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Spotlight Theater renting auditoriums for private viewings
| The Evening Tribune
HORNELL — Would you like to watch your favorite classic movie, a memorable home video or even a Buffalo Bills game in primetime, all with the full movie theater experience?
The Spotlight Theater of Hornell can make it happen.
With New York state keeping the curtains closed on theaters during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Spotlight announced that it will rent out its auditoriums for private parties.
The experience will include use of the big screen and surround sound, and concessions will be available for purchase.
Spotlight owners Scott and Tami Treutlein said they could no longer wait for the state to give the green light to theaters, which have been left dark as virtually all other segments of the economy have reopened in some fashion.
“We decided we had to come up with something, because we have to go with the possibility that we may not open until 2021,” Tami said. “We need to plan accordingly.”
Offering the auditoriums for rent was a way to turn the lights back on and generate some revenue. Many theaters across the nation have taken a similarly creative approach, Tami said, including some in New York state.
The Spotlight will rent its smaller rooms out for $90, or $110 for “the big house” at the front of the theater. Visitors can play DVDs, Blu-rays, and streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu and Amazon.
“If you can play it on your laptop, we can play it in the auditoriums,” Scott said. “They’re renting use of the auditorium and any equipment we have. They’re hooking up their accounts to that. They’re providing their own content, but we have the technology to get it to play at the cinema experience level.”
The response was swift on social media, with residents quickly reaching out to book an auditorium for special events. Buffalo’s primetime showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs was in demand, with others choosing slots to screen Halloween and Christmas movies close to the holidays.
While the Spotlight Theater remains closed to the general public, it will still adhere to state regulations for the private party rentals.
“We’ve completely followed the state’s guidelines and mandates regarding banquet hall public gatherings with all the safety protocols and the limits on attendance numbers, as well as our own lobby group’s guidelines that have already been published and well-shared trying to get us to reopen with Gov. Cuomo,” Scott said, noting the rentals are targeted to family groups.
“Family groups are already living in the same household and going out to restaurants together. We’re not open to the public, we’re renting to private groups who are already going to be in close contact on their own so it’s not really increasing exposure levels dramatically at all.”
The final frontier
Movie theaters have been the final frontier on the state’s road to reopening. Elsewhere in the region, Dansville’s Star Theatre and Wellsville’s Grand Theater also remain closed. Their marquees have been put to use during the shutdown, though. The Star Theatre played a role in a marriage proposal this summer, while Wellsville’s marquee has encouraged social distancing and mask use during the pandemic.
Today, half of the Grand Theater’s marquee reads “Reopening when or if new movies are available.”
The message forebodes another challenge for the industry; even if New York state lifts the curtain, will Hollywood be able to draw moviegoers into seats with new offerings?
“New York is the second-largest area of moviegoers in the US. Until New York opens, it’s a snowball effect of movies getting pushed out and pushed out,” Tami said. “We have friends who are theater owners in other states, and now they’re starting to fail because there is no brand new content to play. People will go see older movies for only so long. Now, being open is actually hurting them more than being closed.”
The pandemic arrived at a challenging time for some independent theaters. In late February, shortly before the pandemic shut down the nation, Grand Theater owner Darren Jones told the Wellsville village board “we are pretty much at the end of our rope” in providing trustees a blunt assessment of the financial state of a landmark Main Street business.
The Treutleins, who also own a theater in Warsaw, have other sources of income that have slightly softened the blow. Even so, they invested thousands in the Hornell theater to provide the best possible movie experience before opening in late 2014, and those loan obligations aren’t going anywhere.
“It’s a stress. We get up and we talk about what we’re going to do and we go to sleep talking about what we’re going to do,” said Tami, who also lamented the impact on theater workers who have been unemployed the last seven months.
State and local officials, including Sen. Tom O’Mara, Assemblywoman Marjorie Byrnes and Hornell Mayor John Buckley have all lobbied on behalf of the state’s theaters.
“It is long past time that movie theaters be allowed to reopen,“ Buckley said. ”The Governor has allowed restaurants, malls, and gyms to reopen under specific guidelines, yet movie theaters have been left behind. Theater employees continue to be out of work and while the owners themselves struggle to survive.
“It is incredibly frustrating that movie theaters are not allowed to reopen,” Buckley added. “Patrons can easily be spaced safely apart while enjoying a movie. I urge the Governor to reconsider his position and allow movie theaters reopen safely and get back on their feet.”
The National Association of Theater Owners continues to lobby New York state. The Treutleins are hoping the theater rentals have a limited run and the big screen is soon showing brand new Hollywood blockbusters.
“I don’t see the public health risk compared to all the other things that have been allowed to open,” Scott said. “They’ve allowed casinos to open, but not movie theaters. I just can’t see the rationale.”
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