It would be curious to see an earlier picture of this theatre. It could be just the picture that LOST MEMORY provided showing the theatre in it’s waning stages, but the facade on this one is hideous painted all black like that. Pretty scary looking. I wonder if the inside was just as ‘scary’ looking. Usually once these classic theatres become ‘adult’ houses, they are irrepairably destroyed. There is another hideous one that still stands in Worchester, MA…the Paris, also destroyed by becoming an adult house. I believe it will suffer the same fate as the Muse.
LONGISLANDMOVIES—I don’t know if you are continuing to look for theatres on Long Island. There are some to be had with the recent closing of several multiplexes. But they are all of the newer, less elegant type. There is a big UA in Coram that closed down a while ago. I believe it is still standing. But the location is horrible. You can only see the billboards from the street as the building is set back. But unfortunately there isn’t much on Long Island. Let alone I don’t think you could start up a business here cheaply anyway. Taxes are too high. That is why I am moving. There seems to be a few other nice places in PA. But for me, I want a multi-functional place…one that can do both live shows and movies. One thing I am amazed that there are quite a few Drive-In’s floating around, mostly in PA, Ohio, and Virginia. If that is your bag. But for me the search is still on.
LONGISLANDMOVIES—The theatre is in bad shape. I seen recent pictures of it. It has had the orchestra seating section filled in to grade level with concrete and they built stores and offices right into the auditorium right up to the proscenium which is still miraculously intact. However the big problem lies in the roof. It is a concrete slab roof and it is leaking right now and already caused major damage to one area of the building. The roof would have to be removed and replaced with a truss roof. Even if the building was gutted, the major problem would be dealing the leveled floor. So yes, while the $90,000 price tag is very attractive, it will take about 2 or 3 million to get the building back in shape. Beaver Falls, while a very nice town, is a victim of an area called the “Rust Belt”. A town that is basically struggling to get back on its feet due to a mass exodus of people leaving when all the steel mills closed down in the 80’s. They are making a comeback, which is a good thing. But it is a slow process. Should one start a busines here, you would have to allow much extra capital because the turn over will take a long time. Too much at risk for me, so I just went off to look for something in better condition. But if someone did have the bucks to plonk down on that theatre and restore it, it would be a tremendous asset to the town. As you can see from the pictures the facade is in excellent shape. I do like this building alot as it does reflect very much on the John Eberson Atmospherics. Restored this will prove to be a beautiful theatre. But the truth is, will the town be able to support a 1600 seat theatre? It is a pretty big place. I learned alot since I first found this building. I just know it it out of my league.
A while back there was a guy selling several theaters in the Oklahoma area. He was selling a six and a three. The three had an apartment in it so you can live there. Finally he also had a drive in as well…CHEAP too! The listing is no longer on Ebay (where I saw it) but perhaps you might be able to track him down. As far as I know he didn’t sell any of the theatres and you would have your pick. I wanted a live theatre and Oklahoma is too far for me anyway. But he was selling them for good prices. Perhaps you can do a web search and see what comes up.
Oh, I understand what you are saying and ecomonically you would be 100% correct. There is just not a market for huge theatres any more due to changing times and “progress”. I know what you mean, I am right now going through a feasibility study myself for a theatre I would like to buy, but I am hope that its size is an asset and not a hinderance. But in a town with no live theatres and only a few in the surrounding areas, I believe it will work out. The numbers unfortunately do dictate everything. True Chicago does have many of it’s classic theatres, one favorite restored theatres is the Chicago. I was not familiar with the stage problems of the Granada or Uptown, but both were used as concert venues before. The Uptown would have continued to do so, but fell on lack of maintenance and repairs. So I would think that something could still be feasibly done with the Uptown since it is in the city. But as you pointed out, in the very least if the building has to be used for another purpose, do retain as much as possible it’s past heritage. I do go through this alot…it is a personal war within that has the artistic and historic side of me fighting with the business side. But in the very least your ideas for the Granada would have at least saved part of the grand building. But too, to the purists, they may argue that issue as well. Unfortunately the Granada is gone and there is nothing anyone can do about it now. But perhaps there are some very creative people out there that could find good uses for most of the remaining classic theatres that are out there. One card that I am hoping to play is localization. With today’s high gas prices, local people may soon be returning to entertainment that is close by. Perhaps that will spawn on some restorations.
