I do understand that because of the conversion, the building still stands today. But the conversion was also destructive. The leveling of the floor would take quite a bit to undo. If they made the floor wooden instead, then it would have made the conversion that much easier to remove. This of course is on top of the other problems the building has such as the aforementioned ceiling.
I would say that a partial reversion is possible because there is no way that Beaver Falls could support a theatre this big any more. But it is possible that the balcony, roof and walls can be restored and part of the orchestra section restored. This way some stores could remain in the mini-mall section. This WOULD be a good plan of action as this would make most of the building in terms of generating income. Naturally the lobby and entrance to the theatre would be far from original, but everything else could be made as close to original as possible. This theatre did/does have a huge balcony. I believe close to 700 of its original 1600 capacity was in the balcony.
I do have a good plan for this building, but alas, the funds…it boils down to the funds. I believe 3-4 mil could do it, but I never worked out the specifics. One thing is for sure, I KNOW this will be one helluva beauty if restored.
As some of you may know the Norwalk Theatre has changed hands since November of 2006. It is now run by a private company and no longer owned by Towne and Country. Ronn no longer runs the theatre. As far as I know, only a couple of the original theatre employees remain.
The website above has been created by the new owners. Pretty nicely done site BTW. The beautiful Marquee is showcased nicely.
Really a nice looking building! I almost like the facade on this one as much as the Norwalk Theatre in Ohio. Love the curved marquee. Really nice! Believe it or not the only thing I DON’T like is the name. One solution would be to remove the S and the R and you would have ENATO. Now THAT sounds much better. Yet I do have my reservations about altering a piece of history.
So they almost have this building paid off then, huh? Curious to see what this one will sell for.
Another curious feature is the two box seats as opposed to a balcony. Why only two? I would figure you should be able to get more up there unless they use that area for office and storage. Pretty cool idea though.
It is tough to find a decent place. As I mentioned to you above when you first posted here. Either you will find that most town’s have either restored their old theatres already, converted them to other uses, or in a worst case scenario, demolished the building.
I do not know if you are dead set on a physical theatre space. For one, as we established, that will be a tough find. Think outside the auditorium and look at other large spaces that can be converted for theatre use. Look at old catering halls…reason being, you can do a dinner theatre (cabaret) in a place like this. I almost went this route myself with an old nightclub in Vermont. However, I felt the guy’s price was too high and walked away from the deal.
An acoustically damped church will work too. You would have a beautiful auditorium already in place. Most churches have a balcony too. But the key word is “acoustically” above. If you don’t know what you are looking for in a church, the building could be your worst nightmare. The biggest problem (outside of accoustics) with a church is that more than likely you will have to build an entire stage/backstage area (for live shows). Yet and again, depending on the building, this could be less costly than restoring an old theatre.
Look for something existing already…catering hall, meeting hall, an old school building.
If you are still set on looking for an actual theatre…you may have to prepare to move to it rather than look for one in your area. Especially if you want a building that you can work out of with little or no restoration (turn key).
I have found a beautiful building and it was one of the first ones I came across. But it is a little far for me. I have a family to take care of and my wife doesn’t want to move too far away from NY. I really do hate to let the building go because I know it would have been perfect for me. It would have been a dream come true for me because I ‘bonded’ with the building on site and I just knew it was a good choice. You will very rarely get that.
I am not saying to give up, but what you may need to do is set compromises. Perhaps lease a building for a while, just to set up operations and get some work under your belt. Keep searching. You will never know where a theatre may turn up.
A very nice link. I have seen pictures of the demolition before, not those color pictures of the lobby. I am surprised as well as the overall condition of the building just prior to demolition. It also makes me sick at the same time at how such a beautiful building was destroyed because of shortsightedness. Granted…if the Granada was still around today, it would be in a not so good area of town. Still if the city had a good plan for the area that would include the theatre, expand on it’s parking then it could have been better for the area all around. But now America has lost a real treasure.
