Business is good at the box office

Which is good news for proposed theater in Valdese

Credit: Jennifer Frew | The News Herald

Stewart Trimble, of Brevard, purchases a show ticket from Tyler Piercy at the Marqeee Cinemas box office in Morganton on Tuesday.

By Sharon McBrayer
Published: February 11, 2010

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MORGANTON --

Developers looking to open a movie theater in downtown Valdese shouldn't have any trouble selling tickets once it's up and running.
Even with the current economic recession — or depression, depending on who you talk to — folks appear to still be flocking to the movies.
"The economy has had no affect on our attendance, whatsoever," said Garland Roberts, general manager of Marquee Cinemas in Morganton.
While he couldn't access attendance records because of a change in computer systems, Roberts said attendance is based on what movies are showing.
He said he's sure the theater set single-show attendance records when the movie "New Moon" opened.
The biggest attendance the theater has seen since it opened in December 2001 was "Avatar," "Alvin and the Chipmunks" and "Sherlock Holmes," Roberts said.
The National Association of Theater Owners has reported record ticket sales, said Dale Hurst, director of marketing for Carmike Theaters, which owns a 14-screen theater in Hickory.
That's because of two things: Historically, when there's a downturn in the economy, people tend to stay home and choose a cheaper form of entertainment and good product.
Robert said, "It's a product-driven industry."
So how would a theater in Valdese fare?
Roberts believes great.
"I can't imagine they won't do well," Roberts said. Particularly if the theater shows first-run movies, he said.
Hurst said the theater business is still competitive. Just because theaters are generally doing well doesn't mean just anyone can open a theater and make millions.
But partners with the company wanting to bring the theater to Valdese say they're not looking to make millions.
Bob Lauer and Curtis Fainn, partners in Our Town Cinemas, want to open their second theater in the old Alba-Waldensian Mill in Valdese. The theater would offer three screens.
The partners opened their first theater — a four-screen theater — on Christmas Day in Davidson.
Since it first opened, the two say it has done well.
Lauer and Fainn say they want to bring back the small-town theater and believe Valdese would be a good fit.
Town officials have said a theater would attract more people and business, as well as bring a few jobs to Valdese.
According to the feasibility study from Our Town Cinemas, the estimated cost to build the Valdese theater is $749,300. The study figures that by the fifth year, the theater would net an income of $176,491.
Roberts said he's not concerned about any competition between the Morganton and Valdese theater. He said the two theaters would be serving two different communities. He said most of his customers come from Morganton.