A Cloverdale movie theatre is trying to get creative to keep up with the times.
The Clova Cinema is desperate to go digital, but it is not cheap.
Samantha LeDrew with the theatre says its costs at least $30,000 to convert to digital format.
That’s the money it would take to get a used digital player.
“A brand new one can cost anywhere from $70,000 to $120,000,” says LeDrew.
Earlier this week, LeDrew posted a photo on the theatre’s Facebook page showing two employees posing with a reel of film under the sign that reads, “Our boss said if we reached one million likes we could convert to digital.”
LeDrew says they realize they probably won’t reach a million ‘likes,’ but their goal is to raise awareness about their plight.
The theatre is the only one left in Cloverdale, and dates all the way back to 1947.
LeDrew says they have a very close bond with the community.
“A lot of our regular customers do not want to see us go under because they love coming here. We have one couple that comes here every Saturday…So everyone keeps telling us, we want you to stay open, but without having people come to the Clova, we are not going to be able to stay open.”
LeDrew says going digital is no longer a luxury, but a necessity to them.
LeDrew says as an example, last week they played The Lone Ranger and This is the End. Both movies are already out on DVDs.
“The only thing we can get now is the stuff that is already out. Because the film companies do not want the film print to play, they want the digital print to play. And, a lot of them do not even make anything on the 35 mm print anymore. ”
LeDrew says she expects film companies to not release any type of 35 mm print by next year.
“If we do not go digital, then we are done.”
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