Ciné in Athens, Park Plaza on Hilton Head Island outlines for Savannah arthouse theater

Park Plaza Cinemas

Lucie Mann, along with her husband Larry, have been at the helm of Park Plaza Cinemas since the couple took over for the previous owner in July 2010. Located at 33 Office Park Road on Hilton Head Island, Lucie said the couple has strived to provide a state-of-the-art, clean movie house for local cinephiles (and the occasional snowbird) to break away from the mainstream a bit.

“(The previous owners) didn't serve food at all, or beer and wine. So from the get go, we knew we wanted to offer more,” she said.

“It started with watching people get out of their movie and then they'd stand in the lobby and talk with each other, then they go by the door and talk with each other, and then they go outside — still talking with each other. And we thought, well, that's crazy. There's no space here to offer them to hang, if they want to talk, they're not done with the night, they want to process this movie.”

Credit: Photo provided

Credit: Photo provided

Expanding the theater experience included adding a full-fledged kitchen so movie patrons could process the movie with the aid of a glass of wine or flatbread pizza. From there, high-end seats were added to the five screen theater complex. Mann said the goal is to provide an experience for those coming to see a movie.

“My slogan I came up with was not just a movie, but an experience. We like to entertain and we used to entertain, personally, like small groups, and I love to cook. So that was kind of part of our lifestyle and now we weren't doing that because we were (at the theater) so much. So we wanted to create a space really, that we would love to be in and we kind of did it for us. But also thinking about if we like this space, we know other people will like it.”

People definitely liked it. Mann said they had a stream of regulars who would make the trek out to the theater prior to the pandemic. The audience has shifted a bit recently with a large influx of new to the area members, who are in their mid-30s looking for a night out at the movies. They also rely on a steady stream of tourists and snowbirds, who have identified Park Plaza as a destination when they’re in town.

“There's a lot of people who just moved here. I don't know if it's the same in Savannah, but it seems like every day I meet people that just moved here, they discover us. They'll Google and see our theater and they see our dogs. I love that.”

Maybe more than the all-inclusive theater experience, it may also be the inclusion of their dogs that brings people to Park Plaza, Mann said. “Larry was telling me last night, it never ceases to amaze him how many people will bring their friends to meet our dogs,” she added.

“And the dogs are not there except the one show at night, the seven o’clock, those dogs have been a big part of our theater…I don't think there's a theater in the world that you can bring your dog in to watch a movie that I know.”

Mann said they’re not done expanding. The business is about 50% back from its pre-pandemic numbers and they’re always looking for ways ti diversify the experience for their patrons, including dipping their toes into membership programs or other incentives for frequent visitors. She said they also have plans to license their brand and possibly expand out of just their Hilton Head location.

“I want to revolutionize what's been going on (with movie-going).”

Ciné

Nestled in a similarly cultured hub like Savannah is the Ciné, a premier arthouse movie theater in Athens. On the flip side from Park Plaza, the Ciné is a non-profit establishment run by the Athens Film Arts Institute board of directors and the theater’s executive director, Pamela Kohn.

The theater shifted into non-profit status in 2009, growing into nearly what it is today with a board and executive director by 2012. In 2014, Kohn came on board and she said having that non-profit backing has been vital as its allowed them to worry a bit less on the bottom line of ticket and concession sales and focus on providing a better experience to their patrons.

“(The non-profit status) does give you that window to supplement operational income…it's not lucrative at all, in terms of just your ticket sales, that's not really where you're going to be making that much money because of the split (between the business and the film distributor),” Kohn said.

Credit: Joshua L. Jones

Credit: Joshua L. Jones

“We're trying to make accommodation to really be very, very friendly at a price point for things that people really love and try and be creative and thinking about other things that we can do to income in other areas.”

Those other areas include live music shows or poetry readings, renting out the space for business or parties and even expanding to a drive-in theater component during the pandemic “We're always exploring ways to make it even more diverse, but we have had regulars coming in for eight years. I've seen the same faces, so they're very loyal, and very vested people who really love art house theater, and what it brings to them in terms of a sense of community,” she said.

“Not only were you meeting those people you've also seen for eight years as a patron, and become fast friends, but also (Ciné) is a place to meet new people, like new people coming into the community, (and this is an) opportunity to integrate really well on a cultural level.”

