Celebrities Aren’t the Only Ones Saving Historic Cinemas
variety.comPat Saperstein Deputy Editor When Jason Reitman announced that he’d bought the Fox Village Theatre in Westwood, film fans were stunned that some of the world’s most prominent directors, from Steven Spielberg to Chloé Zhao to Christopher Nolan, wanted a stake in the classic movie palace.
But it’s a strange time for the theatrical exhibition business. Moviegoing always sees an uptick when blockbusters come to town, but for independent theaters, the past four years have been dreadful.
Many smaller cities have no theaters left at all: Just this year, Ridgewood, N.J.’s Warner and Denver’s Esquire are among the theaters that have turned off their projectors for good.
Yet across the country, some operators refuse to give up, looking to a mix of successful filmmakers and local supporters to reopen beloved movie houses.
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