Fortunately a similar theatre, The Uptown, is still standing and now with sights on preservation hopefully this theater will avoid the same fate as the Granada and be around for many future generations to enjoy.
You are probably right. I just know I will not be able to do it on movies alone. Between the high ticket prices on new releases, lousy high priced food, these new large home theatre systems and lately movies are going to DVD within a few months of being released in the theatre, it does make it tough to get people out of their homes and into the theatres. On top of everything for the theatre owner/operator, there is the high ticket sales precentages to deal with. Even the big boys are feeling it and putting up ever more larger and larger theatre buildings. Where I live, they are tearing everything down that has less than 10 screens. The new ‘norm’ here is 12 to 16 screens with a few 20’s thrown in for good measure.
So I am definately going to need something that caters to the performing arts as I do want to make this my lively hood. If I find a building can do movies as well…then all the better :).
If your building is not set up for live acts that is a problem. The most important thing is that you need a stage. In addition to a stage, I would need a whole backstage area for the performers. Without a stage this would look like a big remodeling job for me and I definately cannot afford that even though your 800 seat theatre would be a high candidate for a conversion to live use as you do have the occupancy.
Is the theatre a stand-alone or in a shopping center? If it is the latter than this presents another issue. You mentioned a landlord??? Naw I don’t want that. I would want to buy or lease to buy. I don’t want to throw my money into someone elses pocket and have no equity. Perhaps if the building is stand-alone the landlord could be coaxed into selling then that would be different.
Well, first things first. I do have my email address above…if you can, I would like to see some floor plans of the building to see if a live conversion is even feasible. In addition I would need to know what you are paying in terms of rent and what your asking price since it is obvious that you are selling the business and not a building with it.
I looked into this building and it still needs much work.
What it has going for it:
Apartment, 3 store fronts, nice low ceiling.
What it has going against it:
Secluded and bypassed town…main road doesn’t go into the town. One other major attraction nearby (A ski resort).
The town is practially a ghost town.
Summed up in a nutshell, you really need to do your homework with this one to make sure your project will work. Having deep pockets also is a big plus.
Middletown NY…Near Catskills, huh? Ok, you have my attention, as that is a reasonable distance for me. Use my old email address:
Hello DenDave. You can also email me at that address above. I am curious if you have website that I can look at to get a better idea of what you do. Are you a mobile act? If so, I also have friends in Ohio that recently bought a theatre (one I wanted no less) and I think they could use all the help they can get regarding live shows.
What is on your mind? I don’t put my email address here, because I don’t want to end up being bombarded with junk email. The last time I did that some guy kept on bugging me for insurance on a theatre I didn’t have yet!
Good luck in your search. Unfortunately for me, I am restricted due to family reasons as I cannot move to far away. I am hoping to find something either upstate NY or in PA.
I am looking for a theatre myself. But I am looking in the Northeast. What you can do if you are just starting out is use this very site. Go to the home page and set a theatre search based on Location. You have to navigate from country, then to state level. Now once there, alphabetize the towns (click on the towns heading). Scroll down to towns on the Orlando area and note any theatres that closed. Take down the information and/or simply click on the theatre to bring up it’s details. Cinema Treasures will give you the location via a map and there should be comments on each theatre. The comments are the most up to date way of finding out if a building is currently closed. Also, look in the openings/closings columns for the most recent news. Finding a recently closed theatre could mean that there is much less that has to be done to get it operational for business. Some theatres that are listed as closed in the location list may have been closed for decades and would require alot of money to refurbish. Also, do look into movie theatres that were built between the 1900’s and 1940’s. This era was known for Vaudeville acts and even though the theatre’s primary use may have been movies, it very well could have a stage or backstage area. However, most theatres like this usually need much help in expanding or updating the backstage areas. But you would have the added advantage of having a theatre that can do both, live shows and movies.
