Not dead yet: How some neighborhood movie theaters manage to survive—and even thrive
Part 2: Inventive renovations and imaginative programming are keeping regional movie houses alive
Film Features J.D. Tippit
This is the second in a two-part series by The A.V. Club looking at the challenges faced by small, independent movies theaters across the country.
The big COVID-era fall off in moviegoing hurt the multiplex circuits like AMC Theaters and Regal Theaters badly. So imagine how things went for the proprietors of old school, mid-20th century single-screen venues—those dwindling neighborhood movie palaces that book one movie at a time, and can sink or swim on a single choice. One-screen venues must have been destroyed, right?
Not quite. The imaginative ones are doing just fine.
Meet David Pharr, developer and co-owner of the Capri Theatre in Jackson, Mississippi. As with many single-screen theater operators, there’s a sentimental aspect to Pharr’s attachment to the Capri. “Part of our motivation is that we didn’t want to see our childhood theater disappear,” Pharr says. “My partner Jason Watkins and I attended the Capri as kids, and we both saw Star Wars there. We felt an emotional connection to the Capri, and wanted to do something about it.”
But Pharr and Watkins are also businesspeople. They hedged their bets in creative ways, because anyone renovating a single-screen theater in the 2020s has to.
Movie theaters need to be about more than just movies
Pharr is a true believer in the “New Urbanist” philosophy of development—a contemporary movement advocating the revitalization of dilapidated urban centers. New Urbanists revere the walkable, sidewalk-lined boulevards and integrated public and private spaces of all the “old-town” shopping areas that were put on economic life support by the rise of shopping malls, and by the multiplexes that rose with them. “We are in a city (Jackson) with some really interesting, older commercial areas,” he says. “Really interesting historic buildings (like the Capri) hadn’t gotten a lot of love for an extended period of time, and we saw this as an opportunity.”
A survey of Jackson, Mississippi’s entertainment infrastructure told Pharr that one slice of the public was drastically underserved. “The thing that had been really underestimated was the demand for bowling in our market. Our consultants convinced us that bowling was the hottest added component we could find.” Pharr and Watkins decided the new Capri couldn’t rely on movies alone if it was to succeed. Adding a bowling alley to their renovation plan rose to the top of the list.
There were architectural advantages to exploit in the Capri as well. “This theater was kind of on the line between a palace and a neighborhood theater,” Pharr says. “It was this cavernous building, built on a hill, and for that reason it has a really steep (auditorium).” That steep slope made for great sight lines, another opportunity for “value added,” because according to Pharr, full meals can be served directly into the main auditorium without disturbing the sight lines of other patrons—even when a movie is underway.
Pharr and Watkins even made COVID work for them. They hit the brakes—just barely—on a planned 2020 construction start when the pandemic hit. “Our plan shifted to aiming the renovation toward a time when people would be ready to come back,” Pharr says.
The Capri reopened in February 2022, relaunching to sellout crowds with Spider-Man: No Way Home as “a first-run movie theater, a 10-lane bowling alley, and a full service restaurant and tiki bar.”
Finding moviegoers means finding your niche
A very different programming strategy informs the wild, alternative approach to “value added” cinema at the Dallas-based Texas Theatre—a landmark property best known as the auditorium where Lee Harvey Oswald was apprehended on November 22, 1963, after he killed Dallas patrolman J.D. Tippit and assassinated President Kennedy.
In 2010, the lease to the Texas Theatre was taken over by a group of independent filmmakers who wanted to have a space to screen their own movies, and who dreamed of a hub for the non-mainstream pictures they themselves wanted to see. They called their enterprise “Aviation Cinemas” as an homage to the Texas Theatre’s original owner, Elon Musk prototype and old school aviation tycoon Howard Hughes.“We were very aware of all the film festival movies that weren’t getting theatrical play in Dallas, which is a huge market,” says Barack Epstein, the CEO of the Aviation partnership. “There were lots of theaters here, but there was still good stuff that would fall through the cracks.”
Unlike the owners of the Capri, Epstein and his partners couldn’t really see a way for the Texas to support a first-run strategy, so they opted for niche, and an appeal to trash cinema connoisseurs. Most Texas bookings are older repertory titles, with the occasional first run art film in the mix. The Texas Theatre’s annual Oak Cliff Film Festival offers a full compliment of offbeat and international titles to Dallas-based cinephiles.