LIFES TOO SHORT—Agreed, they could have done something…but even more than just save the facade. The aweful thing was that this theatre lasted until the 90’s when movements were already in place to save theatres. So I guess that is why this one really bothers me alot that it was torn down so late. I think also there is a bit of a personal attachment to this building especially since I found out it was the inspriation for the the album cover of Styx’s Paradise Theatre…of which to this day is one of my favorite albums and was one of the reasons I became interested in the theatre industry. If you looked at the old pictures of the Granada’s original marquee, you can even further understand my grief at why this theatre was destroyed (see the pictures I submitted from both the Granada and Marbro above). It is sad and very important to protect what we have left. Chicago has still another gorgeous theatre left…the Uptown, I believe there is still hope for this gem.
This looks like it was at one time an awesome theatre. It looks like it needs help now. Is it still for sale? Would anyone know if this theatre ever had live shows? Since it was twined at the balcony, I am curious if the primary theatre has a stage.
I am curious to what you have come up with. So far I have reached a couple hurdles to overcome myself. But if you obtained more information on booking films then I am game for that. It is something I do have to address sooner or later anyway. The business plan is just a bigger issue right now that needs to be addressed first. But I will check out the new blog you are going to set up.
DONVT—I am interested in what you have to say as well. Particularly I need similar advice NBOLMER needs. Also the building I am looking at is similar too. It can do both film and live acts. What I need is advice on calculating revenues, which does hinge on good market research data. I thought about hiring someone to do this…but many charge a rediculously high fee, and I need to save as much money as I possibly can. Besides, I feel if I get out there myself, I could have a better understanding of the market and even make important adjustments to my business plan. This is something that hiring out CANNOT do. But I am a bit at a loss of where and how to gather this important information. Any advice would be much appreciative. I am sure NBLOMER will be listening in as well :).
I wonder if this was the theatre that was converted to the “HollyRock” nightclub in the mid 90’s. It was amazing what they did with the place. It was an interesting ‘new-life’ for an old theatre. They kept the screen and projection booth and showed films in the day. At night it was a restaurant/nightclub. I never was in the theatre prior though.
According to John Reimnitz the architect that redid the building it was 10,000 sq feet and originally had 300 seats. Unfortunately I do not agree with this info. At 10,000 square feet and the fact the building retained it’s balcony, I would say that the theatre was originally closer 800 seats rather than 300.
Well, I believe if you read through this post, it will give you a good idea of the full history behind the Paradise. I believe after the building was razed a retail outlet was built on it’s site and that too didn’t do too well and shut down. Just about everything that went on that spot had bad luck. I think that building was razed too and it is as you see it now, and empty lot. I am not sure if it used for parking. It could be. What would be funny is that I wouldn’t be surprised if much of the basement structure of the Paradise still exists. The retail store was built right on top of it.
The theatre I am looking into just happens to be a John Eberson creation as well, but it is not a Golden Era theatre (A theatre built in the 20’s), but more along the lines of an Art Deco or Art Moderne. Still it is a classic.
Does anyone have more information on this building? From the photo provided by LOST MEMBORY, it looks like it is just “there”. I don’t see other buildings or a parking lot near it. Is is for sale? What more…it looks like this is a reverse theatre, can someone confirm this?
NBOLMER—Welcome Back! Sure I will share some information, but keep in mind unless you are in the general location, that figures will have to be adjusted based on location of suppliers and also your target market too, what they like to see and hear and what age groups you are going to do programming for. Speaking of location, I couldn’t help but notice that your building is very similar to the one I am buying. Without giving the location away, this wouldn’t happen to be the theatre located in North Central Ohio, very close to Cedar Point, is it? I have dibs on that one and I am also in purchase agreement as we speak. For some reason though, they are still letting people look at the place and have not taken down the for sale sign off the marquee. I guess they are still lining people up in case my financing doesn’t go through. If this is the same building we are talking about, we must talk and outside of this message board.
GWATERMAN—You mentioned that you are in the venue management company. I would like to discuss with you about doing market research and applying it to a business plan. I did want an outside company to do it for me, the costs are prohibitively expensive. So I would be curious to listen to what you have to say on this topic. If you let me have your email, I can contact you directly.