Do you have more information in regards to the Joy Theatre? There is no listing for it here in CT and I would like to see pictures of the building.
Nice knowing that the owner has a pizza parlor. With no seats in the theatre, I do have my gears turning in regards to a cabaret. Heh Heh Heh.
Does the Joy have a stage/back stage area? I am curious if it may already be able to handle live shows. How is parking in the area…that is very important too. Many old theatres run into this problem as many were built prior to having cars.
I belive it is still for sale and last price I seen it at was for $109k. I have seen recent pictures of the interior and it is in deplorable shape. the front part of the building is very restorable, but the deeper in you go, the the worse it gets. It was a depressing site to me because this WAS a beautiful theatre, very much like the Eberson atmospherics.
The theatre has two huge problems. One is that the stores have been built right into the auditorium and the floor was leveled with concrete. Miraculously, the stage and proscenium are intact (but in bad shape). The next major problem is the roof, it is made from concrete slabs and it is leaking near the balcony area and destroyed much of the ceiling and part of the wall in that area. In order to fix the roof you, by right, should remove the concrete slabs and go with an updated rubber roof. Both of these jobs alone will put the restoration costs in the millions of dollars.
The final thing you need to look into is if the town will support a theatre as large as this. This is a BIG theatre, with an occupancy of over 1500. Many small towns, like Beaver Falls, would find even a 500 occupancy theatre large.
However, if you do have the means and the town can support the project, I strongly believe that this theatre could clean up into a beauty once again.
You will need extremely deep pockets to start/restore a theatre here on Long Island. The average HOME tax on a 100 by 100 property is about $6000 per year. Could you imagine a business…especially one the size of a theatre?
Most Long Island theatres have been torn down or ‘absorbed’ into retail outlets. So there isn’t much left anymore in terms of a single screen wonder. The last big one that was restored was the Patchogue Theatre. Oh sure, I am sure if you look hard enough you may find ‘something’…but L.I. is a VERY expensive place to start ANY business…let alone a theatre. Yes, I am an LIer myself and I too am looking for a theatre, but just not on this excrement of an Ice Age Glacier.
I am itching to see what these buildings look like. Do you have photos or a link to photos? It sounds like you have had a first hand experience with the Joy Theatre. Do you happen to know the occupancy? I am looking for something around 500 seating give or take. A balcony is not important, there are pros and cons to a balcony. The biggest pro, generally a high ceiling for more impressive and larger stage sets. But that pro is also the main con. Balcony theatres generally have more volume in building height and the cost to heat the building would be a bit more. Lastly…as I hinted above…I need a place that can handle live shows. Do you know if either or both can do such?
I have been looking for theaters in PA recently, do you have more information on the Moose and Joy theatres? There are no listings for them here in Cinema Treasures.
I responded to your email. I delved into more details there. Naturally I hope you understand that I don’t want to delve into specifics here about the sale of a theatre here. I opened up my mouth once before too big in the past and got in trouble for it. So I learned not to discuss theatre transactions openly here. Take a peek at your email and we will take it from there.
Acutally there is much to the story of the “Fall” of the Paradise Theatre. Bad timing is the main issue. The Paradise was designed at a time when silent movies reigned supreme and most theatres supplied sound to these movies by elaborate organs. For this purpose the Paradise was simply the best theatre of it’s time, but an ugly acoustical problem reared it’s ugly head when “talkies” or films with sound came out. Given that this was just one year after the Paradise’s opening, many people realized that the Paradise fell short on it’s acoustics for the new “talkies”. The Marbro faired much better during this changeover to sound and naturally being just ‘round the corner, it quickly became the favored theatre in town. The Paradise was only hanging on by a thread, but the reason why it was demolished is that Balaban and Katz bought out the Marks Brothers theatre chain and this included both the Granada and Marbro theatres. Naturally, with owning the Marbro, there was no need to keep the Paradise, which was already failing. So they had it demolished, in favor of erecting stores, which also was unsuccessful. Call it the Paradise curse, but every business that has been on that property has failed miserably. Today, from a satellite image, it looks like the property is a parking lot or industrial site for heavy machinery.
