AUSTINTOWN MOVIES Woman works to preserve experience

Sale of memberships has been suggested to keep the independent theater open.
By GUY D'ASTOLFO
VINDICATOR ENTERTAINMENT WRITER
AUSTINTOWN -- The operator of Austintown Movies has pushed back the theater's closing date by a month to give an area woman time to explore ways to keep it open.
Cleveland Cinemas of Solon announced three weeks ago that it is closing the theater Jan. 2 because of declining attendance.
Michele McBride of Poland, a cinema fan and a regular at the theater, met with officials of Cleveland Cinemas to see if the decision could be reversed.
She has formed SAM -- Saving Austintown Movies -- and has begun compiling a list of people who want to keep the theater open.
After she gauges support, McBride will again meet with Jon Forman, president of Cleveland Cinemas in Solon.
"There are pockets of support in the community, but there is no cohesiveness," said McBride, who is an attorney with the Youngstown law firm of Friedman & amp; Rummell. "I am trying to unite our efforts."
The three-screen theater in Austintown Plaza is the Mahoning Valley's only outlet for independent and specialty films. It shows lesser-known movies that mainstream theaters generally don't touch, although many are Oscar contenders.
Current offerings are "Capote," a profile of novelist Truman Capote, the alcoholic New York socialite who wrote "In Cold Blood"; "Good Night and Good Luck," a docudrama about newsman Edward R. Murrow's battles with Sen. Joseph McCarthy in the 1950s; and "Shopgirl," a touching look at unreciprocated love, from a novella and script written by comedian Steve Martin.
Ideas
Several ideas have already been floated to boost revenue and attendance at the theater, McBride said. One is the sale of block passes.
With a block pass, or membership, patrons pay a one-time fee and are given access to the films, with limited exceptions.
Gift cards in any amount are also an option for people who choose not to be members, and group discounts are also available for one-time or few-time large groups.
Another idea is to sell the whole movie-going experience.
"We're exploring obtaining a liquor license," said McBride, who noted that Cleveland Cinemas' Cedar Lee Theater in Cleveland Heights, which also shows independent films, has a unique concession area that sells liquor as well as baked goods, sandwiches and specialty coffees.
A cultural asset
McBride said that although Cleveland Cinemas is a business, it is run by people with a passion for film who want to keep Austintown Movies open if it is financially possible.
She calls the theater a cultural asset for the Mahoning Valley.
"We always hear about the brain drain -- our brightest residents leaving the area because there's nothing here for them," she said. "[Austintown Movies] is one of the things that encourages younger people, and intellectuals, to come here and stay here," she said.
John Forman, president of Cleveland Cinemas, said the changing habits of theatergoers are squeezing the industry nationwide.
The growing popularity of home-entertainment systems and the ever-shortening theater-to-DVD window are hurting attendance.
"The movies that Austintown brings in will not play at the big multiplexes," said McBride. "You can either go see them when they are here, or wait a few months and rent the video and watch it at home.
"We want to find out if people care about independent films and the experience of going to the theater."