GABBY—Why are you so angry to NBOLMER? He didn’t do anything wrong to you. I think he does bring up some valid points. You mention he doesn’t establish the size of his building and he clearly says it is 80,000sq ft and it has orchestra and balcony seating. If you are looking for more accurate figures, I doubt he would present them here in a message board, and for good reason. I too once had a big mouth here and someone pulled a building right out from under me. So I don’t give too many specifics either. As to your last point, someone that is ready to run a businss will not ALWAYS have all the answers. Were you born with a silver business spoon in your mouth? No, I think not. Everyone has to learn somewhere and the truth is that many, including myself, that enter the movie or live act industry do it for the reason of putting on a show and more then likely that is where most of their knowledge lies. In my case I would like to know more about the movie industry as I know live shows, but the theatre I want to buy is also a movie theater and I believe it is a viable market to tap into for additional income. So not everyone knows business plans, pro formas and other details necessary for starting up and running a business. What NBOLMER is trying to do is just obtain information so he can get a better heading on what he has to do and what is needed to run his business. Now I will say that it was not right for NBOLMER to make the ‘troll’ reference to you, but it is clear that you are trying to stir something up here…and for fun. Outside of that reference NBOLMER has been politely asking questions and offering gratitude when an answer is given, these are clearly not the intentions of a Troll on his part. I think you should carefully review this entire document and compare his comments to yours. Bottom line, if you don’t have anything good to say or constructive in regards to the topic. KEEP OUT!
Is this theatre still up for sale? This posting says the theatre is a movie theatre…yet the link points to pictures and a description that says it is a live theatre. I would assume that it is both, but would rather hear it from someone who is familiar with the theatre. While I am interested in this building, the $450k price tag seems a bit pricy for a theatre building in a predominately seasonal area. Being that that website is old, hopefully the price has been ‘adjusted’ by now…if it is still for sale.
GABBY—No No, nbolmer has brought up a good point and there is much to learn here. Don’t put him down. I am going through the same stuff myself right now.
NBOLMER—I too am looking to buy a theatre, also in Ohio. I too am putting together a pro forma for a business plan. So I think there is alot of information that we could possibly share. I have determined the utilies for my building already as well as the concession costs. In my case though I have the advantage of purchasing a theatre that is still open. So I can get SOME info from the owners…but they are not willing to release critical information to me (show me the books) because they are only selling the building off and not the their entire business. So that was my easy way out that didn’t pan out. So much of the information I have already compiled in terms of expenses. There will be a bigger problem though and you will face this as well. I am finding out calculating expenses is fairly easy compared to finding out the revenues from your target market. There is ALOT of estimating and projections you need to do here. If you are looking at hard numbers here, no dice. I already tried. I am even thinking about investing in a market research company to assist me here. Most of my revenues will be from live acts though so movies would just ‘fill in the slow periods’. I am also going to use the theatre for other functions as well, such as music shows and concerts. So this is an extra challenge in creating my business plan because I can have revenue coming in from much more than just my target market.
Overall my operation is a bit different than yours as I am mostly catering to live acts as that is where my background lies. But the place can also do movies and the current owners are doing first runs. Yeah I know…hard to believe a single screen first run movie house. I understand the concept behind how films are booked, but I too have nothing really ‘hard’ to stick into my business plan. So in this case I am in the same boat as you. WGTRay has provided quite a bit of info on the topic of film rentals and thus I am now following this thread. I do wish you the best on your venture. It will not be easy, as I am learning the hard way myself. But the internet is great and I probably saved a TON of money doing most of the work myself.
WGT—I see you left your email address, I would like to contact you as well for more insite on theatre film rentals, if you do not mind. You have quite a big of knowledge in this area and I believe the information you present to nbolmer is also useful to me.
Hello
CJARRETT—Is this true of all film sourcing or only “collector prints”. The reason I ask is that I am in the midst of purchasing a theatre. The building is a combo live act/movie house and I am mainly interested in the live act part. I probably will run some first runs during the slow periods. But I do have to figure out where to get the films from and what the costs or for a market study/and business plan. You seem knowledgable in the ‘film’ department and I wonder if you could tell me what these costs are.
It looks like it sold for $8500. I hope this new owner has deep deep deep pockets. Judging by the pictures, it looks like someone detonated a bomb in this place.
