Issue 103
March 2005
Keeping the Movies Downtown
by Teresa Gillotti*
Recent trends in the movie exhibition industry emphasize
new facilities with 16 or more screens, multiple story
stadium seating and digital sound and picture. While these
theatre concepts may work well in large metropolitan areas,
smaller cities do not have the population or density to
support these large developments, nor do such large
footprints fit in with downtown plans focusing on creating
pedestrian friendly districts with a sense of history and
place.
Regardless of the trends, smaller cities and towns still
feature viable downtown theatres that provide gathering
places and centers of affordable entertainment for all ages.
These theatres range from long-running single-screen
theatres and newer multiplexes, to non-profit or cooperative
theatres and even city-run movie houses. Below are
examples of successful theatres in small city downtowns
employing a variety of strategies to keep the movie house
lights on.
Towne Cinema: Watertown, WI, pop 21,598
Privately Owned and Operated
Steve and Dana Lind have owned the Towne Cinema since
November 2004, but have been in the film exhibition
business for more than 35 years. The secret to success for
this 3-screen, first run theatre is catering to the community’s
needs and maintaining the hometown atmosphere. “We do
what the big chains can’t do,” said Steve Lind. That
includes family films on Tuesday mornings, senior
screenings on Wednesday mornings, renting out a theatre
to a church group on Sundays and making screenings
available to schools, teams and other community groups.
According to the Linds’ agreement, once a movie is booked,
they can show it as many times a day as they want. That
puts Lind on the phone, trying to attract school groups to
movies based on books, like Lemony Snickett’s A Series of
Unfortunate Events and Because of Winn Dixie “You have
to be more aggressive in smaller towns,” he said.
The Linds face competition from a 16-screen theatre in
Johnsons Creek, a mere 12 miles from Watertown.
However, Lind insists that the Towne Cinema is run
differently, arguing that what the Towne may lack in state of
the art equipment, it makes up for in accessibility. A family
member is always on site selling tickets, and the theatre
itself can be opened up to groups like the boy or girl scouts
for a tour of the theatre, an opportunity to learn about the
theatre’s history and even a glimpse of the projection room.
Acadia Cinema Cooperative: Wolfville, Nova Scotia,
pop 3,658. Cooperatively Owned
Originally built in 1911, renovation of the theatre was
complete in 2004 by the Acadia Cinema Cooperative. This
non-profit co-op is comprised of members who purchased
shares for $100 each. The shares provide members with
voting rights and the option to redeem the shares at face
value after four years. In addition to the shares, the
cooperative solicits donations including “buying” a seat in
the theatre or a star in the lobby. Other financial assistance
comes from the city, which has reduced the property tax
rate to that of a residence, as it does with other non-profits
in the area. The building itself is co-owned with the
neighboring business, Just Us Coffee. This complementary
business also runs a café in the street-front part of the
building, creating an inviting entrance to both the coffee
shop and theatre.
The cooperative makes the facility available to groups for a
fee of $250 per screening or live event. The local non-
profit, the Fundy Film Society, is currently booking for all
other film groups using the space including family film and
university groups. Groups using the theatre provide either
paid or volunteer staffing for ticket sales, concessions and
other help. Current renters are breaking even on
concessions as they strive to make the prices reasonable,
said Bill Zimmerman of Acadia Cinema Cooperative.
Center For Community Economic Development, University of Wisconsin-Extension
610 Langdon Street, Madison, WI 53703-1104
PH: (608)265-8136; FAX: (608)263-4999; TTY: (800)947-3529; HTTP://WWW.UWEX.EDU/CES/CCED
An EEO/Affirmative Action Employer, UW-Extension provides equal opportunities in employment and programming, including Title IX and ADA requirements.
Flame Theatre: Wells, MN, pop 2,490
City Owned and Operated
The city of Wells considers their theatre part of the
recreational facilities provided and maintained by the city.
Running the Flame allows the city to provide an affordable
entertainment option to families in the area. “It is part of the
quality of life here,” said Ann Schuster, member of the city’s
theatre committee and former city council member.
