Cinema Detroit closing, starting pop-up screenings at UM-Dearborn
(CBS DETROIT) - Cinema Detroit will soon close its doors in Midtown after 10 years in business.
Now, the owners are taking their shows on the road with pop-up screenings to keep rare and independent films on the big screen.
Paula Guthat says there's no better way to experience a movie than watching it in a theatre with surround sound, in a dark setting, in jumbo vision. But her efforts to keep a local theater thriving in Detroit came with its challenges.
Cinema Detroit is now on the market for $2 million, a price point Guthat says is out of the budget.
"If we're even to stay in the building, there's some modifications that we would need to make to stay there," Guthat said. "So, the cost to stay in the building is even higher than that. You know, probably closer to three or four million."
The theater is set to close at the end of the month.
Guthat says the pandemic shut the theater down for 16 months. She says with low grant funding, there isn't enough money coming in to keep it open.
"But we are hoping to find a permanent space in a similar area, of Midtown, Cass Corridor," Guthat explained. "Somewhere in the city proper because we still believe that there is a niche for that."
It's no secret that the industry lost a significant portion of its audience to streaming platforms.
In January, Regal Cinemas, America's second-largest theatre chain, closed 39 theaters nationally.
"We did lose some folks to the pandemic," Guthat said. "A lot of people now prefer streaming, and they don't seem like they're coming back."
The nonprofit arthouse is kicking off its summer series at the University of Michigan-Dearborn starting Friday, June 16.
For more details on showtime, visit here.