CHUCK1231—I am sorry, I don’t know the particulars on why it closed. When I found out it was closed last fall, I looked into it’s possible sale. So I contacted the Erie County Chamber of Commerce and they informed me that the State Theatre is not for sale and will reopen. As for function, I believe it was a combo theatre that catered both to live acts and movies. I am assuming that it will return to that function. The Chamber didn’t give me a time frame of when it will re-open. So I just hope the theatre is in good hands. It is a nice looking building.
PATSY—Ohio still has some nice theatres kicking around. I am looking to buy a theatre and I was interested in the State Theatre in Sandusky when I heard it closed, but apparently it is not for sale and scheduled to reopen. So that is a good thing.
Offtopic: I been following your conversations with STEVEPATRICK. Have you two kept in touch? His dreams and goals are very similar to mine.
STEVE—I have seen your posts floating around here at CT for a while now. Did you ever find what you were looking for in a theatre? I am asking because I too am looking for a place to showcase live acts. Really, I would'nt mind a place that does both movies and live acts…but I would prefer live acts as there is not much money to be made in movies. So did you find a theatre? It is funny too because I was also looking the MA area and the only thing I found was the Paris Theatre and from what I gather it is located in the seedy part of Worcester, MA. Not the idea places to set up operations. I saw in one post that you were interested in the State Theatre in Sandusky, Ohio. That is a big jump…MA to Ohio. This is where I first came across your posts and I too was going to persue interest in the State Theatre, but seeing nothing in terms of a for sale sign, I turned to the Erie County Chamber of Commerce. They said that the State theatre will reopen soon. So I doubt it will be put up for sale :(.
And this is a reminder to all who want to tear down and old theatre. Oh yes, they can bite back. As they say, payback’s a bitch!
JG
It would be curious to see an earlier picture of this theatre. It could be just the picture that LOST MEMORY provided showing the theatre in it’s waning stages, but the facade on this one is hideous painted all black like that. Pretty scary looking. I wonder if the inside was just as ‘scary’ looking. Usually once these classic theatres become ‘adult’ houses, they are irrepairably destroyed. There is another hideous one that still stands in Worchester, MA…the Paris, also destroyed by becoming an adult house. I believe it will suffer the same fate as the Muse.
JG
Hello
LONGISLANDMOVIES—I don’t know if you are continuing to look for theatres on Long Island. There are some to be had with the recent closing of several multiplexes. But they are all of the newer, less elegant type. There is a big UA in Coram that closed down a while ago. I believe it is still standing. But the location is horrible. You can only see the billboards from the street as the building is set back. But unfortunately there isn’t much on Long Island. Let alone I don’t think you could start up a business here cheaply anyway. Taxes are too high. That is why I am moving. There seems to be a few other nice places in PA. But for me, I want a multi-functional place…one that can do both live shows and movies. One thing I am amazed that there are quite a few Drive-In’s floating around, mostly in PA, Ohio, and Virginia. If that is your bag. But for me the search is still on.
JG
Hello
LONGISLANDMOVIES—The theatre is in bad shape. I seen recent pictures of it. It has had the orchestra seating section filled in to grade level with concrete and they built stores and offices right into the auditorium right up to the proscenium which is still miraculously intact. However the big problem lies in the roof. It is a concrete slab roof and it is leaking right now and already caused major damage to one area of the building. The roof would have to be removed and replaced with a truss roof. Even if the building was gutted, the major problem would be dealing the leveled floor. So yes, while the $90,000 price tag is very attractive, it will take about 2 or 3 million to get the building back in shape. Beaver Falls, while a very nice town, is a victim of an area called the “Rust Belt”. A town that is basically struggling to get back on its feet due to a mass exodus of people leaving when all the steel mills closed down in the 80’s. They are making a comeback, which is a good thing. But it is a slow process. Should one start a busines here, you would have to allow much extra capital because the turn over will take a long time. Too much at risk for me, so I just went off to look for something in better condition. But if someone did have the bucks to plonk down on that theatre and restore it, it would be a tremendous asset to the town. As you can see from the pictures the facade is in excellent shape. I do like this building alot as it does reflect very much on the John Eberson Atmospherics. Restored this will prove to be a beautiful theatre. But the truth is, will the town be able to support a 1600 seat theatre? It is a pretty big place. I learned alot since I first found this building. I just know it it out of my league.
