[SteelTown]

Movie Palace thinks about adding screens
Owner says closure of Upper James Cinemas pushing project forward

By Mark Newman, News Staff
Business
Jan 09, 2009

The owner of The Movie Palace on Concession Street is looking to add two more screens to his theatre as soon as this summer. That is, if he can line up investors willing to come up with as much as $250,000 to pay for the expansion. “My frustration now is that I’m a single screen,” said Dale Barker, who purchased the then-vacant former Lyceum Theatre near the corner of Concession and Upper Wentworth in 2003 and refurbished the auditorium in a Roman motif with booth seating for about 300 people.

Mr. Barker said two more screens — a smaller twin of the existing theatre with 125 seats and a 40-50 seat VIP theatre — would enable him to show more first-run movies and push his gross sales to more than $1 million a year. When he shows a first-run movie now, Mr. Barker noted, that film gets exclusive rights to his screen for up to three weeks, a situation that has forced him to turn down several releases.

Mr. Barker said his business has been growing at a rate of 10-15 per cent a year and in 2008 his gross sales totaled about $330,000.

On Dec. 19, Cineplex Entertainment opened Silver City Hamilton Mountain, a 10-screen, 2,000-seat multi-screen, state-of-the-art movie house in Upper Stoney Creek and closed their 10-screen, 1,534- seat Upper James Cinemas, leaving The Movie Palace as the only theatre on the Mountain.

Mr. Barker said he’s been contemplating the expansion for some time and the closure of the Upper James theatre has pushed the project forward.

“I’m definitely motivated to do it a lot quicker,” he said.

While he’s still working out the configuration, the expansion will likely take place on the west side of the theatre. A few rows of seating will be removed and the 40-foot screen that hangs from the ceiling will be moved inward to allow for a sound-proof wall to go in and a smaller theatre on the other side with mostly stadium style seating.

Mr. Barker said the twin theatre will have a 25-to 30-foot screen and the VIP theatre will have a 15-to 20- foot screen.

The twin theatre will feature a medieval design, while the VIP theatre will have a Chinese motif, Mr. Barker said. Some stadium seating will also be added to the existing theatre.

While the recession has led many businesses to cut back, Mr. Barker noted movie theatres historically tend to do well in bad economic times.

“During the Depression movie attendance was incredible,” Mr. Barker noted. “Nothing’s better than the movies during a period like this; this is when people need two hours of escape.”

Mr. Barker said he will compete with the big theatre chains by continuing to focus on attracting groups and families with lower prices for tickets and concessions. He’s even thinking about opening a second Movie Palace in the Hamilton area in couple of years.

Paul Wharton, chair of the Concession Street Business Improvement Area, said the BIA is hoping to see The Movie Palace expand.

“I think it’s a good thing for the street,” Mr. Wharton said. “It will bring more people to the street, which is what we’re looking for.”