No, I am not a military guy. I didn’t know that the theatre you want to buy is on military grounds. That part wasn’t clear.
Yes, I do stand by what I said about concerts being inexpensive to produce…provided you don’t have a headliner. If you want someone that you hear currently on the airwaves or some old favorites, then yes, be prepared to shell out the big bucks.
You probably would have to do with cover bands or tribute bands. Something very similar to what you would have at a fair or other public gathering. Granted, initial shows will not ‘pay out’ as a headliner will, but if you stick with several bands and they are good, the word will get around. So even with 300 seats, concerts and music based shows will be fairly inexpensive to produce.
Next, you should tap into the local dancing schools. Many of these arts schools are starving for a chance to perform and get a little money on the side. I am sure you can check a few places out and put together a program. Sure they are students…but many are good and a school will usually only put their very best on the line when it comes to a live show.
I will say at 300 seats, your building is what I would consider small. Generally I feel that 500 to 700 is about optimum and anything over 1000 is big (by todays standards).
Another thing you might want to look into is colleges they may assist in helping put shows and plays together.
So as you can see, there are many inexpensive routes you can go. But if you want to show Alvin Ailey Dancers, Reba McEntire, or CATS in your theatre…it probably will not happen.
Ahhh, Piano accompaniment. I have seen a resurgence of theatres beginning to use organs again, which is really cool. Might go over well with silent films if there is a market for that in your community. In terms of live shows, perhaps you could conduct a focus study (survey) of your theatre goers and find out what it is that they would like to see. If you didn’t have much success with live shows…then there is a problem some place. Outside of concerts (always a major plus..requires little expense, but you can take big on the ticket sales), usually musicals and dance related shows work. But again it depends on what the locals want.
Another thing that could present a problem with live shows is if you already have a theater in your area putting them on. Usually people will travel further to see a live show and if you got one (or more) within about an hour’s drive from you…you best check out what it is they are doing. Naturally, you would just have to change your programming as not to offer something similar at the same time as one of the other theatres in the area.
Now, do you happen to have a full backstage facilities? Meaning do you have dressing rooms, private bathrooms for the performers, etc. Generally if your building was a combined movie/vaudeville house, then much of what you need is already in place. However, I do find though that these older vaudeville houses are sometimes lacking in backstage facilities and could use updating.
Approximately where are you located? What state?
I would think in terms of films, first runs are the least profitable. However, I am referring to profits in terms of ticket sales. Of course, if you pack out the house and have alot of hungry people, you certainly can make it big with the concessions.
Speaking of which, do you have a good and well presented concession area? I would assume you are probably set here, but figured I ask anyway. Usually most independant movie houses have concession areas exceeding the quality of the typical movie chain corportion, which tend to use that plastic fake popcorn instead of the freshly popped kettle popcorn. So a good concession stand will always get the people coming back. Overall good prices will too. Here in NY average movie ticket prices alone are approaching the $10 per mark. Yes, believe it or not. You want popcorn and a drink? Put another $10 on that (and this is for the plastic fake popcorn). There are very few indie houses around here. Most of the old theatres here have been converted (to retail) or torn down. :(.
Nice info input Ken,
I do understand that because of the conversion, the building still stands today. But the conversion was also destructive. The leveling of the floor would take quite a bit to undo. If they made the floor wooden instead, then it would have made the conversion that much easier to remove. This of course is on top of the other problems the building has such as the aforementioned ceiling.
I would say that a partial reversion is possible because there is no way that Beaver Falls could support a theatre this big any more. But it is possible that the balcony, roof and walls can be restored and part of the orchestra section restored. This way some stores could remain in the mini-mall section. This WOULD be a good plan of action as this would make most of the building in terms of generating income. Naturally the lobby and entrance to the theatre would be far from original, but everything else could be made as close to original as possible. This theatre did/does have a huge balcony. I believe close to 700 of its original 1600 capacity was in the balcony.
