Audiences have been enjoying films at movie theaters for decades, but streaming and expensive ticket prices have impacted moviegoing habits. for the owners and operators of autonomous theaters, survival means getting creative.
Kevin Smith, the man behind cult classics like “Clerks” and “Mallrats,” bought a theater in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey, in 2022. It was the cinema he’d gone to growing up. He renamed it Smodcastle Cinemas, and hoped that even as it reeled from COVID-19 shutdowns, he could rekindle the magic he’d loved as a child.
“I learned more about myself sitting in this (theater) than I ever did sitting in a classroom or sitting in church or something like that,and it led me to the rest of my life,” smith said.
But the reality of operating the movie theater was challenging, even for a celebrity like Smith.They operate as a non-profit, Smith said, because if they functioned as a for-profit business, they “would die.” Smith can bring in celebrity guests for Q&A sessions and other events. The theater also hosts an annual film festival.
Smodcastle Cinemas in Atlantic Highlands, NJ.
CBS Saturday Morning
“Saving my childhood theater wiht my friends? Dream come true,worst financial investment I ever made in my life,” Smith said.
On the opposite coast,film store Vidiots has been bringing new movies to audiences for 40 years. When it opened in Santa Monica, los Angeles, in 1985, it operated as a traditional video store with an extensive and rare collection of films. In 2023,Vidiots moved to Eagle Rock and expanded into an exhibition space,reviving the historic Eagle Theater.
“We opened to uncertainty,” said executive director Maggie MacKay. “We had no idea if people would come, and they did. And they’ve been coming ever since.”
MacKay said Vidiots has become a touchstone for local kids.
“One of the biggest surprises and the happiest surprises for us and the thing that I think I most wanted to happen here is that young people come here,” she said. “Teens, tweens are getting dropped off by their parents.and as this place is affordable and welcoming an