Epstein’s transformative idea was to use what he calls “movie-focused event programming” to convert the Texas into a kind of live music venue without the music, where the visiting stars aren’t Wolf Alice or the Mysterines but rather alt cinema heroes.
“The single-screen model, from the ’40s or ’50s or something, where you would just run the same movie for weeks—that’s not a model anymore, clearly,” Epstein says with a laugh. “You’ve got to treat it like a venue. A lot of single-screen theaters have been converted into 100 percent venue, where there’s nothing but live events. Our idea was that we could do that but come at it from a ‘movies first’ perspective, so the events are based around films.”
Clerks and Jay And Silent Bob filmmaker Kevin Smith uses the Texas as his Dallas headquarters for live appearances. As this article was written, the Texas was promoting both an upcoming evening with Troma Films schlockmeister Lloyd Kaufman and “Bruce-O-Rama,” a double feature of Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead movies hosted by their star, cult actor Bruce Campbell. The Texas leans into its slot on the death tourism circuit too, offering customized Lee Harvey Oswald mugshot merch for sale, alongside ticket-stub tees dated 11/22/1963.
What’s old is new again
Even with all the creative energy single-screen operators lavish on their theater, the life of the solo operator remains precarious. The Capri Theatre’s Pharr dreams of acquiring another space he can subdivide into two auditoriums for programming flexibility. And in 2021, after over a decade operating the Texas as a single screen, Epstein and his Aviation partners used their theater’s COVID closure to modify an unused balcony into another auditorium, so that repertory titles and alternative first run films could play side by side.
But even now, Epstein still believes in the single-screen possibility. “There are people who want to go somewhere different. Some of it’s just being in this 90-something-year-old building, and seeing its architecture. A lot of one screen theaters have that—they have history. My advice to the one-screen-theater operator is to lean into your uniqueness. Because you’re already unique. The importance of place is a big part of why people come to an older space.”
40 Comments
See, I really want movie theaters to just be about movies. I don’t want to have service at my seat, I don’t want recliners, I don’t want a bowling alley, I don’t want an arcade, I just want to see a movie.Thankfully the 6 screen place that opened in the ‘90s in my small town is still going. It doesn’t have any wait service or recliners but it does only cost $8.50 a ticket to see a weekend afternoon matinee and it’s only 10 minutes away.
I think recliners are great! So much less jam-packed feeling. But I get you.I have two options near me: the large AMC Dine-In theater, which has recliners, a bar, full meals, etc. and a locally owned Classic Cinemas branch, in a historic downtown theater. Until last year they only had one screen, in one BIG auditorium (they added a second smaller screen last year). They have other events there too – for instance I saw Neil Gaiman speak there – and at Christmas they show classic movies and have a Christmas song singalong beforehand with the organ that’s still there. (Some other Classic Cinemas locations are much closer to the AMC, but the Tivoli is their flagship.)I think they both have their places. I want to see both survive.
I like to go when there are only a couple other people in the theater anyhow. Usually Sunday afternoon matinee the second weekend a movie is out.Or the drive in, that’s the far superior option.
The problem is that an $8.50 movie ticket doesn’t work for just a few filled seats.
You need to charge more. And if you need to charge more, you need to offer more.
Eh, if they charge more I’ll be happy to wait for the movie on streaming.
Yeah my go to was FIRST Imax showing on like a Sunday on opening weekend. Saw the second Holland Spider Man movie and I was the ONLY one in the theater until the move started when one couple showed up. But now post pandemic the earliest showing is usually in the afternoon so BOO.
Not trying to change your mind, but the one time I did go to an Alamo Drafthouse, the server/usher was like a damn ninja.
It’s more the fact that I already paid for a recliner to watch movies in at home, I’m not paying a bunch of money to see a movie in a theater when I can do it cheaper and without driving 45 minutes at home.
Not sure a recliner always necessitates a higher movie ticket. At least when it comes to big chain theaters. A ticket to Renfield today @ 5pm at my local Cinemark, the only theater around me with a recliner is about $13.50. All other chain theaters without recliners(AMC, Regal, Reading) were priced between $12.50 and $15.50 for Renfield at the same time.
The indie theaters around me are generally cheaper, but they also rarely have first-run movies.
That’s all more expensive than the eight and a half bucks I pay for a matinee ticket at my local first run theater. Hell I can pay like ten bucks and see 2 first run movies at the drive in where I can smoke and bring my own beer.
