How One Independent Film Reflects the Legacy of Movie Theaters

Alisa Powell | Writer

“This is my battle cry,” said Sean Baker in his Oscar acceptance speech for Best Director.

His independent film, “Anora”, won a total of five Oscars- including Best Picture. Baker spoke passionately to the audience about something very important to him: movie theaters. Specifically, the risk screens have faced since the pandemic with a swift turn to streaming. He pleaded for filmmakers to make movies for the big screen and for parents to shape the next generation of filmmakers by bringing their children to the theater- just as his mother did.

The film initially premiered in only six theaters before expanding to a little over 1,100 theaters.

“You’ll find that most places never even played [“Anora”], it never saw the light of day,” said Rick Wolfe, owner and manager of the Roxy Theater in Northampton.

Shortly after the Oscars, “Anora” became available to stream on Hulu, making it accessible to over 50 million users.

So what gives people initiative to choose the theatre instead of conveniently streaming from home?

Wolfe, who has run his theater for 55 years, has witnessed many threats to the big screen over the years. He believes the trend of theater closures is a result of unsustainability, as chains build megaplexes without enough product to fill their numerous screens.

“That doesn’t mean the industry is going to go away; it has to restructure itself,” he said.

Wolfe’s single screen theater has recently transitioned to first-run, playing a vital role in the Roxy Theater’s ongoing success and popularity for audiences across the Lehigh Valley.

Shenyah Davis, film student at Northampton Community College and self-proclaimed cinephile, has watched “Anora” in theaters twice. She says the film looks much more dazzling on the big screen.

“That’s how films deserve to be watched,” she said.

Though theaters may be challenged by other means of entertainment, they continue to adapt and offer audiences a viewing experience that cannot be replicated anywhere else.

So, as the end credits roll, you can be confident that the magic of the big screen is not fading.