Ideas, becoming a nonprofit is one (some of which are already being used for the few left in Sacramento) could come from this article in the Chicago Tribune.
An excerpt.
“MADISON, Wis.— The Strand is gone in Mount Horeb.
“So, too, is the Rex in Mauston and the Odeon in Beaver Dam.
“For the movie theaters that remain in downtowns around the state, the margins can be narrow, maintenance and utility costs high and the future uncertain in an age of changing technology, sleek multi-screen cinemas, Redbox movies for $1 and Netflix shows streamed directly to television.
“That's why the small theaters, most of them single-screen operations, are diversifying in an effort to maintain their tenuous hold.
“In addition to movies, some host musical concerts, plays and magicians.
“One movie theater company has a program that allows video game enthusiasts to use their PlayStation and Nintendo systems on the big screen for two hours. The $65 fee for four people includes unlimited soda and popcorn.
"It's all about finding other revenue sources," said Jeremy Patnaude, general manager of State Theatres in Platteville, which also operates theaters in Boscobel, Lancaster, Dodgeville and Menomonie. "It's utilizing what you have."
“Movies are big business. In 2009 theaters sold 1.4 billion tickets that generated $10.6 billion in revenue. The number of screens has been on the rise, but the number of locations is declining, the result of single-screen theaters closing and the construction of massive multiplex theaters, some with restaurants and their own parking ramps, according to the National Association of Theatre Owners.
“The Al. Ringling Theatre in Baraboo used to compete with multi-screen cinemas in Lake Delton and Reedsburg. But over the past year, the theater abandoned showing new releases and switched to classic and independent films. Showings have included "Casablanca" and the "Wizard of Oz." Over Labor Day weekend, "Jaws," originally released in 1975, hit the 17-by-39-foot screen. The Alfred Hitchcock thriller, "North by Northwest," is scheduled for March 25-26.
"They see (the film) the way it was meant to be seen," said Brian Heller, executive director of the historic theater owned since 1989 by a nonprofit organization. "Just because it's old doesn't mean its entertainment value has diminished."
About
- David H. Lukenbill
- I am a California native, married, we have one daughter and live close to the American River with two cats and all the wild critters we can feed. I am a management consultant to nonprofit organizations and have an Associates of Arts degree in Administration of Justice from Sacramento City College, a Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Behavior from the University of San Francisco and a Master of Public Administration degree, also from the University of San Francisco.