My name is Shana, and my husband Tim Massett and I are excited to move back home to Jacksonville! We're in the process of working out a deal with the current operators of the 5 Points Theatre in Riverside to take over the cinema and do some much needed upgrades. You might know Tim's programming work from his time at the San Marco Theatre, Jacksonville Film Festival (2002 - 2007) or The Pit, Riverside's microcinema. During my time in Jacksonville I was a teacher at Central Riverside Elementary, and also taught piano and voice lessons privately. Our plans include some simple but effective changes that are a response to some of the theatre's biggest issues: theatre seating, improved acoustics and a bigger screen, plus the installation of a kitchen to provide fresh healthy meals to complement the beer and wine selection.
We're currently running a kickstart style campaign, looking for sponsors to help get us off the ground. The rewards are awesome, including two movie tickets and a popcorn for just $25, and a lifetime pass for $1000. Check out the offers we have going at our website:
www.ulule.com/5pointstheatre (http://www.ulule.com/5pointstheatre)
Your credit card isn't charged unless we reach our goal by September 21, but if you get your sponsorship package now to show your support for the project it keeps the fundraising momentum going. As of this writing we've raised over $24,000 -- not too shabby, but we still need you to help out now and spread the word to the herd via your pick of social media poison: Facebook, Twitter, whatever I haven't heard of yet.
Oh, and I almost forgot: European Street and Intuition Ale have signed on board as supporters. With proof of donation at any level you can collect a short draft beer at the Riverside or San Marco E Street locations, or at the Intuition Taproom.
If you've sponsored us already, or are thinking about it and have questions, chime in here!
I've made my first donation!
I'd suggest you put links to it on the webpage and facebook. That's where I always go to see what movies are playing, and I didn't see a link to it from there.
Keep it up!
Thanks Tachacale! The existing owners manage the Facebook and webpages. They've posted this campaign a couple of times on Facebook but haven't done so recently, and I'm not sure about their webpage. I agree that would help.
I donated last week. Good luck guys!
tim does good stuff, but i can't support anything short ov bringing back club 5--which clearly isn't goïng to happen at this point.
Hi Shana,
My name is Dawn Emerick. I am the President/CEO of the Health Planning Council of Northeast Florida. We are working with RAM to launch a really cool event in June 2012 to celebrate Riverside as a model for healthy communities. What is your timeline? Perhaps we can help you
Hi Dawn!
We're expecting to start renovations in late fall. We'll be more than ready by June! Can you shoot me an email? shanadavid (at) gmail.com
Would love to chat!
Shana
Welcome back!
Cuirous, weren't there already some pretty extensive renovations to the Theatre done by Shad?
Good question! There were extensive renovations to the whole building done by the Shads. The office spaces in particular are beautifully and thoroughly renovated. What the Shads made some basic upgrades to the theatre -- adding a 35 mm projector, small screen, etc, that made it suitable as the dual use event center/theatre that it is and have run it for the last couple of years with the intention of ultimately turning the space over to folks experienced in film exhibition (that's us!). They also made major HVAC upgrades that we wouldn't be able to live without, and other, functional renovations that I won't detail here.
We're going to take over where they left off. For example, there are sound issues that need to be addressed, and to get the theatre in line with contemporary standards we'll be investing in a larger screen so the audience can enjoy a bigger, better image. Since we'll be focusing on the space's use as a cinema we won't need the flexibility of removable chairs and thus will be installing the type of theatre seating that, again, are more in line with what you typically see in a movie theatre. The installation of a small kitchen is something that was beyond the scope of the Shads' project but it will be a huge asset for us as theatre owners and for the community.
Thanks for the clarification. Sounds like you have quite the undertaking on your hands though I'm sure it will pay dividends.
Welcome back home Shana & Tim!
your return casts happy beams of light over Jacksonville,FivePoints
thanks too to Mike Shad.
onward!
I can't wait! I loved what you guys did at San Marco theater and for the film festival.
Quote from: david-massett on September 08, 2011, 09:43:52 AM
Good question! There were extensive renovations to the whole building done by the Shads. The office spaces in particular are beautifully and thoroughly renovated. What the Shads made some basic upgrades to the theatre -- adding a 35 mm projector, small screen, etc, that made it suitable as the dual use event center/theatre that it is and have run it for the last couple of years with the intention of ultimately turning the space over to folks experienced in film exhibition (that's us!). They also made major HVAC upgrades that we wouldn't be able to live without, and other, functional renovations that I won't detail here.
We're going to take over where they left off. For example, there are sound issues that need to be addressed, and to get the theatre in line with contemporary standards we'll be investing in a larger screen so the audience can enjoy a bigger, better image. Since we'll be focusing on the space's use as a cinema we won't need the flexibility of removable chairs and thus will be installing the type of theatre seating that, again, are more in line with what you typically see in a movie theatre. The installation of a small kitchen is something that was beyond the scope of the Shads' project but it will be a huge asset for us as theatre owners and for the community.
You already hit the main gripe with the 5 points, which is the tiny screen. Aside from that, comfortable seating would be my next biggest gripe, and re-open the balcony for seating. You'd probably get a big following if you did a historically accurate renovation, e.g. replace the missing chandelier, repaint the ceiling and mouldings to stand out. The job the current staff did of hosting performances and picking what movies they showed and the showtimes was excellent, though. I wouldn't change a thing about that part of it. The complaints with the 5 points have always been needing binoculars to see the screen and horribly uncomfortable chairs, but they had a good selection of titles. Actually found myself going on several occasions and enduring the shortcomings because I really wanted to see what they were showing.