JG
Hello
MIKE IN Okly,
A while back there was a guy selling several theaters in the Oklahoma area. He was selling a six and a three. The three had an apartment in it so you can live there. Finally he also had a drive in as well…CHEAP too! The listing is no longer on Ebay (where I saw it) but perhaps you might be able to track him down. As far as I know he didn’t sell any of the theatres and you would have your pick. I wanted a live theatre and Oklahoma is too far for me anyway. But he was selling them for good prices. Perhaps you can do a web search and see what comes up.
JG
Hello LIFE’S TOO SHORT
Oh, I understand what you are saying and ecomonically you would be 100% correct. There is just not a market for huge theatres any more due to changing times and “progress”. I know what you mean, I am right now going through a feasibility study myself for a theatre I would like to buy, but I am hope that its size is an asset and not a hinderance. But in a town with no live theatres and only a few in the surrounding areas, I believe it will work out. The numbers unfortunately do dictate everything. True Chicago does have many of it’s classic theatres, one favorite restored theatres is the Chicago. I was not familiar with the stage problems of the Granada or Uptown, but both were used as concert venues before. The Uptown would have continued to do so, but fell on lack of maintenance and repairs. So I would think that something could still be feasibly done with the Uptown since it is in the city. But as you pointed out, in the very least if the building has to be used for another purpose, do retain as much as possible it’s past heritage. I do go through this alot…it is a personal war within that has the artistic and historic side of me fighting with the business side. But in the very least your ideas for the Granada would have at least saved part of the grand building. But too, to the purists, they may argue that issue as well. Unfortunately the Granada is gone and there is nothing anyone can do about it now. But perhaps there are some very creative people out there that could find good uses for most of the remaining classic theatres that are out there. One card that I am hoping to play is localization. With today’s high gas prices, local people may soon be returning to entertainment that is close by. Perhaps that will spawn on some restorations.
I am off,
JG
Hello
LIFES TOO SHORT—Agreed, they could have done something…but even more than just save the facade. The aweful thing was that this theatre lasted until the 90’s when movements were already in place to save theatres. So I guess that is why this one really bothers me alot that it was torn down so late. I think also there is a bit of a personal attachment to this building especially since I found out it was the inspriation for the the album cover of Styx’s Paradise Theatre…of which to this day is one of my favorite albums and was one of the reasons I became interested in the theatre industry. If you looked at the old pictures of the Granada’s original marquee, you can even further understand my grief at why this theatre was destroyed (see the pictures I submitted from both the Granada and Marbro above). It is sad and very important to protect what we have left. Chicago has still another gorgeous theatre left…the Uptown, I believe there is still hope for this gem.
JG
This looks like it was at one time an awesome theatre. It looks like it needs help now. Is it still for sale? Would anyone know if this theatre ever had live shows? Since it was twined at the balcony, I am curious if the primary theatre has a stage.
JG
Hello NBOLMER,
I am curious to what you have come up with. So far I have reached a couple hurdles to overcome myself. But if you obtained more information on booking films then I am game for that. It is something I do have to address sooner or later anyway. The business plan is just a bigger issue right now that needs to be addressed first. But I will check out the new blog you are going to set up.
DONVT—I am interested in what you have to say as well. Particularly I need similar advice NBOLMER needs. Also the building I am looking at is similar too. It can do both film and live acts. What I need is advice on calculating revenues, which does hinge on good market research data. I thought about hiring someone to do this…but many charge a rediculously high fee, and I need to save as much money as I possibly can. Besides, I feel if I get out there myself, I could have a better understanding of the market and even make important adjustments to my business plan. This is something that hiring out CANNOT do. But I am a bit at a loss of where and how to gather this important information. Any advice would be much appreciative. I am sure NBLOMER will be listening in as well :).
Have a good day, all!
JG
Ahhh, here we go…
View link
I knew there was still something on Hollyrock floating around.
JG
I wonder if this was the theatre that was converted to the “HollyRock” nightclub in the mid 90’s. It was amazing what they did with the place. It was an interesting ‘new-life’ for an old theatre. They kept the screen and projection booth and showed films in the day. At night it was a restaurant/nightclub. I never was in the theatre prior though.
According to John Reimnitz the architect that redid the building it was 10,000 sq feet and originally had 300 seats. Unfortunately I do not agree with this info. At 10,000 square feet and the fact the building retained it’s balcony, I would say that the theatre was originally closer 800 seats rather than 300.