I do have a good plan for this building, but alas, the funds…it boils down to the funds. I believe 3-4 mil could do it, but I never worked out the specifics. One thing is for sure, I KNOW this will be one helluva beauty if restored.
Geo
Hello Ken,
You are probably correct, but quite a few seats were removed to create the orchestra pit and handicap seating areas.
Geo
Hello All,
UPDATE.
As some of you may know the Norwalk Theatre has changed hands since November of 2006. It is now run by a private company and no longer owned by Towne and Country. Ronn no longer runs the theatre. As far as I know, only a couple of the original theatre employees remain.
The website above has been created by the new owners. Pretty nicely done site BTW. The beautiful Marquee is showcased nicely.
Geo
Really a nice looking building! I almost like the facade on this one as much as the Norwalk Theatre in Ohio. Love the curved marquee. Really nice! Believe it or not the only thing I DON’T like is the name. One solution would be to remove the S and the R and you would have ENATO. Now THAT sounds much better. Yet I do have my reservations about altering a piece of history.
So they almost have this building paid off then, huh? Curious to see what this one will sell for.
Another curious feature is the two box seats as opposed to a balcony. Why only two? I would figure you should be able to get more up there unless they use that area for office and storage. Pretty cool idea though.
Geo
Hello Maria,
It is tough to find a decent place. As I mentioned to you above when you first posted here. Either you will find that most town’s have either restored their old theatres already, converted them to other uses, or in a worst case scenario, demolished the building.
I do not know if you are dead set on a physical theatre space. For one, as we established, that will be a tough find. Think outside the auditorium and look at other large spaces that can be converted for theatre use. Look at old catering halls…reason being, you can do a dinner theatre (cabaret) in a place like this. I almost went this route myself with an old nightclub in Vermont. However, I felt the guy’s price was too high and walked away from the deal.
An acoustically damped church will work too. You would have a beautiful auditorium already in place. Most churches have a balcony too. But the key word is “acoustically” above. If you don’t know what you are looking for in a church, the building could be your worst nightmare. The biggest problem (outside of accoustics) with a church is that more than likely you will have to build an entire stage/backstage area (for live shows). Yet and again, depending on the building, this could be less costly than restoring an old theatre.
Look for something existing already…catering hall, meeting hall, an old school building.
If you are still set on looking for an actual theatre…you may have to prepare to move to it rather than look for one in your area. Especially if you want a building that you can work out of with little or no restoration (turn key).
I have found a beautiful building and it was one of the first ones I came across. But it is a little far for me. I have a family to take care of and my wife doesn’t want to move too far away from NY. I really do hate to let the building go because I know it would have been perfect for me. It would have been a dream come true for me because I ‘bonded’ with the building on site and I just knew it was a good choice. You will very rarely get that.
I am not saying to give up, but what you may need to do is set compromises. Perhaps lease a building for a while, just to set up operations and get some work under your belt. Keep searching. You will never know where a theatre may turn up.
Good Luck!
Geo
Hello Cam,
A very nice link. I have seen pictures of the demolition before, not those color pictures of the lobby. I am surprised as well as the overall condition of the building just prior to demolition. It also makes me sick at the same time at how such a beautiful building was destroyed because of shortsightedness. Granted…if the Granada was still around today, it would be in a not so good area of town. Still if the city had a good plan for the area that would include the theatre, expand on it’s parking then it could have been better for the area all around. But now America has lost a real treasure.
Fortunately a similar theatre, The Uptown, is still standing and now with sights on preservation hopefully this theater will avoid the same fate as the Granada and be around for many future generations to enjoy.
