ATHOL — When Athol Cinemas opens, it will be the first time in a half-century that the town has had a movie theater.
Athol Cinemas, with eight screens and featuring modern conveniences and technology, has a targeted opening of the first weekend in May, according to general manager Terri Beam.
A sign is expected to soon go up marking Athol Cinemas, its official name. The nearly-finished building is located in the southwest corner of the North Quabbin Commons, tucked between the Workers Credit Union office and the Hobby Lobby store. Free parking is all shared in the complex, which has been developed by RMD (Retail Management & Development) of Tewksbury.
Beam said things are progressing well, pointing out boxes of speakers ready to be installed as part of the Dolby surround sound system, also noting the newly installed blue drapes in one of the smaller auditoriums. Two of the eight theaters have 50 seats each, while the total seating for all eight is 508. Two of the screens will be 3-D-capable.
All of the theaters are stadium style, featuring reclining seats. Asked if they are comfortable, Beam quipped, “Yes, too comfortable! I’ve fallen asleep in them” in other theaters.
She said this type of seating requires more square footage per chair, which is one reason capacity is reduced.
In the near future, Beam will be interviewing prospective employees, including candidates for two assistant manager positions. Asked about how long her own typical workday will be, she commented, “I put in whatever I need to do, so that things run smoothly,” explaining that assistant managers will be on site when needed.
There will be about a dozen other employees. The jobs will be primarily part-time, without benefits, and anyone age 16 or older will be able to apply. Everyone hired will be trained to fulfill various functions, including selling tickets, serving refreshments and cleaning.
Technology is a large part of the business. The era of feeding reels of celluloid film through a projector is over. The word “film” may still be used, but each movie arrives at the theater on a computer hard drive. This device includes timing settings, so the movies start at predetermined times. No one sits in a projection booth. The manager can monitor the situation in each screening room on a computer in an office.
The selection of movies coming to Athol Cinemas will be determined not by local management, but by production companies, such as Sony and Disney, working with brokers who schedule the films in advance to be shown for a limited time. Programming is based largely on community demographics, such as age, education and income. Two major distributors, Deluxe and Technicolor, are involved in the process — serving as middlemen between the owner of the complex and the production studios.
Asked about whether so-called “art house” films might be included in the entertainment mix, Beam said this will be determined largely by the demographics. She said patrons can create a demand for a film by contacting producers and letting them know there is a prospective audience in a given location.
The price structure has not yet been fixed, Beam said, because research into the region’s demographics is still underway. Typically, she noted, there are discounts for senior citizens.
Tickets will be available online via the Athol Cinemas website, which is not yet up and running, and each ticket will be for a specific reserved seat. Online purchasers will choose a seat on the website and those buying tickets at the admissions booth will view a small screen and choose the desired seat.
A concession area is being constructed directly inside the entranceway, and the featured items will be popcorn, candy and soda.
Athol Cinemas is owned by Belmont Management of Cambridge, linked to an entity called Your Neighborhood Theatres, which owns movie houses in Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts. Their only Massachusetts theater, prior to this one in Athol, is located in Edgartown on Martha’s Vineyard. The website www.yourneighborhoodtheatre.com has promotional information, including the following:
“Looking for a new or unique way to celebrate a birthday? Why not let us host it? Hollywood style. Many of our theaters arrange parties that feature the newest released in kids’ films, accompanied of course by traditional goodies from our concession stands. A memorable event for children or all ages.”
Beam said this kind of party will be available in Athol, gesturing to a special room for that purpose off the lobby. She said it may be possible for people to bring their own refreshments, or perhaps Athol Cinemas will arrange for the bakery at the nearby Market Basket to make special cakes or cupcakes. She noted an entire theater can be rented for a private party or showing. She explained businesses and organizations can rent a theater, typically during morning hours, for a conference with a movie showing or a PowerPoint presentation.
Beam, 53, previously worked in the Seymour, Conn., theater, part of the Your Neighborhood Theatres network, and has been on the job in Athol for two weeks. She lives in a rented apartment in Gardner with her husband. She was wearing a Star Wars T-shirt and when asked about her favorite movies, she said “Anything with Sandra Bullock.” One of the newest ones, she said, is “Ocean’s Eight.”
Residents of the nine-town North Quabbin region have been traveling for decades to see movies in Gardner, Greenfield, Leominster, Fitchburg, Amherst and Hadley, even out of state to Keene, N.H., and Brattleboro Vt., so having a local cineplex will be a great convenience, she said.
The North Quabbin Commons started with Market Basket and continues to grow. According to the RMD website, there is a total of 280,369 square feet of developed space, of which 50,950 remains, still available for rent.