Does anyone else remember the Hollyrock club?
JG
Hello CH174
Well, I believe if you read through this post, it will give you a good idea of the full history behind the Paradise. I believe after the building was razed a retail outlet was built on it’s site and that too didn’t do too well and shut down. Just about everything that went on that spot had bad luck. I think that building was razed too and it is as you see it now, and empty lot. I am not sure if it used for parking. It could be. What would be funny is that I wouldn’t be surprised if much of the basement structure of the Paradise still exists. The retail store was built right on top of it.
The theatre I am looking into just happens to be a John Eberson creation as well, but it is not a Golden Era theatre (A theatre built in the 20’s), but more along the lines of an Art Deco or Art Moderne. Still it is a classic.
JG
Does the theatre still have that marquee? Is it for sale?
Hello,
Does anyone have more information on this building? From the photo provided by LOST MEMBORY, it looks like it is just “there”. I don’t see other buildings or a parking lot near it. Is is for sale? What more…it looks like this is a reverse theatre, can someone confirm this?
Thank You,
JG
Hello!
NBOLMER—Welcome Back! Sure I will share some information, but keep in mind unless you are in the general location, that figures will have to be adjusted based on location of suppliers and also your target market too, what they like to see and hear and what age groups you are going to do programming for. Speaking of location, I couldn’t help but notice that your building is very similar to the one I am buying. Without giving the location away, this wouldn’t happen to be the theatre located in North Central Ohio, very close to Cedar Point, is it? I have dibs on that one and I am also in purchase agreement as we speak. For some reason though, they are still letting people look at the place and have not taken down the for sale sign off the marquee. I guess they are still lining people up in case my financing doesn’t go through. If this is the same building we are talking about, we must talk and outside of this message board.
GWATERMAN—You mentioned that you are in the venue management company. I would like to discuss with you about doing market research and applying it to a business plan. I did want an outside company to do it for me, the costs are prohibitively expensive. So I would be curious to listen to what you have to say on this topic. If you let me have your email, I can contact you directly.
GABBY—Why are you so angry to NBOLMER? He didn’t do anything wrong to you. I think he does bring up some valid points. You mention he doesn’t establish the size of his building and he clearly says it is 80,000sq ft and it has orchestra and balcony seating. If you are looking for more accurate figures, I doubt he would present them here in a message board, and for good reason. I too once had a big mouth here and someone pulled a building right out from under me. So I don’t give too many specifics either. As to your last point, someone that is ready to run a businss will not ALWAYS have all the answers. Were you born with a silver business spoon in your mouth? No, I think not. Everyone has to learn somewhere and the truth is that many, including myself, that enter the movie or live act industry do it for the reason of putting on a show and more then likely that is where most of their knowledge lies. In my case I would like to know more about the movie industry as I know live shows, but the theatre I want to buy is also a movie theater and I believe it is a viable market to tap into for additional income. So not everyone knows business plans, pro formas and other details necessary for starting up and running a business. What NBOLMER is trying to do is just obtain information so he can get a better heading on what he has to do and what is needed to run his business. Now I will say that it was not right for NBOLMER to make the ‘troll’ reference to you, but it is clear that you are trying to stir something up here…and for fun. Outside of that reference NBOLMER has been politely asking questions and offering gratitude when an answer is given, these are clearly not the intentions of a Troll on his part. I think you should carefully review this entire document and compare his comments to yours. Bottom line, if you don’t have anything good to say or constructive in regards to the topic. KEEP OUT!
Is this theatre still up for sale? This posting says the theatre is a movie theatre…yet the link points to pictures and a description that says it is a live theatre. I would assume that it is both, but would rather hear it from someone who is familiar with the theatre. While I am interested in this building, the $450k price tag seems a bit pricy for a theatre building in a predominately seasonal area. Being that that website is old, hopefully the price has been ‘adjusted’ by now…if it is still for sale.
Any info would be appreciated.
Thank You,
JG
Hello WGTRAY,
Thank You, I sent you an email just now.
Thank You,
JG
Hello All
GABBY—No No, nbolmer has brought up a good point and there is much to learn here. Don’t put him down. I am going through the same stuff myself right now.
