I want to open a movie theater. That’s not a new thing; I’ve fantasized about it for a while. Not a first run theater, or even a first run art house; I want to open up a quirky little theater that shows second run movies of quality (whether that means Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys or Matrix) and retrospectives of directors and actors I like and so on. There’s no evidence this would make money, mind you.
I want to attach a little bookstore to it. With a coffeeshop. Someplace to hang out after the movie, or before the movie, with a good stock of genre books. I sort of want to make it one of those dinner theaters, where you can order a pizza and bring it into the theater and sit on comfy chairs, but I’d have to find out whether that’s anything close to cost-effective.
I think it’d be really cool if you could come in for brunch, order a nice omelette, and eat it in the movie theater at no extra charge. Do an 8 AM and a 10 AM showing of some classic black and white. Or, hm, maybe a program of short flicks would be better.
I’d want one big screen, in the kind of space that you can use for concerts if you want, and one small 35 person screening room.
Dreams.
3 Comments
There are in fact two theatres of that ilk up here in Anchorage. One has a bookstore and coffeeshop attached. They do plays there, and at least periodically show movies.
The other is a $3 movie theatre with a sort of quasi-Mexican cafe with pizza and whatnot that you can either have a sit-down meal at or order for the movie. They use it as a concert venue — the theatre, not the cafe — which reminds me, the Young Dubliners are going to be there next week and I should buy tickets.
Er. The point being, it’s not absolutely impossible to achieve that sort of dream! 🙂
You want to run the Beehive in Pittsburgh!