It’s cheaper for matinee here, around that price, if not less/more. I just happened to look at the first movie that popped up(in this case Renfield @ 5pm today) for the general price of a theater with a recliner compared to a theater without.
The point being is there wasn’t a great differential between recliner vs. without. A couple theaters were actually more without. I don’t have a close by drive-in to me, but even so, I’d rather pay more for the better screen and sound system. However, nothing beats a drive-in for older movies and events. I drive a couple hours away to Mahoning a few times a year depending on the event and make a weekend out of it.
Ahh ok so you know where I am: I can drive down the mountain to go to the Mahoning Valley Cinema to see a movie for eight and a half bucks or drive down to Allentown and pay a lot more.Check out Becky’s, it plays first run movies and has a way better screens than Mahoning. Mahoning has been dark as hell for as long as I can remember, seeing the last Harry Potter movie there was not great. The last time I was there I think it was to see Legend and you couldn’t see the majority of the film. It’s literally 5 minutes from my house but I haven’t gone in years.
Thanks, I’ll look into Becky’s. I definitely agree that the 35MM projection at Mahoning is definitely dim. The draw there for me are the events and guests. The David Lynch weekend from 2021 crossed off a few bucket-list theater items for me and was a blast overall. Becky’s looks like a better setup and I’ll definitely keep an eye on their schedule.
I think it’s partially the fact that they haven’t repainted their screen in years. The events are cool though, definitely a couple that I should have gotten to but just didn’t.
Becky’s is a great setup, hope you can make it there at some point 🙂
We had maybe seven cinemas at one time. We’re down to two AMCs. The sound systems are garbage and most of the time the IMAX is “broken.” And people don’t complain.
There’s a chain called LOOK Cinemas that has a location near us (Glendale). They’ve got 12 locations spread all over the country. Tickets are $13-15 during prime time but they also have $6 tickets for the first show of the day (unclear if it’s the first show of each movie, which might be on multiple screens, or the first show in each auditorium, or what). It’s also a place that has food/beverage (including booze) service to each seat, reclining seats, and so much legroom between rows that you can be fully reclined with your legs sticking all the way out and people can still walk freely past you. It’s a pretty nice experience, given that the Arclight is still dead. The food’s not bad for movie food but it’s also typical high-calorie, high-fat, high-carb salty junk.
They also have an annual pass thing, which is normally $199 and grants you one free ticket per day, though they put it on sale during the last week of 2022 and I got it for $99. I’ve seen 13 movies so far, amortizing the cost to $7.61 per ticket, and at this rate it’ll be down to an average of $1.65 by the end of the year.Also, it’s ten minutes from my house and parking with validation is $1.
Makes perfect sense. For us a movie also means having to get a baby sitter, so an already expensive date gets more expensive.
I feel the same way. I’ve never been to an Alamo Drafthouse. I appreciate that some people want to dine in while watching a flick – although I’ve heard that if you want to eat and snack the bill gets big very quickly. So if I had the chance I’d pass on it. I want to walk into a theatre, sit down, see a show then leave.
Not a fan of the “dine-in” especially when they have that carrot and celery plate with dip on the menu.
Ew.
The recliners are great! I get you on the price, but I joined AMC A-List, so I can go to the theaters with the recliners at no extra cost. I liked them so much, I bought one for my home. I do like the seat service, but if you thought popcorn and a Coke were expensive at a movie theater, just imagine what a cheeseburger and a beer costs. Nope, no thanks.
I have 2 local theaters nearby that have 40 craft beers on tap and they do monthly beer tastings paired with a new release or cult favorite movie. Tickets are only $10/each so I pretty much only go local now. If it’s not playing what I want to see, I’ll RARELY go to closest decent chain, which is 25-30 minutes away
“Elon Musk prototype and old school aviation tycoon Howard Hughes.” I guess Elon is kind of like Hughes, at least on the surface. Then when you look even just barely below the surface you realize he’s a complete moron.
“Full complement.”Super article. I miss the 1920s movie theater that was next door, with its carved and gilded ceiling decoration. The owners did NOT use any imagination in trying to remain open, perhaps because the downtown storefront is far more valuable as commercially-zoned real estate than it is as a single-screen theater . It’s now a Patagonia store which, ok, but really?
Oh and here I thought you were talking about the abc series of the same name.https://www.google.com/search?q=Not+dead+yet&oq=Not+dead+yet&aqs=chrome..69i57j0i271.10400j0j7Please be careful of clickbait headlines
What is dying pretty quickly is the second-run or discount theater. A lot of them have closed or converted to first-run theaters. With how fast movies come to streaming now, a lot of people just aren’t going to them anymore.
