PAIR OF THEATERS HOLDING ON, BUT FUNDRAISING KEY

The Amherst Cinema and Pleasant Street Theater in Northampton are still attracting moviegoers, despite the national decline in consumer spending and competition from home theaters and Netflix.

An average of 7,250 people bought tickets per month at the Amherst Cinema's three theaters this year, while 3,300 people a month came to the two at Pleasant Street, said Carol Johnson, executive director of the nonprofit organization that since January has run both.

The Amherst Cinema will celebrate its second anniversary Nov. 22 and on Jan. 25 it will be a year since the Pleasant Street reopened under new management. So far, ticket sales have been on target with projections, but expenses will always exceed revenues by about $100,000 a year and fundraising will have to bridge the gap, Johnson said.

"People need to support our programming with gifts," she said. "It's just a fact of life."

Last spring and in early summer, ticket sales were slow. "We were biting our nails," said Nancy Maglione, a financial expert on the Amherst Cinema/Pleasant Street board of directors. "It caused us some anxiety. We learned about the cycles in this business, and can now prepare ourselves for times that are not as good as we'd like."

Ticket sales have rebounded and are now ahead of last year for the Amherst Cinema, Johnson said.

"People still love coming to the movies with family and friends," she said. "They like the communal experience and seeing things on a big screen."

Netflix has probably been more of a problem for video rental stores than for independent movie houses, said David Mazor, a film distribution expert on the board of directors.

"The group experience heightens the emotional impact," he said. "People have big screens at home, but they like the shared experience."

Rita Bleiman of Northampton, who helped bring the Pleasant Street and Amherst Cinema together and now sits on the board, said she has a home theater, gets HBO and belongs to Netflix, but still likes to go out to the movies. "Certain films are more fun to see with other people," she said.

The take on downturns

As for coping with recession, there are two models to consider.

Johnson compares the film business to restaurants: "You can cook at home, but people still like to go out to dinner," she said. Consumers typically cut back on eating out during tough times. On the other hand, the film industry flourished during the Great Depression.

The cost of renting films is going up along with everything else. It used to be 50 percent of the gross the first week and then a declining percentage, but now it's more typically 50 percent for the whole run, Johnson said. For some films, the percentage is even higher.

"Ten percent of the films we show pay the bills for the other 90 percent," she said. "The reason we're here is to show not only those 10 percent but all the other quality films that are important to see. If we were choosing films based on ticket sales, we'd be Cinemark."

Documentaries such as "Trouble the Water" and "Up the Yangtze" are "little jewels that appeal to a small audience," and can't be seen anywhere else, Johnson said.

The previous owners of the Pleasant Street Theater announced that it would close last December. But 450 donors raised $130,000 to keep it open under the management of the Amherst Cinema.

"It's gone better than I anticipated," said Maglione. "As enthusiastic as everyone was about providing funds, I was concerned about how sustainable the patrons would be over the longer term."

The continued presence of the Pleasant Street Theater has helped restaurants, Smith College students who want to see movies and even real estate agents, said Bleiman.

"After it reopened, my husband and I couldn't walk down the street without people coming up and saying #Thank you so much for keeping the theater,'" she said. "It seemed inconceivable that Northampton wouldn't have a movie theater, once having had three of them."

The existence of five screens has given the film booker more clout in negotiating with distributors, making it easier to get films, Johnson said. This year, Cinemark has shown more interest in independent movies, getting the first run of "Atonement" and "The Kite Runner," she said.

The two theaters have also achieved economies of scale because programming and business operations are centralized, and ticket staff can work in both places, she said. Many people come to both cinemas, Johnson said.

"The days of mom-and-pop theaters is coming to a close," she said. "The dynamic has changed and the trend is to nonprofits because we can supplement income with donations and grants."

The Pleasant Street has gotten larger screens, improved image and sound, an online ticketing system and a renovated lobby and restrooms. In a few weeks, it will sport a new dark red awning, Johnson said. A plan for a new marquee visible from Main Street was abandoned.

The downstairs theater still has some sightline problems, but some people like the "quirkiness," Bleiman said.

"Everyone feels like (the consolidation) was a good idea," said Mazor. "Now we're a combined arts organization, and our vision is to put the Pleasant Street on the same standing as the Amherst Cinema."

Funding goals

Sometime next year, the Amherst Cinema will raise the final $150,000 required to pay off its mortgage and own its building, Johnson said.

Meanwhile, about 1,800 members and supporters will receive a letter soon seeking contributions to an annual fund for both cinemas. The funding gap will be bridged through this fundraising and through memberships. There are 1,100 members and the renewal rate is 65 percent, Johnson said.

The cinemas also get cash by selling tickets at discounted prices in advance. A pack of 20 movie passes sells for $100 and will be available at the Pleasant Street Theater Nov. 22 and at the Amherst Cinema Dec. 6.

On March 7, 2009, a benefit dinner and auction is planned at the Crown Center at Hampshire College. Johnson said she hopes to raise $25,000 there. A "film notable" has tentatively accepted an invitation to appear, she said.

The Amherst Cinema has helped the town's economy by giving people from other communities a reason to visit, said Bleiman.

"Amherst has been energized by the theater," she said. "For years, there was little to do in Amherst and now it seems a more lively place."

Over the past year, the cinemas have expanded their programming beyond first-run independent films. They have hosted visits by filmmakers, directors and writers, provided screenings for emerging filmmakers, shown classics and films from 1968 and done collaborations with Five College faculty.

This Saturday at 11 a.m., Amherst Cinema will exhibit short works by western Massachusetts teenagers dealing with peace, cultural diversity, social justice and environmental awareness. On Dec. 13, a new film about Emily Dickinson will be shown. The Pleasant Street Theater will be a venue for Northampton's First Night celebration on Dec. 31.

Next year, the Pioneer Valley Jewish Film Festival will probably use both theaters from March 15 to April 4, Johnson said. There are plans for a Shakespeare film festival in March or April in cooperation with the Renaissance Center at the University of Massachusetts. Poet Martin Espada will give a reading as part of Amherst's 250th anniversary celebration.

These activities further the cinemas' educational mission and make more people aware of their film offerings, Johnson said.

"These types of organizations always have a fine line, because they take so much commitment from leadership to control costs and from the community to continue to support it," said Mazor. "We're a niche market. If you say we're financially secure, that gives a false sense that our work is over."