An unconventional method to save the cinema

Changes are already visible at the theater off East Tenth Street.

“We love the movies,” Janelle said Wednesday. “Every mistake made we're learning from it and correcting it immediately.”

What drew the couple to the theater was simple. “Both of us wanted to own a theater and we didn't want the Roanoke Valley to lose another source of entertainment. We thought it would be fun but didn't want to pursue it until the opportunity presented itself,” Blaine said this afternoon.

Glen Patterson paints the marquee.

As they pursue the venture, they have hired Libby Gaskins as the manager, who has experience in this arena and are relying on the experience of former managers Tommy and Linda Clifton, who continue to oversee operations. “They has given us their opinions. We're working to fix broken seats, redoing broken arm rests and cup holders. We're going to put in carpet on the side walls and have cleaned and are going to put new paint on the floors,” Janelle said.

There is still a curtain has to be repaired and other house cleaning has been well under way. A new Pepsi machine has been put in at the concession stand to replace an aging system. “We now have the capability to take debit and credit cards,” Blaine said.

Eventually the new owners want to replace the seats in both cinemas, which will come with an $80,000 price tag for the most inexpensive, but quality, seats, Blaine said.

Special cups.

The changes have been welcomed in the community, Blaine said, and the Thanksgiving holiday weekend was a success, with Frozen and The Hunger Games Catching Fire both doing well.

But the way the movies are projected is about to change as the motion picture industry goes from 35mm film reels to a digital system that will provide better quality and sound but comes at a cost of around $125,000.

That is where the unconventional method to fund the digital system comes in, through an Internet-based fundraising program called Kickstarter.

The goal is to gather $65,000 in pledges by the end of the month.

Blaine demonstrates the current reel system.

The couple ruled out going to banks for loans as they would have to have three years of tax returns as owners of the theater to even be considered. “We don't have three years of tax returns and we don't get credit from the previous owners,” Blaine said.

Blaine said he would have gone a different route if his assets weren't tied up in his Nationwide Insurance business. “I'm 33 and have owned my own business for five years. Every asset is already obligated.”

That is why he chose the Kickstarter to help gather pledges for the digital upgrade. “No one's ever tried the Kickstarter campaign here that I'm aware of. It's completely out of the box.”

The reel for Frozen.

The Kickstarter campaign to buy the digital upgrades comes with rewards or even ownership in the cinema for those who pledge, all of which can be found on the website. “It's really some of both if you look at the rewards and how they're based,” Blaine said. “You have the opportunity to have a permanent fixture with hands and tiles and become a permanent part of the theater wall of fame.”

If the money for the upgrades can be raised through pledges, then there is the likelihood that ticket prices and concessions will remain at the same prices. Ticket prices currently remain $5 for evening shows and $3 for matinees.

The digital upgrades go beyond the projection system, Janelle said. “It includes sound, projection and new screens. We knew when we bought it, it would have to happen. We thought maybe we had until April.”

Special shirts.

Paramount's Anchor Man 2 will be that studio's last 35mm film, Janelle said.

The conversion to digital, said Blaine, will help the cinema air more movie marathons and possibly midnight movie specials.

“We knew keeping it open was taking a risk because it was going to change,” he said. “If we don't hit that goal, we don't hit anything. It's $65,000 or nothing. Then I will have to get extremely creative and I've got to figure out something.”