NBOLMER—I too am looking to buy a theatre, also in Ohio. I too am putting together a pro forma for a business plan. So I think there is alot of information that we could possibly share. I have determined the utilies for my building already as well as the concession costs. In my case though I have the advantage of purchasing a theatre that is still open. So I can get SOME info from the owners…but they are not willing to release critical information to me (show me the books) because they are only selling the building off and not the their entire business. So that was my easy way out that didn’t pan out. So much of the information I have already compiled in terms of expenses. There will be a bigger problem though and you will face this as well. I am finding out calculating expenses is fairly easy compared to finding out the revenues from your target market. There is ALOT of estimating and projections you need to do here. If you are looking at hard numbers here, no dice. I already tried. I am even thinking about investing in a market research company to assist me here. Most of my revenues will be from live acts though so movies would just ‘fill in the slow periods’. I am also going to use the theatre for other functions as well, such as music shows and concerts. So this is an extra challenge in creating my business plan because I can have revenue coming in from much more than just my target market.
Overall my operation is a bit different than yours as I am mostly catering to live acts as that is where my background lies. But the place can also do movies and the current owners are doing first runs. Yeah I know…hard to believe a single screen first run movie house. I understand the concept behind how films are booked, but I too have nothing really ‘hard’ to stick into my business plan. So in this case I am in the same boat as you. WGTRay has provided quite a bit of info on the topic of film rentals and thus I am now following this thread. I do wish you the best on your venture. It will not be easy, as I am learning the hard way myself. But the internet is great and I probably saved a TON of money doing most of the work myself.
WGT—I see you left your email address, I would like to contact you as well for more insite on theatre film rentals, if you do not mind. You have quite a big of knowledge in this area and I believe the information you present to nbolmer is also useful to me.
Have a good day!!
JG
Hello
CJARRETT—Is this true of all film sourcing or only “collector prints”. The reason I ask is that I am in the midst of purchasing a theatre. The building is a combo live act/movie house and I am mainly interested in the live act part. I probably will run some first runs during the slow periods. But I do have to figure out where to get the films from and what the costs or for a market study/and business plan. You seem knowledgable in the ‘film’ department and I wonder if you could tell me what these costs are.
Thank You,
JG
It looks like it sold for $8500. I hope this new owner has deep deep deep pockets. Judging by the pictures, it looks like someone detonated a bomb in this place.
Hello
PATSY—Thank you. I just had some ideas that he might be interested in since we both share the same dream.
JG
Hello
CHUCK1231—I am sorry, I don’t know the particulars on why it closed. When I found out it was closed last fall, I looked into it’s possible sale. So I contacted the Erie County Chamber of Commerce and they informed me that the State Theatre is not for sale and will reopen. As for function, I believe it was a combo theatre that catered both to live acts and movies. I am assuming that it will return to that function. The Chamber didn’t give me a time frame of when it will re-open. So I just hope the theatre is in good hands. It is a nice looking building.
JG
Hello
No, this theatre is not for sale. I checked into that.
PATSY—As an answer to your question, the State Theatre will re-open. I found this information out directly from the Erie County Chamber of Commerce.
JG
Hello…
PATSY—Ohio still has some nice theatres kicking around. I am looking to buy a theatre and I was interested in the State Theatre in Sandusky when I heard it closed, but apparently it is not for sale and scheduled to reopen. So that is a good thing.
Offtopic: I been following your conversations with STEVEPATRICK. Have you two kept in touch? His dreams and goals are very similar to mine.
JG
Hello
STEVE—I have seen your posts floating around here at CT for a while now. Did you ever find what you were looking for in a theatre? I am asking because I too am looking for a place to showcase live acts. Really, I would'nt mind a place that does both movies and live acts…but I would prefer live acts as there is not much money to be made in movies. So did you find a theatre? It is funny too because I was also looking the MA area and the only thing I found was the Paris Theatre and from what I gather it is located in the seedy part of Worcester, MA. Not the idea places to set up operations. I saw in one post that you were interested in the State Theatre in Sandusky, Ohio. That is a big jump…MA to Ohio. This is where I first came across your posts and I too was going to persue interest in the State Theatre, but seeing nothing in terms of a for sale sign, I turned to the Erie County Chamber of Commerce. They said that the State theatre will reopen soon. So I doubt it will be put up for sale :(.
JG