Now showing (somewhere outside of Big Rapids) - The Pioneer

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BIG RAPIDS — A variety of businesses — locally-owned and chains — were impacted across the state in 2020, Big Rapids included, due to COVID-19 restrictions and closures.

But, one type of business has been unable to recover in the city, and it’s unclear if it ever will: Movie theaters.

In March 2020, restrictions were put in place across the nation deeming businesses as essential and nonessential. Movie theaters were not considered essential and owners were forced to close their doors, not knowing when, if ever, they'd reopen. For months, the film industry suffered as restrictions put limits on movie-producing efforts.

Prior to the pandemic, two fully functioning movie theaters were operating within city limits — separated less than a mile apart.

Bulldog Cinema, on Maple Street, was a locally-owned and operated independent theater that first opened in 2018. It featured two different screens with state-of-the-art digital projectors and a top-of-the-line sound system.

When COVID-19 restrictions loosened in May 2020, Bulldog Cinema reopened to the public, but permanently closed within a few months. Prior to closing, Big Rapids residents raised over $2,000 — via popcorn sales and a GoFundMe account — to help keep the business afloat.

Elsewhere in the city, on South Michigan Avenue is where an empty AMC building now sits.

In 2015, the theater — then Carmike Cinemas — was expected to double in size, adding four screens and 1,200 seats, reshaping the area around the current structure. However, the company later backed out of its plans.

The city then asked Twin Shores, a company that provides premium construction, development and facilities services to businesses, to evaluate the site. Bill Hawes, of Twin Shores, was a part of the evaluation at the time and said his company found there wasn’t a need for renovations.

“The building was paid off and there was no debt service on the property and (the theater was) generating an income,” he told the Pioneer, noting Carmike was preparing for a merger.

In 2016, AMC Entertainment announced it would merge with Carmike Cinemas after purchasing all of the theater chain’s outstanding shares.

AMC in Big Rapids remained opened until restrictions closed its doors. The theater never reopened when restrictions loosened and closure signs are taped to the front door.

DEMOGRAPHICS, POPULATION A FACTOR

Hawes said for a community Big Rapids’ size, even with a collegiate population, there’s just not a lot of investment available in the movie theater business model. The reality of the marketplace, Hawes said, is margins in theaters are very tight and locations —population-wise — such as Big Rapids are difficult to make work.

Big Rapids city manager Mark Gifford said he heard the same news from folks in the movie theater business in the past.

“From what I’ve heard from those in that business field, as the demographics sit for Big Rapids currently, you will never see a chain movie theater ... that's what they've told me,” Gifford said, recalling a conversation.

The city of Big Rapids saw a decrease in population over the last 10 years, with a recorded 27% loss in residents since 2010, according to the 2020 Census results.The total population in the city in 2010 was 10,601, and the city saw a loss of 2,874 for a total of 7,727 residents in 2020.

However, a locally-owned and operated movie theater is something Hawes said wouldn’t be out of the question for Big Rapids.

A group of local investors could partner with a small operator, Hawes explained, and operate the movie theater as a business they would like to be in town, but also know it won’t be a substantial income, he said.

Gifford said the city would welcome any individual or company interested in opening a movie theater in Big Rapids.

As recent as 2019, Lucas Cinemas was another movie theater company in discussion with Big Rapids officials about bringing a new location to town, Gifford said. However, the project never moved forward. Lucas Cinemas owns and operates one theater in Georgia and another in Kentucky.

Lucas Cinemas representatives could not be reached for comment for this story.

With the closure of Big Rapids’ theaters, moviegoers must now travel outside of Mecosta County to enjoy the latest blockbuster hit. There are currently five theaters in three different cities — Mount Pleasant, Greenville, and Fremont — within a 35-mile distance.

Due to closures, movie theater attendance numbers took a hit last year, according to Motion Picture Association’s 2020 THEME report.

In 2020, the U.S./Canada box office market finished at $2.2 billion, down 80% from $11.4 billion in 2019. Tickets sold — 240 million — were down 81% compared to 2019.

The number of films released in theaters was 338 in 2020, a 66% decrease from 2019, as many films’ release plans were changed, or postponed, due to the pandemic.

Only 46% of the U.S./Canada population aged 2 or older went to a movie at the cinema at least once in 2020, which is down from 75% in 2019 due to restrictions. For that same population, only 3% were frequent moviegoers who attended the cinema once a month or more, which is down 11% from 2019. Those individuals were responsible for 43% of all tickets sold.

More than half of tickets sold were to occasional moviegoers — 29% of the population — while the other 6% were sold to infrequent moviegoers. More than half — 54% — of the population did not visit a movie theater in 2020 compared to 29% in 2019.

The No. 1 film in 2020 was Bad Boys for Life.

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