Capitol, Somerville Theatres End Summer On Cliffhanger

ARLINGTON, MA — Ice cream is saving the Capitol Theatre. The independent movie theater in Arlington has been closed for movies since March 15, the same day it laid off all its hourly staff. In the ensuing six months, it's tried everything from a virtual cinema – where customers would watch movies through a link on the theater's website, giving it a portion of the profit – to pop-up concession sales.

It's the Capitol Creamery, an ice cream parlor connected to the theater, that's been the most profitable. But with the summer winding down, that will soon change.

"Basically we've been breaking even with a very skeleton crew for the last three months during ice cream season," Jamie Mattchen, general manager of the Capitol Theatre, said. "Once the weather changes, that will change."

Mattchen said she is the only working manager at Frame One Theatres, the company that owns Capitol Theatre, as the rest of upper management has been furloughed. She is now also responsible for Frame One's other theater, the Somerville Theatre.

It wasn't always this way. In the early months of the shutdown, the PPP loans kept management employed, and the community outreach was "surprising and heartwarming," Mattchen said. Customers contributed to the theaters through donations or buying gift cards.

"However, as time has gone on, I think people are getting tight with their own money," said Mattchen. "It's not as enthusiastic as it was when we first closed."

But people still care – Mattchen estimates she answers 20 calls and emails a day wondering when the theaters will start showing movies again. When that will be is anybody's guess, including Mattchen's. Current state guidelines do not allow indoor movie theaters to sell food, and concessions are their predominant moneymaker.

"Theaters do not make much money on tickets, as a significant portion of the ticket price gets bumped up to the studio," Mattchen said. At the same time, theaters are being told to reduce their capacity to 25 people, making it "pretty much impossible" to turn a profit, she added.

Mattchen told Patch the state's regulations are up to local health departments to interpret and enforce, and they are not always done so equally. The Brattle Theatre allows private rentals, where it sells pre-packaged food; the West Newton Cinema offers pre-packaged food and curbside popcorn, instead of open food inside the theater; and the Maynard's Fine Arts Theatre is held to the same rules as restaurants, Mattchen said.

Somerville is not allowing any movie theaters to open under its local health and safety guidelines, and Mattchen hasn't had any luck with health officials in Arlington.

"It's good that the health department is following the rules, but they're not giving me any wiggle room," Mattchen said. "If we could sell food, we could make a go of it at least."

Mattchen is frustrated by the inconsistency of the state's regulations. The Somerville Theatre, for example, used to rent out its main theater to a large church group.

"Right now we could open to that 200-person church group, and we'd be following the rules," she said.

The owner of Frame One Theatres wants to reopen and is hopeful that state guidelines will ease up sooner rather than later. But the question remains whether anyone will come to the theater, as "people are still scared, and rightfully so," Mattchen said. The worst case scenario is the Capitol and Somerville Theatres close for a few months until the next step of Phase 3 happens.

A silver lining: their future is not in question.

"We'll come back eventually," Mattchen said.

See Also: MA Patch Local Business Information Center: A Community Resource