Lastly, and this probably goes without saying, but Riverside isn't San Marco, especially 5 Points. I'd avoid the mistake of doing the typical Jacksonville thing and making it a "family-oriented" business, that demographic largely hops in the SUV and goes to the big-box theaters anyway. This is a small independent theatre and it should be run like one. Show nothing but Disney movies for 2 months at a time and I don't think it will have much of a following. That all probably goes without saying, but this is Jacksonville and you asked for input so I am giving it honestly.
@Chrisw
The San Marco does great business with those family films; there's no reason to compete with them on that front. We'll be playing the "big" films the theatre needs to play in order to stay open (blockbusters essentially subsidize smaller films), but for nights where folks want to leave the kids at home!
Quote from: david-massett on September 09, 2011, 03:55:51 PM
@Chrisw
The San Marco does great business with those family films; there's no reason to compete with them on that front. We'll be playing the "big" films the theatre needs to play in order to stay open (blockbusters essentially subsidize smaller films), but for nights where folks want to leave the kids at home!
They do alright the first night or two with the kids' films, but then the rest of the time it's like 1/3rd to 1/2 full whenever you go. Not at all what I'd call a "great" business. Nothing like how popular it was during the festival, I'm sure you'd agree. Not sure why it takes a film festival to have a small theater with comfy seats and a bar showing independent films? That's where I was going with this. And the San Marco is nothing like it was when I first started going there, it's comparatively dead, that strategy isn't really working there despite the fact that San Marco is more family-oriented than Riverside. There are more young single people here than there are across the river. It's a different demographic. I was just pointing out a mistake a lot of business owners in Jacksonville make, taking something over and trying to fix it by making it family-central. That really hasn't worked out that great for the San Marco theater, IMO.
The one thing the 5 Points Theater did well is have a good selection of titles, and show smaller films, and retro stuff. Most of its customers endured the awful seats and screen that's smaller than the TV in their living room because they actually wanted to see what was being shown. That is its strong point. I'd hate to see it become the San Marco II where Toy Story 3 plays for 10 weeks to a 2/3'rds empty house.
The majority of families in Jacksonville seem, based on 12 years' observation, to fall into two large categories. I apologize in advance for stereotyping, but there's truth to it. You've got your soccer-mom run family units with the disposable income to spend on entertainment, they hop in the SUV and run over to the big-box theaters unless the kid specifically wants to see the one movie the San Marco's playing for 8 weeks at a time. And most parents aren't going to the theater to watch a Disney movie 4 times. So they're actually losing most of that business. Then you've got the other big chunk of families, who are by and large just getting by, and they aren't the ones going and buying the bottle of wine, sandwiches, etc., where the San Marco actually makes its profit.
If you want to sell the highest margin items to greatest amount of customers, which I'm assuming you'd like to do or you wouldn't be in business, then it should be relatively obvious in this case that a 1-screen theater competing with Regal and Cinemark really isn't going to work. Draw in your younger crowd, often without kids. They've got the money to buy the wine and beer and food that you make your profit on. If you want to make money, change your viewpoint entirely and think of it as a bar & restaurant that shows movies. Then it should make sense to you. Think about what restaurants are successful in Riverside, and who frequents them, and what movies they would want to see.
Park yourself at Kickbacks or Carmines or Biscottis or Brick or Casbah or Orsay and watch the crowd on a Friday night.
Notably, we don't have a Chuck-E-Cheese here.
I'm not going to knock the San Marco Theatre too hard. That could be a whole separate thread, and further as a potential theatre owner in town, well... it just wouldn't be cool.
I will say though that the 5 Points will benefit greatly from a more aggressive booking policy. We can book a film like The Hangover and know that, when attendance wanes in week three, we'll be able to split the screen (i.e. alternate screening times) with the smaller fare that the 5 Points Theatre has become known for. It's a great balance, and the only way a single screen can survive. With or without food.
What people aren't talking about is that a single screen cinema is not sustainable when its screen is devoted exclusively to those (often fantastic) smaller films. Straight up from someone in the business for more than a decade: no matter how high the profit margin on beer and wine if a Friday night opening screening brings in 13 people, simple math tells us those patrons are gonna have to be too drunk to walk out of the theatre in order to consume the amount of beverages needed to keep that place open.
Looks like the funding has come through!
http://www.ulule.com/5pointstheatre/news/praise-lord-and-pass-peanut-sauce-2631/
Congratulations to Tim and Shana. Urban Core, your theater is in good hands.
I have enjoyed many films and am looking forward to the new environment.
Hurray! Congratulations guys! Looking forward to the future, and all that you will bring to the theatre. Good luck!
Quote from: david-massett on September 14, 2011, 09:50:03 AM
Straight up from someone in the business for more than a decade: no matter how high the profit margin on beer and wine if a Friday night opening screening brings in 13 people, simple math tells us those patrons are gonna have to be too drunk to walk out of the theatre in order to consume the amount of beverages needed to keep that place open.
Wait a sec? I am these people. I am the 7.7%. Occupy 5PT!
Will be seeing Moneyball this week. I've read the book and was genuinely excited when I saw the promos for the movie. Extra excited when I drove through 5 Points today and saw the marquee.
Yippee! Can't wait to see the new and improved theatre.
When is the projected soft opening?
What's the latest on this project? I am a big fan of the Five Points area. Spent many glorious days in that area in my youth. What I wouldn't do to get a job in that area....
It's open and renamed the Sun-Ray Cinema. It's an awesome setup.
http://www.sunraycinema.com/
If you haven't checked out the new 5 Points Theater, this is a great week/weekend to go.
They are having a Wes Anderson marathon all day Thursday with Moonrise Kingdom finally making its Jacksonville debut at midnight. I'm not sure if its playing at any other theaters in Jax, but its at Sun Ray for the next few weeks.
If Tinseltown and AMC do not pick it up, that would be a strong statement against culture in Jax.