Geo
Hello Buddy
You are probably right. I just know I will not be able to do it on movies alone. Between the high ticket prices on new releases, lousy high priced food, these new large home theatre systems and lately movies are going to DVD within a few months of being released in the theatre, it does make it tough to get people out of their homes and into the theatres. On top of everything for the theatre owner/operator, there is the high ticket sales precentages to deal with. Even the big boys are feeling it and putting up ever more larger and larger theatre buildings. Where I live, they are tearing everything down that has less than 10 screens. The new ‘norm’ here is 12 to 16 screens with a few 20’s thrown in for good measure.
So I am definately going to need something that caters to the performing arts as I do want to make this my lively hood. If I find a building can do movies as well…then all the better :).
Geo
Hello Buddy,
If your building is not set up for live acts that is a problem. The most important thing is that you need a stage. In addition to a stage, I would need a whole backstage area for the performers. Without a stage this would look like a big remodeling job for me and I definately cannot afford that even though your 800 seat theatre would be a high candidate for a conversion to live use as you do have the occupancy.
Is the theatre a stand-alone or in a shopping center? If it is the latter than this presents another issue. You mentioned a landlord??? Naw I don’t want that. I would want to buy or lease to buy. I don’t want to throw my money into someone elses pocket and have no equity. Perhaps if the building is stand-alone the landlord could be coaxed into selling then that would be different.
Well, first things first. I do have my email address above…if you can, I would like to see some floor plans of the building to see if a live conversion is even feasible. In addition I would need to know what you are paying in terms of rent and what your asking price since it is obvious that you are selling the business and not a building with it.
Thanx,
Geo
Hello Buddy,
Can your theater also handle live shows or does it only do movies?
Geo
I looked into this building and it still needs much work.
What it has going for it:
Apartment, 3 store fronts, nice low ceiling.
What it has going against it:
Secluded and bypassed town…main road doesn’t go into the town. One other major attraction nearby (A ski resort).
The town is practially a ghost town.
Summed up in a nutshell, you really need to do your homework with this one to make sure your project will work. Having deep pockets also is a big plus.
Geo
Hello Mark,
I clocked in Middletown here on CT and I only come up with a Drive-In. A closed two screener… I hope this isn’t the theatre you are referring to.
Geo
Hello Mark,
Middletown NY…Near Catskills, huh? Ok, you have my attention, as that is a reasonable distance for me. Use my old email address:
Hello DenDave. You can also email me at that address above. I am curious if you have website that I can look at to get a better idea of what you do. Are you a mobile act? If so, I also have friends in Ohio that recently bought a theatre (one I wanted no less) and I think they could use all the help they can get regarding live shows.
Geo
Hello Buddy,
What is on your mind? I don’t put my email address here, because I don’t want to end up being bombarded with junk email. The last time I did that some guy kept on bugging me for insurance on a theatre I didn’t have yet!
Geo
Hello Maria,
Good luck in your search. Unfortunately for me, I am restricted due to family reasons as I cannot move to far away. I am hoping to find something either upstate NY or in PA.
Geo.
Hello Maria,
I am looking for a theatre myself. But I am looking in the Northeast. What you can do if you are just starting out is use this very site. Go to the home page and set a theatre search based on Location. You have to navigate from country, then to state level. Now once there, alphabetize the towns (click on the towns heading). Scroll down to towns on the Orlando area and note any theatres that closed. Take down the information and/or simply click on the theatre to bring up it’s details. Cinema Treasures will give you the location via a map and there should be comments on each theatre. The comments are the most up to date way of finding out if a building is currently closed. Also, look in the openings/closings columns for the most recent news. Finding a recently closed theatre could mean that there is much less that has to be done to get it operational for business. Some theatres that are listed as closed in the location list may have been closed for decades and would require alot of money to refurbish. Also, do look into movie theatres that were built between the 1900’s and 1940’s. This era was known for Vaudeville acts and even though the theatre’s primary use may have been movies, it very well could have a stage or backstage area. However, most theatres like this usually need much help in expanding or updating the backstage areas. But you would have the added advantage of having a theatre that can do both, live shows and movies.
