MANLIUS, N.Y. (NCC News) – When Manlius Cinema first opened its doors on Dec. 6, 1918, the world was drastically different.
A single movie ticket cost 7 cents. The year’s highest grossing film was “Mickey,” a silent coming-of-age story starring Mabel Normand. And even though the Great War was coming to an end, society was still in the midst of an ongoing hardship just as devastating – a global pandemic.
Over 106 years later, the building and theater are still intact, located in the heart of Manlius’ town square. It has witnessed numerous phases, both of itself and the town around it; it has experienced name changes, directional pivots, even the rise and fall of competing theaters on East Seneca Street. Numerous winters, just like this one, that take direct aim at the roof and walls.
But through it all, the lights remain on. As it does on a Thursday afternoon, over four hours before showtime.
Inside, setting up the theater is general manager Derek Walter. Walter, 42, often hears stories from patrons double his age, who reminisce about what the theater was once like.
“It’s really a humbling position to be in,” Walter said. “To really think about the history, and what this theater has meant to those generations before, and to what it could mean for the generations yet to come.”
In the present, Manlius Cinema continues to look forward. Taken over by Manlius restaurant partners Dan Chapman and Joe Ori in 2022, it remains one of the few independent theaters left in Central New York.
The business’ slogan, “Your neighborhood movie theater,” doesn’t just reference its local ownership, but almost serves as a promise. Walter, who oversees day-to-day operations, has the theater engaged with the community, collaborating with local schools and businesses whenever possible.
But Walter is also proud of the theater’s ability to engage the community. From running the concessions during screenings, to figuring out schedules, Walter’s job is surrounded by movie-goers, and he encourages them to take part in helping mold the experience.
At Manlius Cinema, customers have the chance to send in suggestions for movies the theater should run, which Walter takes seriously. He feels that the theater’s flexibility, and personal connection is one of its biggest strengths, complimenting well with the theater’s more intimate atmosphere.
“It’s hearkening to a bygone era, a simpler time as some might say,” Walter said. “To something that has been vitally lost. And you can sort of discover that here again.”
That flexibility is what separates Manlius Cinema from competitors like bigger theaters, and larger concerns like the streaming boom. It’s allowed a wider variety of films than many would expect from a single-screen venue. On this night for example, it’s set to show Oscar best picture nominee “The Brutalist,” but next week it will screen “The Last Waltz,” a Martin Scorsese-directed documentary from 1978.
In the past, Disney sequels from the “Inside Out” and “Moana” franchises have also frequented Manlius’ big screen, and Walter has plans to screen indie film “We’re All Gonna Die”; a movie made for, and about Gen Z. As a group that he feels is underrepresented in movies, Walter hopes that films like it can help bring a younger generation of movie-goers back to the cinema.
“No matter who you are, no matter what your background is, no matter what your political affiliation is,” Walter said. “We have something relevant to you, that’s going to be entertaining to you, and that you’re going to come here and feel represented and seen.”
In the end, Walter hopes the theater can deliver a sense of escapism in a world that needs it. Citing the continued fracturing of media, he feels the power of movie-going is as one of the last places that can deliver a “shared experience.”
“There’s been many times people come back in the lobby, and we just have big discussions about what we just watched,” Walter said. “And that’s the power of the cinema, and something in rapidly short supply in today’s society.”
Hear Walter’s reaction to Sean Baker’s Oscars Speech below.
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: As Sean Baker delivers a pro-theater plea, Manlius Cinema hopes it fosters a larger movement
Anton Kox: If Sunday night was the call to action…
Sean Baker: Movie theaters, especially independently-owned theaters are struggling, and it’s up to us to support them.
Kox: Then here, we’d find out who would answer. Manlius Cinema is one of the few independently owned theaters left in Central New York, and general manager Derek Walter is hopeful that Baker’s message can make an impact.
Derek Walter: I’m inspired, and encouraged by what he said in his speech. And I hope it resonates with other people, to really reconsider how they take in cinema, and how, when, and where they view it.
Kox: The effort to shine a light on the box office has been years in the making. As you’d imagine, the first hit came from COVID, with box office revenue decreasing from over $11 billion a year in 2019, to just $2 billion in 2020. It’s never fully recovered, topping out at just under $9 billion in 2023. All of this is to say that alternatives like streaming have continued to remain prevelant, and have made it an uphill battle to get people from their homes…to the theater.
Walter: To stay relevant, we have to evolve. We really have to put the work in, to think about who we’re appealing to, and how we’re appealing to them.
Kox: Walter says a big part of the theater is flexibility, which includes taking in screening suggestions from anyone willing to share. But biggest of all is offering an experience that is hard to get in today’s society.
Walter: The cinema is great, because it’s one of the last places that we can come together and have a shared experience.
Kox: In Manlius, Anton Kox, NCC News.