For Kohn, creating a space for education is also a key mission for Ciné in whatever event they’re hosting at the time. “The mission is to provide entertainment and educate and bring the world of different perspectives to audiences. You see a real excitement from younger aged audiences coming in and seeing a film like we’ve shown,” she said.

Credit: Andrew Shearer/Athens Banner-Herald

Credit: Andrew Shearer/Athens Banner-Herald

“I think the continuing education side is an add on enrichment that sort of aligns itself with whatever you're showing.”

On top of a steady stream of film-hungry University of Georgia students, Kohn said they have a stream of regulars and new to the area film fans that have made the Ciné their go-to movie house.

“We try and work as much as we can to really make this a place where everybody can really have a sense of belonging. We want to make it possible for everybody. So that's sort of the philosophy of how we sort of go about thinking as to our position in the community.”

Can an arthouse movie theater survive as just a place for movies?

Both Mann and Kohn agree that there is a successful model for arthouse movie theaters in 2022, but it probably means the definition of the space expands from just arthouse movies.

At Park Plaza, Mann said they’re offering up their five screens to local businesses looking to have a retreat or a presentation for their employees, expanded into hosting birthday parties and even have hosted a few “marry me” proposal events.

“We're a venue, we're no longer a movie theater. You can't see yourself as (just) a movie theater because that's not enough. That's not enough revenue. So you have to see yourself as a venue that can be flexible…I think we've done pretty much everything in terms of events that you can imagine, but that has to become a big component right now (to succeed).”

At Ciné, this is just an expansion of something Kohn said they’ve been doing since day one: becoming a space for the community to organize no matter the need.

Credit: Rob Youngson, Focus Features

Credit: Rob Youngson, Focus Features

“It caters to a lot of people and I think once somebody comes in the doors, it's attractive to come back. It’s a very welcoming space, and it's beautifully designed. It's a space you want to actually be in.”

Kohn said movies can still be integrated into this expansion of the space with a recent example of a screening of the Oscar-nominated film, “Belfast,” bringing in a new legion of fans as they screening of the film included a Q&A with one of the directors of the Willson Center for Humanities & Arts in Athens, who was born in Belfast, Ireland. Kohn said the event brought in people she hadn’t seen in two years or more along with fresh eyes from the university.

“You need to sort of think about (this as) well, how do I entice people to come in the door? What will motivate somebody?”

Is there a future for arthouse?

As both venues expand, both of their directors agree that there is a future for arthouse in a new and different sense. Mann does worry about the future of going to the movies, though, as streaming has become a dominant force for younger audiences seeking out new movies.

“Larry and I were talking about that and he says that (arthouse theaters) are closing across the country more and more because of the audience. The movie-goers are more sophisticated retirees. Just exclusively being an art house will become harder and harder. Because they can't survive if they don't have the audience.”

Mann said their theater has expanded their programming to include some newer titles and horror films to bring in younger audiences with a bit of success, but nothing that leaps off the page. She said she would love to get more involved with the regional film community, such as student filmmakers at the Savannah College of Art & Design, to screen their work and help cultivate those young film fans.

"I would like to do that sort of thing a lot more…I always love to work with filmmakers that want to work directly with the theater venues. It's a lot more intimate and fun,” she said.

Credit: Joshua L. Jones, Athens Banner-Herald USA TODAY NETWORK

Credit: Joshua L. Jones, Athens Banner-Herald USA TODAY NETWORK

For Kohn, there’s a future for these types of theaters, especially in towns rich in culture like Athens and Savannah. “If you can get an arthouse theater (in Savannah), that would be really wonderful. It adds to a city, it really does, and it brings a lot if it's sort of focused in one space, and people get to know it. It really becomes part of the identity of the town and actually put tourism and economic growth,” she said.

“It actually is a big factor. We've had people say we retired here because of Ciné. People want to have something like that to have as part of what they do, because they know they can meet people, it's a place to go, it brings culture.”

Zach Dennis is the editor of the arts and culture section and weekly Do Savannah alt-weekly publication at the Savannah Morning News and can be reached at zdennis@savannahnow.com.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Ciné in Athens, Park Plaza on Hilton Head Island outlines for Savannah arthouse theater