Hope that helps!
Geo
Hello Dennis and Kristen
Do you have more information in regards to the Joy Theatre? There is no listing for it here in CT and I would like to see pictures of the building.
Nice knowing that the owner has a pizza parlor. With no seats in the theatre, I do have my gears turning in regards to a cabaret. Heh Heh Heh.
Does the Joy have a stage/back stage area? I am curious if it may already be able to handle live shows. How is parking in the area…that is very important too. Many old theatres run into this problem as many were built prior to having cars.
Geo
Hello Jen,
I belive it is still for sale and last price I seen it at was for $109k. I have seen recent pictures of the interior and it is in deplorable shape. the front part of the building is very restorable, but the deeper in you go, the the worse it gets. It was a depressing site to me because this WAS a beautiful theatre, very much like the Eberson atmospherics.
The theatre has two huge problems. One is that the stores have been built right into the auditorium and the floor was leveled with concrete. Miraculously, the stage and proscenium are intact (but in bad shape). The next major problem is the roof, it is made from concrete slabs and it is leaking near the balcony area and destroyed much of the ceiling and part of the wall in that area. In order to fix the roof you, by right, should remove the concrete slabs and go with an updated rubber roof. Both of these jobs alone will put the restoration costs in the millions of dollars.
The final thing you need to look into is if the town will support a theatre as large as this. This is a BIG theatre, with an occupancy of over 1500. Many small towns, like Beaver Falls, would find even a 500 occupancy theatre large.
However, if you do have the means and the town can support the project, I strongly believe that this theatre could clean up into a beauty once again.
JG
Hello Jessica,
You will need extremely deep pockets to start/restore a theatre here on Long Island. The average HOME tax on a 100 by 100 property is about $6000 per year. Could you imagine a business…especially one the size of a theatre?
Most Long Island theatres have been torn down or ‘absorbed’ into retail outlets. So there isn’t much left anymore in terms of a single screen wonder. The last big one that was restored was the Patchogue Theatre. Oh sure, I am sure if you look hard enough you may find ‘something’…but L.I. is a VERY expensive place to start ANY business…let alone a theatre. Yes, I am an LIer myself and I too am looking for a theatre, but just not on this excrement of an Ice Age Glacier.
Good luck in your search.
Geo
Hello Dennis Z
I am itching to see what these buildings look like. Do you have photos or a link to photos? It sounds like you have had a first hand experience with the Joy Theatre. Do you happen to know the occupancy? I am looking for something around 500 seating give or take. A balcony is not important, there are pros and cons to a balcony. The biggest pro, generally a high ceiling for more impressive and larger stage sets. But that pro is also the main con. Balcony theatres generally have more volume in building height and the cost to heat the building would be a bit more. Lastly…as I hinted above…I need a place that can handle live shows. Do you know if either or both can do such?
Thanx,
Geo
Hello DENNIS Z
I have been looking for theaters in PA recently, do you have more information on the Moose and Joy theatres? There are no listings for them here in Cinema Treasures.
JG
Hello Teresa,
I responded to your email. I delved into more details there. Naturally I hope you understand that I don’t want to delve into specifics here about the sale of a theatre here. I opened up my mouth once before too big in the past and got in trouble for it. So I learned not to discuss theatre transactions openly here. Take a peek at your email and we will take it from there.
Geo
Hello BRIAN,
Cool! Nice street video. I certainly would love to see a video of the OLD marquee.
