Cable Car Cinema
 | |
| Address | 204 South Main Street Providence, Rhode Island United States |
|---|---|
| Opened | 1976 |
| Closed | 2018 |
| Website | |
| https://cablecarcinema.com/ | |
Cable Car Cinema and Cafe was an independent movie theater in Providence, Rhode Island known for using loveseat couches instead of typical theater seating.
Description and programming[edit]
Cable Car Cinema operated at 204 South Main Street in Providence, at the foot of College Hill, in a building owned by the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). The 100-seat, one-screen theater focused on foreign, independent, experimental, and classic movies catering to the taste of its patrons.[1][2] In addition to its film selection, it became known for its loveseat couches among rows of more typical theater seating.[1][3][4] Walls were covered with a variety of film posters reflecting the cinema's tastes.[4]
The cafe supplied food and drinks, including alcoholic beverages, during the movies and functioned as an additional source of revenue during the day, opening in the morning to cater to students.[1] According to the Boston Globe, one of the attractions were "the impromptu salons that could stretch for hours while patrons discussed art, local politics, the Pats, and potholes".[4] According to the owners, ticket sales only accounted for about 35-40% of total revenue.[5]
The cinema formed relationships with RISD and Brown, with arrangements for special screenings for classes or homework since at least 1988.[6]
The space hosted several film festivals: Providence French Film Festival (sponsored by Brown University), Providence Latin-American Film Festival, the Providence Africana Film Festival, the Children's Film Festival, and the Magic Lantern Screening Series of experimental and avant garde work.[1][5][6]
At one time, movies were preceded by a local singer performing a version of "Teddy Bear's Picnic".[4]
History[edit]
The cinema opened in 1976 in a moving company's former truck garage and took its name from a cable car which had been left in the garage.[7][1] The owner, Raymond Bilodeau, converted it into a theater and concession stand. His interior design incorporated the use of couches as seating, which he had previously implemented in another theater he owned in Bristol. Though the initial design intended to fix the namesake cable car and display it on the roof, its location on South Main Street meant it was part of a historic district, and the proposal to do so was rejected by the historic preservation commission.[8]
Opening night in 1976 was a failure, with no customers buying tickets, and the business took several years to find an audience.[8] At the time, its area of Providence was considered dangerous, and for some time doors were locked after films began. In 1989, as the cinema grew in popularity, Bilodeau reworked the interior to convert a storage area and bathroom into a cafe and kitchen, dispensing with the one-worker operation that had been in place since it opened. Bilodeau passed management to his nephew, Eric Bilodeau, in 1990.[8]
In 2008, the cinema was purchased by married couple Daniel Kamil and Emily Steffian. The pair were independent cinema enthusiasts who ran an even smaller, 50-seat theater called The Revival House out of a mixed use commercial building in Westerly, Rhode Island, living in the apartment above it, from 2003-2007.[1][9][2]
The space underwent renovations in 2010, upgrading the cafe's kitchen and staff space, improving the electrical system, upgrading some audio and video components, and redecorating.[6]
In the early 2010s, with 35mm film becoming obsolete, Cable Car had to upgrade to a digital projection system. It turned to Kickstarter to crowdfund the change.[10][7]
The cinema attracted some attention for being one of the first to show the controversial film, The Interview, after North Korean hackers attacked Sony Pictures Entertainment and threatened theaters considering a screening.[11]
In 2015, the owners of the cinema started a non-profit, the Providence Center for Media Culture, using film and media for community engagement and education. The nonprofit arm coordinated the Civics & Politics Film Series and Portals: The History of the Future Film Series at the Providence Public Library.[12]
The cinema closed on May 27, 2018, after 42 years.[13][14] Though it was profitable, Kamil and Steffian predicted increasing financial challenges and saw buying the building as essential for their long-term security, giving them the ability to add another floor and expand the number of screens beyond the one.[14][4] They could not come to an arrangement with the building's owner, RISD, and declined an offer of lower rent.[13][3] Variety cited the Cable Car as "a prime example" of the difficulties that small, independent theaters face when competing with new multiplexes and streaming services.[3]
Reception[edit]
The cinema built up a community of loyal customers.[4] According to Variety, it "inspired fierce devotion among its regulars, a collection of Brown and Rhode Island School of Design students, professors, artists and cinephiles."[3]
It received a number of recognitions over the years. It was in a top 10 list of national theaters by Entertainment Weekly in 2005.[15][16] In 2009, Box Office Magazine gave it their Marquee Award, designating it a "National Marquee Theater".[7] In 2015, the Sundance Institute's Art House Convergence named it one of 23 national Art House Project theaters.[2][17]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f Rushkoff, Douglas (2011). Life inc: how corporatism conquered the world, and how we can take it back. New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-8129-7850-6. OCLC 694649389.
- ^ a b c Cirignano, Julia (2016-09-26). "Cable Car Cinema and Cafe to celebrate its 40th anniversary". Limelight Magazine. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
- ^ a b c d Donnelly, Brent Lang,Matt; Lang, Brent; Donnelly, Matt (2019-03-26). "Inside Indie Movie Theaters' Battle to Survive". Variety. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b c d e f Anderson, Travis (April 27, 2018). "Providence's Cable Car Cinema, 'the theater with the couches,' to close - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
- ^ a b Joselow, Maxine (March 4, 2013). "Family-owned cinema evolves into intimate local fixture". The Brown Daily Herald. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
- ^ a b c Yin, Quan (September 6, 2010). "A facelift for the Cable Car, but the love-ly seats remain". The Brown Daily Herald.
- ^ a b c Coelho, Jamie (2013-02-28). "Cable Car Cinema Facing Required Digital Upgrade". Rhode Island Monthly. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
- ^ a b c "Providence Architecture | Locations | Cable Car Cinema". www.brown.edu. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
- ^ Writer, Kate Bramson Journal Staff. "R.I. innovation grants aim to attract moviegoers, mussels". The Providence Journal. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
- ^ King, Geoff, ed. (2017). A companion to American indie film. Chichester, West Sussex ; Malden, MA: Wiley Balckwell. ISBN 978-1-118-75832-8.
- ^ Smith, Andy. "Film lovers saddened as Cable Car nears end of the line". The Providence Journal. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
- ^ Reynolds, Janet (2017-05-29). "Cable Car Cinema: Arthouse Sensibilities". Take Magazine. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
- ^ a b Press, Associated. "Popular Providence theater to close after 42 years - Boston.com". www.boston.com. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
- ^ a b Blake, Talia (2018-05-25). "Providence's Cable Car Cinema To Close This Weekend". TPR: The Public's Radio. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
- ^ Cruz, Gilbert; Kirschling, Gregory (August 5, 2005). "10 Theaters doing it right". EW.com. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
- ^ Carter, Clarence (2005-08-10). "Doing it Right". IndieWire. Retrieved 2024-05-05.
- ^ Writer, Alan Rosenberg Journal Staff. "Providence's Cable Car Cinema recognized by Sundance Institute". The Providence Journal. Retrieved 2024-05-05.