jcarreon@myweeklysentinel.com
CANTON — The Bradford County Regional Arts Council will shut the Rialto Theatre to regular movies, effective Oct. 31.
The theatre industry has taken a massive hit with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Small market theatres such as the Rialto have felt it much more than others.
Executive director of BCRAC, Elaine Poost, said this was a tough decision to make.
“Since July 1 when the doors opened, we have had close to only 500 people walk through these doors,” said Poost.
The decision was made with the finance committee and the board chair.
“No long-term decisions have been made. Everything is on the table, from this being a temporary movie closure, to reinventing it as a community hub like the Clemens Center in Elmira,” said Poost.
Live performances and community events will be the mainstay of the facility for the time-being while the board works out what to do next.
“Communities still want to see live performances, those are what are drawing the crowds,” said Poost.
Another factor that has hurt the movie theater industry has been the at home streaming option.
Companies such as Disney and HBO-Max have done dual at home and theatrical releases. This move by studios continues to hurt the industry overall.
“There is no incentive to go out and see a movie in a theater when you can stay at home and watch it. It has been really tough for us,” stated Poost.
“We successfully made it through 16 months of Covid, we did not take on any additional debt, but we have not been able to get traction with movies.”
The Keystone Theater in Towanda and the Sayre Theater will still remain open for movies for the time being.
The Keystone Theater faces the challenge right now of only having one screen available due to a faulty projector in their second viewing area.
“We are struggling, adding insult to injury, we are still waiting on that replacement projector due to supply chain issues,” said Poost.
Poost hopes this decision will unite the community in supporting the Rialto.
“I want to see the community behind the BCRAC’s efforts to support the Rialto and the events we want to bring to the great community of Canton as we move forward.”