Hello WARREN,
Acutally there is much to the story of the “Fall” of the Paradise Theatre. Bad timing is the main issue. The Paradise was designed at a time when silent movies reigned supreme and most theatres supplied sound to these movies by elaborate organs. For this purpose the Paradise was simply the best theatre of it’s time, but an ugly acoustical problem reared it’s ugly head when “talkies” or films with sound came out. Given that this was just one year after the Paradise’s opening, many people realized that the Paradise fell short on it’s acoustics for the new “talkies”. The Marbro faired much better during this changeover to sound and naturally being just ‘round the corner, it quickly became the favored theatre in town. The Paradise was only hanging on by a thread, but the reason why it was demolished is that Balaban and Katz bought out the Marks Brothers theatre chain and this included both the Granada and Marbro theatres. Naturally, with owning the Marbro, there was no need to keep the Paradise, which was already failing. So they had it demolished, in favor of erecting stores, which also was unsuccessful. Call it the Paradise curse, but every business that has been on that property has failed miserably. Today, from a satellite image, it looks like the property is a parking lot or industrial site for heavy machinery.
Hello Gary,
No, I am not a military guy. I didn’t know that the theatre you want to buy is on military grounds. That part wasn’t clear.
Yes, I do stand by what I said about concerts being inexpensive to produce…provided you don’t have a headliner. If you want someone that you hear currently on the airwaves or some old favorites, then yes, be prepared to shell out the big bucks.
You probably would have to do with cover bands or tribute bands. Something very similar to what you would have at a fair or other public gathering. Granted, initial shows will not ‘pay out’ as a headliner will, but if you stick with several bands and they are good, the word will get around. So even with 300 seats, concerts and music based shows will be fairly inexpensive to produce.
Next, you should tap into the local dancing schools. Many of these arts schools are starving for a chance to perform and get a little money on the side. I am sure you can check a few places out and put together a program. Sure they are students…but many are good and a school will usually only put their very best on the line when it comes to a live show.
I will say at 300 seats, your building is what I would consider small. Generally I feel that 500 to 700 is about optimum and anything over 1000 is big (by todays standards).
Another thing you might want to look into is colleges they may assist in helping put shows and plays together.
So as you can see, there are many inexpensive routes you can go. But if you want to show Alvin Ailey Dancers, Reba McEntire, or CATS in your theatre…it probably will not happen.
Geo
Hello Gary,
Ahhh, Piano accompaniment. I have seen a resurgence of theatres beginning to use organs again, which is really cool. Might go over well with silent films if there is a market for that in your community. In terms of live shows, perhaps you could conduct a focus study (survey) of your theatre goers and find out what it is that they would like to see. If you didn’t have much success with live shows…then there is a problem some place. Outside of concerts (always a major plus..requires little expense, but you can take big on the ticket sales), usually musicals and dance related shows work. But again it depends on what the locals want.
Another thing that could present a problem with live shows is if you already have a theater in your area putting them on. Usually people will travel further to see a live show and if you got one (or more) within about an hour’s drive from you…you best check out what it is they are doing. Naturally, you would just have to change your programming as not to offer something similar at the same time as one of the other theatres in the area.
Now, do you happen to have a full backstage facilities? Meaning do you have dressing rooms, private bathrooms for the performers, etc. Generally if your building was a combined movie/vaudeville house, then much of what you need is already in place. However, I do find though that these older vaudeville houses are sometimes lacking in backstage facilities and could use updating.
Approximately where are you located? What state?
I would think in terms of films, first runs are the least profitable. However, I am referring to profits in terms of ticket sales. Of course, if you pack out the house and have alot of hungry people, you certainly can make it big with the concessions.
Speaking of which, do you have a good and well presented concession area? I would assume you are probably set here, but figured I ask anyway. Usually most independant movie houses have concession areas exceeding the quality of the typical movie chain corportion, which tend to use that plastic fake popcorn instead of the freshly popped kettle popcorn. So a good concession stand will always get the people coming back. Overall good prices will too. Here in NY average movie ticket prices alone are approaching the $10 per mark. Yes, believe it or not. You want popcorn and a drink? Put another $10 on that (and this is for the plastic fake popcorn). There are very few indie houses around here. Most of the old theatres here have been converted (to retail) or torn down. :(.
JG