HILL CITY, S.D. (AP) - A night at the movies used to mean a trip out of town for Hill City residents.
But Rick and Chris VanNess have begun bringing the stars of Hollywood to weekend moviegoers in this central Black Hills community, the Rapid City Journal (https://bit.ly/2mcNFZG ) reported.
Since November, they’ve screened both recent releases and classics during Movies in the Loft in the upper level of the Chute Rooster restaurant.
Rick and Chris, husband and wife, are into movies in a big way. They own their own production company, Crow Ridge Productions, and are founders of the annual Black Hills Film Festival.
A for-profit movie theater seemed like the logical next step.
“Opening a movie theater has always been something I wanted to do,” said Rick VanNess, whose connections with the film industry included serving as location manager for “National Treasure II,” filmed in the Black Hills in 2009.
Movies in the Loft is considered a repertory theater, meaning they can show only movies that have completed their theatrical runs.
The offering on a recent weekend was the 2016 Tom Hanks film “Sully” about the miracle crash-landing of a disabled airliner on the Hudson River in New York. Upcoming showings include other 2016 films including “Arrival” and “Hacksaw Ridge.”
Moviegoers will have had a chance to see those two Academy Award-nominated films again before the ceremony on Feb. 26.
“We kind of like to think of these as the great movies you missed - twice - or movies you always wanted to see on the big screen again,” VanNess said.
Movies are shown on an 8-foot by 14-foot screen in the Chute Rooster’s upper level. A surround-sound speaker system rivals the sound quality in larger theaters, he said.
Seating, for between 80 and 100 people, includes tall tables and chairs, like a dinner theater arrangement for now.
Admission is $5, with concessions also affordable. They also offer pizza delivered from the Silver Dollar Saloon.
As with any movie house, VanNess must pay a licensing fee to show any film commercially. Fees vary according to a movie’s release date and popularity.
Part of the agreement denies Movies in the Loft to use paid advertising to announce what is being shown. Instead, VanNess uses social media and posts fliers.
“We don’t find it to be much of a restriction,” he said. “The Facebook page and postering is working well.”
Attendance at screenings has been hit-and-miss, but VanNess hopes to build a regular audience, and not just from Hill City.
“We think in the southern Black Hills, there is the need for this quality entertainment that’s a little more accessible than the long ride to Rapid City, but we’re not trying to compete with Carmike Cinemas or even the Elks Theater,” he said.
They also plan to use the theater for the Hill City schedule of films to be shown during the upcoming Black Hills Film Festival, set for April 26-30, with films also being shown at the Elks Theater in Rapid City.
Victor Alexander, past president of the Heart of the Hills Economic Development Corp., said Hill City is embracing the idea of having a theater in town.
Movies in the Loft and other community events keep the barn-style building active.
Building owner Joy Peterson closed the restaurant for the winter season late last fall. Plans are still being made for the restaurant’s future, Alexander said, but he’s confident it will reopen in some form this summer.
“Somebody will be in there,” Alexander said. “It’s all good, good, good for Hill City.”
Depending on other events, the Saturday schedule for Movies in the Loft has shows at 2 p.m., 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sunday’s offerings, which are more family-friendly PG- and G-rated movies, are at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.
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Information from: Rapid City Journal, https://www.rapidcityjournal.com
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