Local Independent Movie Theatre Continues to Recover
Roosevelt Cinemas, one of the few remaining independent movie theatres in the Hudson Valley, is keeping its lights on after facing months of hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
While other movie theatres in the area remain closed, Roosevelt Cinemas is currently the home of six different movies, showcasing a range of genres from action to fantasy to comedy. Showings occur throughout the day, with special matinees and late night screenings on weekends. Roosevelt Cinemas is operated by the same owners as Lyceum Cinemas in Red Hook and New Paltz Cinemas in New Paltz, all of which showcase brand new movies for discounted prices under the umbrella organization “Independent Theatres”.
Movie theatres were one of the many industries to be hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, with 5,000 employees still out of work around the country. After closing, major movie production companies began sending their movies to various streaming platforms, making it even harder for movie theatres to convince patrons to watch a film in person, rather than from their home.
“The major distributor, Warner Brothers, is the only thing that sent everything to streaming as well as theatres. But right now we have King Kong in the theatre. The theatre is doing fine with King Kong. I don’t think the streaming hurt us that much,” said Jackie Mangiamele, an employee at Roosevelt Cinemas. “We’re recovering, that’s about all I can say. It’s certainly not busy.”
Although they are currently recovering, it has not been an easy road for the theatre. As dark months continued to build throughout 2020, challenges began to pile up. In September, a patron in Hyde Park created a GoFundMe to assist the theatre in paying their bills.
“Within one month our Hyde Park school taxes are due, approximately $27,000. A like amount is due in Red Hook later this month. Somehow we must pay these tax bills. After serious deliberation we have decided not to discourage the young man’s effort which we greatly appreciate. And our heartfelt thanks go out to all of you who have loyally supported us during a very trying time,” Roosevelt Cinemas wrote on their Facebook page.
The GoFundMe continued to aid Roosevelt Cinemas in paying their bills. However, even as new movies continue to emerge, theatres are only able to hold patrons at a limited capacity, further contributing to the upward battle that they must face.
“Our theatres were closed for seven months, from March to October last year. When it re-opened it was at 25%. It’s recovering now that the movie industry is making new movies again but it’s certainly slow.”
Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced that movie theatres can now boost their capacity up to 33% on April 26, creating a slight advantage for movie theatres to welcome a few more audience members. As vaccination rate continues to slowly climb, researchers have reporting that theatres would then need around 50% capacity limit by Memorial Day in order to survive into the summer, when many hope to hold 75% of their audience by July.
“We hope that as more and more people get vaccinated then more and more people will feel safe. Our theatres are certainly safe to come to … We’re doing everything we can.”
