Todd Loveland of Devil Damnit has worked with the theater to show movies there before. The idea for the summer movie series came after AMC Classic Pittsburg 8 closed at the end of May.
“We were just filling a void,” Loveland said. “People enjoy the movies, especially in the summer, and it was kind of going to be a cultural shock for us not to have a theater anymore. We thought we could help with that.”
Loveland is providing the projector and sound system, and he also contacted local businesses for sponsorships. Board members with the theater’s foundation then selected the movies for the series, which range from “Tombstone” to “The Wizard of Oz.”
“Some are great for families, some are great for date night, some are great for just an overall movie experience,” board president Brad Wells said. “I think it's going to be a really fun opportunity to get out and do something a little different in Pittsburg.”
The series will start with “Cars” on June 19 at 9 p.m. Admission for children ages 12 and under that night is $2, while all other tickets cost $5. The theater, The Balkan and The Meat Shed will be selling concessions.
According to board member Stephanie Watts, the series will be a way for people to build a sense of community, one that they can’t get from their phones or a streaming service.
“Something like this definitely brings people out of their homes, into the open air and watching a great movie, having some food and drink,” she said. “I think it's going to be a great thing for our community.”
Loveland also wants it to be a way to bring more attention to downtown Pittsburg and the Colonial Fox, which is in the process of restoring its marquee and other renovations.
“It was well timed and something I think the community will enjoy,” he said. “Sitting outside as a kid watching drive-in movies was so much fun, and I'm hoping it'll be something as pleasurable as that.”
If the series goes well this summer, Loveland, Wells and Watts all hope to do one in the fall as well. For Watts, the closure of the AMC theater has led to a greater sense of urgency to provide another source of entertainment.
“If there's a desire and a need, I think we will find a way to keep it going,” she said. “I think that's kind of a no brainer, especially when all the students come back to school.”
The theater’s ultimate goal is to show movies inside again, once it’s able to be open to the public. According to Wells, the building now has a new roof, fire suppression system and air conditioning system.
“All kinds of things that you don't really see, and it doesn't really look very glamorous, but it's stuff that has to get done,” he said. “So all of those things are now in a really good spot, and now we can start making the place back to being beautiful like it once was.”
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