There’s something magical about movie theaters, where hundreds of people from every imaginable background can come together to be transported away from their humdrum realities into other lives with infinite possibilities.
Whether filmgoers visit multiplexes with state-of-the-art technology or prefer the simpler charms of a classic one-screen movie palace, Central Arkansas has them covered on both fronts. The Riverdale 10 is Little Rock’s home for a combination of blockbusters and arthouse fare, while Searcy’s Rialto Theatre shows second-run movies in a newly renovated theater, whose entrance is graced by a dazzling animated art-deco marquee.
Independent theaters like Riverdale show art house fare but also blockbuters that might not get a long run at the multiscreen cinemas. (Photo provided)
Speaking with the men who oversee these locally beloved establishments, it becomes clear that running a theater can be a challenge, but one that brings vast emotional rewards.
“I always loved movies as a kid, and movies and music have always been my thing,” said Matt Smith, the owner of Theater Group Inc., which includes Riverdale and theaters in Hot Springs, Cabot, Searcy and Batesville. “I worked at a movie theater at 14 as an usher, then concessions and projectionist, working my way up. I wanted anything to do with movie studios, and I was fortunate to go to college and study business at the University of Arkansas.”
The Riverdale 10 is popular for its special showings of cult films like The Rocky Horror Picture Show. (Photo provided)
Smith started his theatrical empire in 1987 with the Searcy 8 VIP Cinema, then moved into Little Rock in 2000 with the late, great Market Street Cinema, which established the impressive mix of movies that Riverdale has adopted since it opened in 2014 after Market Street closed.
Market Street had been the first theater in Arkansas to hold an alcohol permit, and since then, Smith’s Cabot and Hot Springs locations have joined Little Rock in offering 40 beers, 15 wines and 25 varieties of candy.
“The goal at any public place is to sell you concessions, whether it’s at Traveler games, Simmons Arena or bowling,” Smith explained. “That is the focus of the hospitality business, and we’re in that. You want to sell food and beverage at every type of entertainment venue, but the only difference is what patrons are coming in for. You unlock the doors to sell concessions.”
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, some studios tried to send movies to their streaming services either “day-and-date” at the same time as theatrical release dates or after a short, 17-day theatrical window. Warner Brothers was the worst offender, releasing its 2021 slate entirely day-and-date on HBO Max. The studio wound up taking a bath on nearly all its films. Meanwhile, Sony completely focused on having theatrical releases and scored big time with blockbusters like Spider Man: No Way Home.
That gives Smith a certainty that theatres will survive the pandemic and any other future societal calamity. He notes that theatres have a very different business approach than streaming services.
“Nobody goes into the movie industry to put things on little TV screens,” he noted. “They go into the business wanting to make movies on a big screen in a cinema, but there are 5,000-plus movies made every year, and a multiplex only needs 100 of those. I need two new movies a week to keep the crowds coming and keep the screens turning over from one group of releases to the next. Then, there’s all the junk that’s always gone straight to video, and now streaming.”
However, Smith admitted that the pandemic did force a large number of screens to close, with 7,000 fewer screens and 800 fewer movie theatres in the United States. But he’s always applied savvy financial skills to weather any storm along the way.
“I had a much different strategy. I know a lot of people would just rent space, lease equipment and not plan for the future, and that happens in all fields of business,” he said. “I’ve always planned for not just a rainy day, but for hurricane-force winds to come through, and have been very conservative in decisions about money.
Matt Smith, owner of Riverdale 10 and Theater Group Inc. (Photo by Carl Kozlowski)
“It’s a whole different situation when you own your equipment. I always thought cash was king. I have money in the bank, and never gambled or played the lottery. I don’t hate money in the way that would throw that away. Spending my life expecting that hard rainy day to come saved me.”
Smith said second-run movie houses have particularly suffered in recent years, as first-run movies slide almost exclusively into streaming services after they play out their initial release. But in Searcy, the century-old Rialto Theatre has managed to overcome all sorts of boom periods and setbacks to emerge a vibrant community resource — a fact that is bolstered by the fact the city operates the theatre itself as a community service that only has to break even to survive.
“The city looked into multiple options before choosing how to operate this theater,” said Stephen Gifford, who is an IT administrator for the city of Searcy and manages the Rialto. “The city takes taxes and monies they spend very seriously and takes them into serious consideration here with parks and recreation and keeping things running.”
The city took over the Rialto in the 1980s after its previous owner had trouble with operations and upkeep. David Evans, then Searcy mayor, called long-time cinema owner Victor Webber to handle the theater for the city, rent-free.
Webber spent two years and $80,000 of his own money to put in new seats, projectors and all other operational needs, before operating the theater with his family for 24 years. When he retired in 2018, the city took over management, and Gifford was brought in just in time to oversee another series of massive improvement projects.
“We put a new screen in because someone had spilled a Coke on it years before in the center, and you could see it every time a movie had an explosion or other major light effects,” Gifford recalled. “We put in a new projector, all-new sound system, new concession equipment and new hot water heaters for the first time in the theater’s history.”
The result is an inviting and impressive movie house, with things so upgraded the sound is Dolby 7.1, “and the best sound in town.” New speakers and loads of amps make the theater rock when there’s big action, and the sound is especially crisp in scenes of rainfall.
Tickets are just $3 for adults and $2 for children 12 and under. Patrons have a big say in how the theater’s movies are selected, as they get to make suggestions on the theater’s Facebook page and in surveys.
The Rialto takes on one movie for ideally two weeks, though if a movie is doing poorly, like The Batman recently, Gifford will switch to another film after just one week. The Rialto also shows matinees for children on weekends to ensure that there is always something for families to see together, even when the main film showing is a PG-13 action extravaganza.
“The goal for the Rialto is to break even in its operations, and that’s one of the benefits that we have of why we could keep the prices so low,” Gifford said. “If the Rialto can make enough money to pay for its employees, the electricity and the operation, there’s no need to gorge its citizens. We’re not trying to make a profit for a company or compete with the other theater.”
