yocum said. “We have lights out in the auditoriums, holes in the ceiling, light water damage, things like that.”
He said two of auditoriums are currently out of service because of maintenance issues, including lack of sound in one auditorium.
The full article can be read at The Ledger.com.
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How a boy’s death brought a West Bank cinema back to life
JENIN, ISRAEL — In a tribute to a Palestinian boy accidentally killed, the city of Jenin banded together to bring a cinema back to life.
“A city with 70,000 people without a cinema is sad — there’s nothing you can do and nowhere to go,” Vetter told CNN.
“I decided to stop making documentaries for a year and try to establish the cinema.
“We wanted to get the Jenin youth involved and give them a vision to believe in, something to aim for.”
Read more atCNN.
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August 4, 2010
3-D boom going bust?
HOLLYWOOD, CA – High ticket prices, poor quality films, and customer complaints about image quality are causing increasing numbers of cinema patrons to avoid much of the recent crop of 3-D films. This article at CNN.com takes a look at the apparent declining customer interest.
A river of schlocky films certainly doesn’t help boost attendance, but a river of overpriced, 3-D schlock may actually be steepening the decline. A July survey of more than 2,000 moviegoers by BTIG LLC, a broker-dealer firm, found increasing chafe at the high cost of 3-D films, which tend to carry around a $4 surcharge. That brings a $9 children’s ticket to see, say, Despicable Me, up to $13 in New York City — a despicable premium for a product that often provides little additional value to the movie-going experience, and may even detract from it.
Movie studios have never really risked broad consumer revolt against theatergoing because ticket prices have remained relatively low. Sure, theater attendance has suffered from a few slings and arrows, including the rise of the DVD and the increasing ease of online downloads. But the rollout of improved 3-D technology again gave the multiplex an edge, because the viewing experience could not be replicated at home.