Fairly certain this is the case in my town, except that the population of my city is just straight-up stupid. It’s a capital city, which means that you can be an idiot and still get and keep a good job. Anyone with ingenuity, talent and enough money gets the hell out. It wasn’t always this bad, but state jobs are dead-end. So our two AMC theatres do get some business but they only run action/superhero/fantasy stuff. People take their dumb kids and they all have a great low-brow time.
Jesus, you’re pretentious.
Yeah, I’ll never forget my second-run experience of watching OJ Simpson in Naked Gun 3 while he was still on the run from police. Magical.
That chase happened about three months after the movie was released. Now discount theaters show movies after about three weeks they premiered. The closest one to me is showing John Wick 4 already.
“With how fast movies come to streaming now”The actual cause was the shift to digital distribution. The cost and limited lifetime of a physical film print meant that there would be a lower number of screens showing a movie at any given time. With digital distribution the marginal cost of another screen to a distributor is essentially zero as compared to a film print. The capital costs fall on the theater, and if you can afford the conversion you might as well get first run and if you can’t afford conversion then eventually you don’t get anything.
I understand the appeal of the New Urbanist movement. The problem is that so many of those old buildings simply cost too much to ‘reclaim’. Many have been abandoned and neglected for so long that they are -quite literally – hazardous. I suppose it’s possible that contemporary plumbers, and all of the other workpeople involved in a renovation, may not even know how to work on these structures any longer, or find the materials necessary to make the buildings ‘livable’. We neglect our history in this country. My few old buildings in my own small city’s downtown are such a mess. Folks want to reclaim them but, between asbestoes problems and the varied wildlife taking over, it isn’t an affordable option.
That’s true. Not everything can or should be salvaged. Apparently the old art deco theater that I mentioned in my comments on part 1 of this series would require a massive investment. The news articles all said the building was in good shape, but a friend of a friend told me other day that the building’s whole HVAC was shot, and the roof needed a complete redo. Since the building sat empty for 10 years while the owner tried to sell it for way more than it was worth, the roof problems begat mold problems begat flooring problems. So now, while the building still looks great from the outside, it would probably conservatively take $10 million in renovations, plus $1 million for a new projection/sound system, to get the place up and running. I think the caveat to a lot of New Urbanism stuff is *when practical. In the example of my theater, it makes more sense to think about what beneficial development could go in there to promote other New Urbanist goals. A mixed-use development would make the most sense. Or a small grocery store. Even if you wanted to keep a movie theater there, you could probably build a whole new one, with 2-3 smaller theaters, for cheaper than rehabbing that old theater, sadly.
It is very sad. There’s a facebook site devoted to old photos of this city and everyone grieves that they’re gone. I suppose the best that we can do is learn from our past behavior. Why did we abandon our downtowns in the first place? The city I live in has become downright ugly. The aesthetics are very 70s in a lot of places, meaning that they, too, are being replaced by structures that are built quickly and cheaply.And for some reason (I’m tired, lol), I’m recalling a photo of the city’s first real library. It was a Carnegie building and very beautfiul but, damn, it hardly had any windows at all and they were enormous. Surely too big to open in the summer. It must have been hot as hell in there. I didn’t want to ask anyone why there were so few windows. Something to do with document preservation? It was most certainly a fire hazard.
Reporting in from down the street from the Grand Lake Theater in Oakland, CA. I get my first run movies there, and there’s something about the place that just seems to encourage audience participation (which I love). Cocaine Bear and Dungeons and Dragons were a lot of noisy raucous fun. But also they do things like Noir Week, where we all dress up and go to classic film noir double features. Or, this Saturday, I have a ticket for Purple Rain at 9:00. Viva the weird little old theaters, where going the movies is still fun!
My movie theater, meanwhile: “Oh, we broke the online infrastructure somehow, so we’ll be overcharging you on fees and not recording your rewards points for who knows how long until we get that fixed.”
A Marcus Theatres man, I see.
Not Dead Yet…Despite your efforts to kill them.
There’s a small theater in the next town over from me (rural NY). They’ve been open for several decades. The thing keeping them thriving is that the nearest big theaters are over 50 miles away.
I’ll go back when you make a movie theater where no one I don’t know or like is allowed to go in, thanks.