Schuster said the job of the city council is to provide
services to the community that a normal business cannot.
In the case of Wells, it is a first run movie theatre with low
ticket and concession prices. Adult admissions run $3 each
and youth under 18 pay $2 with candy priced at $.50. The
theatre continues to break even. Schuster explains that the
Flame benefits as nearby families attend more frequently
due to lower ticket prices. In 2004, more than 26,000
tickets were sold. The Flame’s major challenge is booking
the big movies at a single screen venue. Schuster noted
that distribution companies often require guaranteed gross
or attendance figures before a bigger movie can be booked.
Even with 300 seats, the low prices may not add up to
enough to garner big movies limiting programming choices
and the powerful draw of big name films.
Creative ideas have resulted in a fund to purchase new
sound equipment. The Flame has collaborated with a local
high school class to provide local advertising before
movies. The class gains filming and editing experience
while the fees for advertising help the theatre stay current.
Great Escape Movie Theater: Massillon, Ohio, pop
31,325. Privately Owned and Operated by a Theatre Chain
For 10 years, the city of Massillon worked to redevelop an
area of downtown many considered a slum. Ideas through
the years included building a theme park, a civic arena and
a minor league hockey team. In the meantime, the city
purchased 8 acres of land including a lot that was
previously an old city ball field.
After the purchase, the city approached a movie chain
looking at a potential development site near a highway
intersection that featured high traffic and retail development
including Wal-Mart and Lowes. The land costs in the area
were high. The city proposed an alternate site for the
downtown movie theatre development that featured plenty
of activity and cheaper land. Alliance Entertainment of
Indiana completed a study of the downtown site and found
that it made good economic sense, even without city
incentives. Aane Aaby, Director of Community
Development for the City of Massillon said neighboring
properties made the development even more attractive.
The presence of a city-owned and operated recreation
center located across the street from the proposed site was
promising. In addition, Alliance Entertainment was able to
purchase both the 8-acre lot from the city and land adjacent
to what would be the theatre development. Aaby said that
greater control of the land and its future development
around the new 12-plex theatre was important to the
developers. Scheduled to open later this spring is The
Great Escape Movie Theater.
New Angola Theatre: Angola NY, pop 2,266
Non-Profit Ownership and Educational Opportunity
The renovation of the New Angola theatre began when the
Claddagh Commission, a local non-profit organization that
works with the developmentally disabled, purchased the
Angola Theatre in December of 2001. What followed was a
speedy renovation completed in May of 2002. In addition to
providing the community with a single-screen first run
theatre, the facility also provides work opportunities for the
Claddagh Commission’s clients. Last year, 38,000 people
attended films in the 393-seat New Angola Theatre. Jack
Chiappone, director of support for the Claddagh
Commission, noted that an individual could have just as
easily purchased, renovated and run a similarly situated
theatre. However, the investment, which he expects the
Commission will earn back in 7-10 years, has the positive
impact of supporting a local work program.
Pix Theatre: Lapeer, MI, pop 9,072
Mixed-Use Venue
The Pix Theatre serves as a focal point for local arts and
community activities within the traditional main street of
Lapeer, Michigan. An eight screen Cineplex within the town
limits dominates the movie market. As a result, the 296
seat PIX is primarily a live performing arts theatre that
shows second run films on weekends when no
performances are scheduled. In 1996, the city purchased
the PIX in order to save the historic building and its historic
use as a theatre. Several rows of seats were removed to
make room for a stage and the non-profit Pix Art Council
was created. The Council now runs the theatre with a
volunteer steering committee and single staff person to
develop theatre programming. The theatre season
stretches from September through May and features the
Lapeer Community Theatre, Local Artist Series, Premier
Series (with more regionally known talent) Kids Club and
School Days Series designed to complement Michigan
State school curriculum. Sue Griggs, Executive Director of
the Pix Art Council, said the future of the Pix continues to
focus more on the performing arts.
*Teresa Gillotti is a graduate student in Urban and Regional Planning at
the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
