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Movie Mania
Attendance surges despite economy
By: Chris Breach
The Daily Journal
Friday, May 29, 2009
Have you been to the movies recently? Chances are if you live in the Kankakee area, yes.
Classic Cinemas, which operates both the Paramount Theatre and Meadowview Theatre in Kankakee, reports movie attendance for the first 21 weeks of the year is up 51 percent over the same time last year.
"We’re tickled. We never expected it to be this good,” said Mark Mazrimas, marketing manager for Classic Cinemas based in Downers Grove.
Classic Cinemas has seen 90,000 moviegoers enter the doors at Meadowview and Paramount, up from 59,000 a year ago. Broken down, Meadowview Theatre is up 55.5 percent and Paramount Theatre 47.6 percent.
“Usually, in hard times, movies generally do well,” Mazrimas said. “Our feeling is two things, movies are very affordable in Kankakee. You can see any first-run movie before 6 p.m. for 5 bucks.
“… And there has to be movies people want to see. We have experienced a lot of movies people have gone to see.”
Kankakee also more than quadrupled the increase nationally, which saw a 10 percent spike in admissions from last year.
Mazrimas credits movies like “Paul Blart: Mall Cop,” “Gran Torino,” “Monsters vs. Aliens” and “Hannah Montana: The Movie” in part for the uptick.
“There’s been a lot of movies the first five months of the year that have appealed to a lot of people,” he said.
Specific numbers were not available for Cinemark’s Movies 10 in Northfield Square Mall, but the parent company has seen an increase across the board.
“I know that as a company we’re doing well, and that’s indicative of the entire industry,” and Frank Gonzales, marketing manager for Cinemark.
Jill Schmisek, of Bourbonnais, said she usually goes to three movies a week at Paramount.
“Especially here because you get free refills on the popcorn and the soda,” she said. “It’s a lot cheaper than up north where you pay $9, $10 a ticket and in the city $15.”
Schmisek, a mother of six, also takes advantage of other promotions at Paramount.
“They have a thing where if you go to seven movies, you get the eighth one free,” she said. “If I take me and my husband and all six kids, one person gets in free.”
Lana Green, a senior citizen from Pembroke Township, takes advantage of the senior discount at Classic Cinemas and also enjoys the free refills.
“I love going to the movies here,” she said.
Susan Verdi, of Bourbonnais, said the economic downturn hasn’t affected her family’s moviegoing habits.
“It hasn’t affected us,” she said. “It’s one of the highlights we do have out of the bad economy that we’re having.
Mazrimas agreed going to the movies is a reward in tough times.
“People need that two-hour vacation, they need that release,” he said. “They need that escape. … The worst thing you can do is stay home all the time."
Mazrimas expects the trend to continue through the summer with releases such as “Transformers,” “Ice Age in 3D” and “Public Enemies” due out in June and July.
"We’ve been on a very good roll in Kankakee, and the movie industry has done very well,” he said. “… It could be a record summer for the movie industry and a record for the Paramount and Meadowview.”
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