What's the latest theatre to close or open you have heard about?

[Scotty Wright]

3rd Seattle-area closure in a week

[Gordon McLeod]

Cinema Guzzo in Quebec has closed
https://www.montrealgazette.com/news/article740012.html

[Ryan Gallagher]

Cinema Guzzo in Quebec has closed
https://www.montrealgazette.com/news/article740012.html

Yikes, that's not just one cinema, that's 7 cinemas (a whole chain). But perhaps it's hopeful that so many buyers are interested in the assets?

[Tony Bandiera Jr]

Source: https://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/new...ar/ar-AA1rBGs5


Grand Illusion Cinema relocating | FOX 13 Seattle

The reporter didn't do her homework and the following statement from the article is wrong:

The Grand Illusion, known for its red velvet curtains, pressed tin ceiling, and cozy atmosphere, has operated as a nonprofit since 2004 and is the only 100% volunteer-run cinema in the country.

The Old Town Music Hall in El Segundo, CA. https://oldtownmusichall.org/

Has been in operation since the 1960's and has been an all volunteer run operation from the beginning. They are still open and operating despite the passing of the original founders and owners.

[Leo Enticknap]

You can add to that list the Fallon Theater in Fallon, NV - https://www.fallontheatre.com/volunteer/ . I'm sure those aren't the only three, especially in more rural towns, where the cost of salaries would likely make the cost of running a movie theater impossible.

[Mike Blakesley]

The Vue and Brew in Laurel MT opened up a few years ago as a four-screen. Gradually their projectors have died, so now they only have one working screen. Last fall they announced they were going to discontinue first-run films unless "sponsors" have stepped up to help pay for them, so as a result they only run movies once in a while, usually family fare. I'm not sure how the sponsorship model works, because they still sell tickets as usual on those occasions when they run movies. They've turned most of the space now into a vendor-based flea market type of operation called First On First (because they are on First Avenue) and they run pop-up markets every couple of weeks along with occasional special-event movies (also sponsored) like The Polar Express at Christmas. The "Brew" part of the business, a sandwich and coffee shop, did not survive the changes.

has operated as a nonprofit since 2004 and is the only 100% volunteer-run cinema in the country.

There are two all-volunteer-run theaters within a couple hours of us. The theater in Circle, MT is owned by the city and run by volunteers; and the NuArt Theatre in Lovell, WY has been run by volunteers for years. It's home to what I believe is one of the best (if not THE best) theater sound systems in the region, according to Mark Gulbrandsen who installed it or serviced it, maybe both.

[Mark Gulbrandsen]

Mike, Your sound system is no slouch either... There is nothing near you I am aware of, except the NuArt in Lovell, that is as good. BTW, The NuArt is actually almost an exact duplicate of the Villa Theater in Salt Lake City. The Nuart is just narrower. Casper would be the next stop for great sound, and they have a 64 foot wide curved screen.

[Mark Gulbrandsen]

You can add to that list the Fallon Theater in Fallon, NV - https://www.fallontheatre.com/volunteer/ . I'm sure those aren't the only three, especially in more rural towns, where the cost of salaries would likely make the cost of running a movie theater impossible.

The Fallon Theater was taken over by a local non profit group and is in the middle of being remodeled. I serviced that theater for a long time, and was the location where I pulled an enormous dead crow out of the six inch lamp house cooling duct. The owner started having early lamp failures and it turned out that was the problem. It was always fun going there in the summer, because the Blue Angels practice at Naval Air Station Fallon. I could go out in the desert south east of the air base and sit on a certain road near an old run dilapadated brothel, and watch them go through many stunts...

[Leo Enticknap]

I've been servicing that theater in a sort of hybrid way since a trip in late 2020 to prepare it for post-covid repoening. My last site visit was in June 2023, to replace a dead CP750 with 950s in both screens. There was a scare last December that I thought might be a dead lamp power supply or igniter in one of their NC1200s, but thankfully it was just a premature lamp failure: maybe another birdie has gotten in to the exhaust flue! Having me come out is a big cost hit for them, and Stu is able to do most regular maintenance (e.g. lamp and filter swapouts) himself with remote support; but we were both agreed that he wouldn't have been comfortable tacking a ballast or igniter. Didn't know that there was remodeling currently in progress, and Stu didn't mention it when we spoke in December. I did notice that what was the manager's apartment above the lobby has now been repurposed as an artist's studio.

I quite look forward to those trips - although it's a long, eight-hour drive, the Sierra Nevadas and then the central Nevada desert offer some spectacular scenery.

[Mark Gulbrandsen]

Next time you go, if you can, visit Grimes Point petroglyph site. Also Hidden Cave, and the Historical Society just a half mile south of the theater on Maine St. Hidden cave is only open on Saturday. The Petroglyph site is right next to the Highway, about 15 miles east on Hwy 50. I used to get stuck there over a weekend waiting for a part. So I made use of that spare time.