Second-run movie theater closes

May 08, 2008 10:23 pm

— By Dustin Shipman
dshipman@joplinglobe.com
The curtain has closed on a Joplin business.
The final showing of films at the Joplin Cinema 6 took place Thursday night.
Weeks before its closing, employees of Joplin’s only second-run movie theater were preparing to close its doors forever.
Justin Adams, assistant manager, said the closing was a sad occasion.
“We knew that there was a chance that this could happen at any time, but we have been hoping for the best,” Adams said. “It is kind of sad to see it go. It has been here quite a while, and the people who do come to the movies here come all the time.”
The hallways of the theater were decorated with movie posters for films that would never be shown in the theater amid the aroma of fresh popcorn and the hum of flickering arcade games in the lobby. Even the brightly colored, oversized boxes of Juju Fruit and Junior Mints normally found in the snack bar’s display counter were absent Thursday night, leaving only price tags where countless moviegoers over the years had made last-minute purchases before their movies began.
The building that houses the theater has seen better days. The telltale signs of watermarks on the carpet that point out leaks during heavy rains were hard to miss, and the buckets catching current drips from the ceiling were even easier to spot.
For some, there was a nostalgia factor attached to the theater, which was the oldest operating theater in Joplin. For others, the bargain $1.50 tickets and a 50-cent Tuesday movie special were enough to help them overlook the problems.
“I come here quite often,” said Sam Smith, of Neosho. “The price makes it really nice, and they always showed family shows, so I would bring my family. I am really going to miss it. I am sad to see it go away.”
Heather Wright, vice president for marketing for Hollywood Theaters, the parent company of Joplin’s Cinema 6, said in an e-mail statement Thursday that the closing was a financial decision. She said the company’s focus is on multiplexes as opposed to the second-run format of the Cinema 6.
“The theater is closing because of declining ticket sales,” Wright said. “Hollywood Theaters focuses on building multiplexes with state-of-the-art equipment in under-served markets.”
Steve Kendell, of Jasper, said he rarely finds a chance to see a movie at a theater, but when he does it usually has been at the Cinema 6, because of the higher price of other theaters.
“I have three kids, and taking everyone to the show gets really expensive,” Kendell said. “I am probably not going to be able to bring them as much now that they are closing.”
The Web site of the National Association of Theatre Owners states that the national average for ticket prices was $6.88 in 2007, and it has increased every year since 1974, when the average was $1.89. The current price of a first-run feature at Joplin’s only other movie theater, Northstar 14, is $8 per ticket.
Patrick Corcoran, director of media and research for the national group, said the disappearance of second-run movie theaters is somewhat of a trend.
“It is a tough business to be in,” he said. “One of the challenges they face is that once these places get a film, it is running up closer to the time of the DVD release. For 2007, the average time for the DVD release after the theatrical release was four months. Around 2000, it was over six months.”
Corcoran said second-run movie theaters face several other challenges such as upgrading equipment, which can be expensive.