How Are Your Local Movie Theaters Doing?
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Philzone Refugee
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In my neighborhood in Seattle's U-District, the theaters are disappearing. With 40,000 students attending the University of Washington along with the support staff and administration, plus all of the non-university affiliated locals, this is kind of a head scratcher.
4 of our 5 local theaters have closed, and the last one open seems to be on thin ice.
Back in 2012, the Neptune Theatre, which had opened as a silent movie theater in 1923, did not renew their lease with the Landmark Theater franchise that was it's tenant, and transitioned into being a concert venue. It was a one-screen theater with a capacity over a thousand. With a 6-screen multi-plex just a couple of blocks away, it made sense that a one-screen in a big room operation would be challenged to draw the numbers to remain viable.
A little over 5 years ago, in the time just before COVID, a suspicious fire from the Italian restaurant that was downstairs burnt down the building that also housed the Seven Gables Theater, a small art-house cinema. They never reopened.
This past December, our other art house cinema, the volunteer-staffed Grand Illusion theater lost it's lease. While they are looking for another location, they are shuttered.
Finally, this month, I was shocked when the multi-plex up the.street, our local AMC theater, closed down. They were the big corporate theater that had contributed to the closing of the other theaters, how could they be folding? Too many folks abandoning the theater experience to stream at home? Too high ticket and concession prices? The rising costs of rents and labor? A lack of blockbuster films?
All that's left now in my neighborhood is the funky Varsity Theatre. It has looked like an old flophouse in a constant state of disrepair for years. Currently, someone shattered the glass on the front doors over a month ago, and they haven't replaced it. It usually is like attending a private screening there, more than 5 people is unusual. Somehow, they remain open.
Seattle is a big city, so without traveling too far, I still have options for a night at the movies, but it seems odd to me that this neighborhood, with it's attendant major state university population, can't make it work. Are theaters struggling where you live?
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Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: aiq
Down to one multiplex. I
Down to one multiplex. I have been once in two years, Oppenheimer.
Truthfully the place was a bit dingy and could use a good cleaning.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Druba
We've got 3 in my town
We've got 3 in my town (Corvallis, OR). 2 indi, and an AMC. One indi (Whiteside) is an old 100 year old theater,that was renovated, but can only show 2nd release films (thanks to the ass hats like the Moyer Bros(sp?) who had a monopoly on OR theaters a few decades ago).
The 3rd, the Darkside Cinema, has been around for 30 years. Started in a garage (called Avalon back then, a single room). Now it has 4 rooms in an old department store.
I've been renting a room once a month to show concerts in, they make me a good deal (I chose the date, they get to choose the time). Started last October and am still going. This month we showed Stevie Wonder Live at Last, next month i'm showing Tom Waits Big Time. It's currently for sale, and they've allowed for 2 years for someone to take over. But biz is mostly slow, and really dies down to nothing over the summers (college town, students leave, etc).
Another older indi theater got torn down to make 11 parking spaces perhaps 20 years ago...
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Mice elf
Our town is smaller than dave
Our town is smaller than dave's university. We have one movie theater, 20 years ago there were three here.
Eight screens and like two employees.
I'd give you the run down but it's already run down.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Ken D.
Portland is a cinema lovers
Portland is a cinema lovers town. The historic Hollywood Theater is the epicenter. Old 1920s theater run as a non-profit showing everything: indie, cult,, classic, grindhouse, and new releases on three screens. The main theater shows films on 35mm and has a grand restored pipe organ for live accompaniment for old silent classics. We are huge fans of their monthly kung fu series.
https://hollywoodtheatre.org/
They also own Movie Madness, the greatest and probably the largest video rental store in the world
No shortage of other independent theaters across town. Haven't been in a corporate multiplex in a long, long time
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Hello My Name Is
The downtown multiplex in our
The downtown multiplex in our town just closed, so now I have to go farther afield. I go several times a year when something good's out. The cinema experience is great for the epics and music films, home streaming just isn't the same. No art film houses in my town, unfortunately.
Hope they don't all close...
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MarkD
There is only one indoor
There is only one indoor movie theater in all of Lake County. When I saw the Dylan movie there, there were 8 of us in the audience.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Semolina Pilchard
My little town doesn't have
My little town doesn't have a movie theater, but there's usually a screening of a popular (but not recent) film or two under the stars in the park in the summer.
Forty miles north of me, there are a couple of multiplexes in Bakersfield, and forty miles south of me there are several of them in the Santa Clarita Valley. Another twenty miles south, in the SFV and LA, there are theaters large and small all over the place as you might expect, and at least one drive-in that I know of in Glendale.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: r n
About the same as Pope
About the same as Pope Francis
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Joe Buck is Back
Hollywood hasn't been the
Hollywood hasn't been the same since Weinstein went to jail.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: treat island
There are 2 small independent
There are 2 small independent theaters, each with two screens. One is an art house sort of near the university, one is right downtown and shows first run, often independents.
There are 2 corporate multiplexes at the malls, they don't sound appealing.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Mice elf
And now I see the David minor
And now I see the David minor theater was recently demolished
that's a real shame
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: treat island
Yes, Bss, sad indeed. For
Yes, Bss, sad indeed. For that I believe we can hold Brian Obie responsible. I can't remember if he had more apartments built or another parking lot.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Lance minimum goad Newberry
At least for me movies all
For me personally movies all seem to suck these days so I never go, but here in the Bay Area the overall scene seems to generally be OK.
In the South Bay 'burbs where I live the corporate multi-plex theaters and smaller family owned first-run places continue to stay open and the couple of "art houses" here are still open so they must be doing all right, and specifically in San Francisco there seems to be a resurgence in small independent theaters. There are a number of them showing a mixture of first-run, classic and art films along with live events.
Leave it to the fuckin' liberals to support theaters (said in classic red-hat MAGA sneer).
GO TO THE MOVIE!
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: _
Last time I was in the Bay
Last time I was in the Bay Area, I made a trip to the Mission District to see a film at the Roxie Theater. Life-changing experience.
I have a small monthly subscription to the cineplex at the mall, a pass for the arthouse, and catch screenings at various institutions, organizations and collectives around town. There's always something to see; it's a matter of making the time to see it.
Thratrical exhibition in some form or another is not going away, folks. It's just changing shape.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Dr. Benway
i have no idea how the
i have no idea how the theatres near me are doing. the most recent times i can recall going to a movie are - the heath ledger batman movie when it released, GD meetup at the movies 2012, and seeing the mr rodgers movie with my mom. yes, it can be a better viewing experience in a theater, but for me, its just not enough to justify the time, money and annoyances vs just putting whatever movie on at my house. id be surprised if i visit a movie theater more than 10 more times before i kick the bucket.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: An organ grinder’s tune
we recently saw the nicole
we recently saw the nicole kidman soft porno. we go about once a year. here it's all about up scaling.....i mean there are heated giant recliners and full bar service...seemed to be doing ok.
the other theater has been closed a few years now, the indi place near where i work is now a normal theater.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: _
(No subject)
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: _
Meanwhile
Meanwhile
https://www.theringer.com/2024/10/23/movies/repertory-revival-cinema-old...
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philzone Refugee
That was a pretty thorough
That was a pretty thorough analysis. I appreciated the author's admission that his own movie geekiness might color his interpretation.
Seattle still has the Seattle Independent Film Festival (SIFF) and other indie cinema, there are just no good options in the UW neighborhood currently.