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Home » Theater News » Indie cinemas pack houses

Indie cinemas pack houses

posted by Michael Zoldessy on January 27, 2009 at 8:15am

Some local independent Boston-area theatres share their keys to success after a positive 2008.

But while big studio heads will have tears falling on the sleeves of their Armani suits, local independent movie exhibitors are quite happy with the way the year played out. They had more people lining up at their ticket booths, not less.

“We saw an increase in ticket sales,” says Ned Hinkle, creative director of the Brattle Theatre. “We’re waiting to crunch the numbers for the whole year, but we believe we saw a small increase in attendance, as opposed to other years where we’d seen a number of small decreases in attendance. Now we see an up tick."

Read more in Wicked Local.

(Thanks to KingDafy for providing the photo.)

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YOUR COMMENTS

 
Ahhhhh....love this photo of the Coolidge Corner Theatre, which, along with the Brattle, is my favorite movie theatre.
posted by MPol on Jan 27, 2009 at 3:58pm
Oh, and I also might add that I'm glad to hear that attendance at these theatres have increased. Here's keeping my fingers crossed for the good omen!
posted by MPol on Jan 27, 2009 at 4:00pm
wish i could pull that off at the joint i run
posted by newt wallen on Jan 28, 2009 at 1:37pm
Which place is that, newt wallen? Just curious.
posted by MPol on Jan 28, 2009 at 2:23pm
the broadway theater in pitman nj, its an 86 year old recently fully restored single screen house, the movies have been pushed to the backround to make room for more plays and concerts so im doing it by myself took a paycut to save the films in 09

but there is potential if i was just allowed to add my 2 cents from time to time
posted by newt wallen on Jan 28, 2009 at 2:27pm
Don't know what to say, newt wallen, except keep on truckin'. you'll hopefully strike pay-dirt if you keep adding your two cents. As some people say, if you keep hammering the nail on the head, sooner or later, it's going to go in.
posted by MPol on Jan 28, 2009 at 2:37pm
hahaha i wish it were that easy
posted by newt wallen on Jan 28, 2009 at 2:47pm
i do enjoy very muchh seeing indie theaters in the shadows of the regals and amcs able to carve out a piece for themselves, in the town im in i have to choose the content of my films carfully so it cuts out some fun events others are able to do. but the one thing i had going for me was one classic film a month in 35mm which i handled and we did well despite the lack of advertising. but your right if i have learned anything in the last YIKES 10 years i have been doing this (at the old age of 27 now) is all i can do is keep trucking and pick my battles
posted by newt wallen on Jan 28, 2009 at 3:20pm
Hi, newt:

I realize that it's far easier said than done. Didn't mean to sound flip about it.

I, too, think it's great that some of the indy movie theatres are still functioning, which is partly why I hold an annual membership at a favorite theatre of mine that's an indy theatre.

Have you ever thought of having two classic films a month instead of only one? Just curious, because, with the way that lots of movies are now, many people are interested in the older classic films.
posted by MPol on Jan 28, 2009 at 7:00pm
if we went back to classics i would have to fund them
posted by newt wallen on Jan 28, 2009 at 9:29pm
You mean because the company wouldn't? Okay. I get you. It's amazing that even in this tanked economy, lots of businesses/companies are still into their own agenda.
posted by MPol on Jan 28, 2009 at 11:41pm
yeah, and i live allmost an hour from the theater i run, but the moment we stopped showing classics another chain localy picked them up and advertise the shows and SHOW TIMES and they make out like bandits, i love films, i love showing and prepairing and talking about films, but i allso have to pay my bills and put gas in my car so some times the things you love dont love you back
posted by newt wallen on Jan 29, 2009 at 12:00pm
I hear that, newt, and I wish you the best of luck.
posted by MPol on Jan 29, 2009 at 1:03pm
MPol, I think your heart is in the right place, but your statement at 11:41pm is practically nonsensical: what company WOULDN'T follow its own agenda?
posted by Ian M. Judge on Jan 30, 2009 at 3:14pm
no i understand what MPOL is saying as far as an agenda. when there are other options to be explored to help every area of a buisness grow instead of cutting off the nose to spite the face, but i can see your side as well IAN its this companies money and they can do what ever they want with it including showing movies when people are not home from work yet, or not allowing me to hang movie posters or advertise
posted by newt wallen on Jan 30, 2009 at 5:15pm
Good article, though I wish they'd thrown in a few other locsl independents: Somerville Theatre, Capitol Theatre in Arlington, Studio Cinema in Belmont, Lexington Flick.
posted by Ron Newman on Feb 10, 2009 at 10:26am
What about the Brattle Theatre? Isn't that an independent theatre? I think so.

Frankly, however, I'm not exactly sure that I'd call Studio Cinema in Belmont, Lexington Flick, or Capitol Theatre in Arlington independents, since they play pretty much what everybody else plays, while the Brattle, the Somerville Theatre, and the Coolidge Corner Theatre play a healthy mix of various types of movies, if one gets the drift.

If, on the other hand, you mean by independents, theatres that're not part of big franchises such as AMC, Regal, to name afew, then yes, I would consider the other theatres that you mentioned independents.

posted by MPol on Feb 10, 2009 at 6:02pm
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