As Regal and the movie industry struggle, Knoxville's local theater finds community

Nick Huinker cut his teeth in the movie industry at Regal Downtown West, rising from a staff worker to assistant manager all while watching as many movies as he could.

Nearly 20 years later, he's running Knoxville's locally owned movie theater along with William Mahaffey and Logan Myers.

As an owner and the general manager of Central Cinema, he's watched as Regal's parent company Cineworld and the entire movie theater industry have been rocked by the streaming wars and devastating losses during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cineworld, the parent company of Knoxville-headquartered Regal, filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Sept. 7. The company received $785 million from the bankruptcy court on Sept. 9, according to Deadline. Since then, some Regal theaters across the country have closed.

Central Cinema's plot has taken a different turn since the pandemic began, with more members and more community support.

"I hope that Downtown West stays around, which seems weird to say because they are the clearest competitor to us in certain ways," Huinker said. "But I have a lot of fond memories of that place and I liked the people who work there and I really hope that they pull it through."

The movie theater industry can claim a few wins this year, with films like "Top Gun: Maverick" grossing $1.48 billion worldwide and several big studio releases like "Minions: The Rise of Gru," "Jurassic World: Dominion" and "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" each nearing the billion dollar mark.

But consumers still are turning to streaming and haven't returned to pre-pandemic attendance numbers worldwide.

How did local movie theater Central Cinema survive?

Like all movie theaters, Central Cinema closed and reopened a couple times during the pandemic. It permanently reopened in April 2021.

Huinker said the community is what kept the theater going.

Operated by a team of four, Central Cinema received COVID-19 Emergency Injury Disaster funds and PPP loans to get by. The week after the theater closed in 2020 was the "best-ever single week for signups" for annual memberships, which cost about $89 a year.

The theater accepted donations, started a GoFundMe and sold about 300 $30 custom display tiles to keep the business going.

It held online screenings, a few private rentals and a makeshift drive-in in the parking lot as a way to show films safely during the pandemic.

Since reopening for good in spring 2021, Central Cinema has continued to build momentum and support.

"We are a local joint and people appreciate that about us," Huinker said. "What we lack in the fanciness of these other theaters, I like to think that there's a charm to what we do that people can't get there. And people appreciate that enough that they were good at helping us to keep us afloat."

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What's showing at Central Cinema?

On a daily basis, the theater shows new releases from distributors like A24 and IFC Films, along with films no longer in theaters.

October's schedule focuses on horror classics like "The Shining," "Beetlejuice" and "Frankenstein." This year, the theater has added a few family friendly spooky options like "Coraline," "Wallace and Gromet: The Curse of the Wererabbit" and "ParaNorman." Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for kids, with member discounts.

The theater has gotten back to mostly normal, including hosting several free community screenings for documentaries about issues including human trafficking. It has partnered with Knoxville Asian Festival, Nirvana Comics and the Ijams Nature Center on events and hosted singalong screenings for charity.

The "Moulin Rouge" screening benefitting LGBTQ nonprofit Bryant's Bridge was one of the first sold-out shows the theater has had since reopening. TheKnoxville Gay Men's Chorus is presenting a singalong of "Little Shop of Horrors" on Oct. 13.

One of the theater's biggest events this month is co-hosting the Knoxville Horror Film Festival, which kicks off Oct. 20.

"People really missed being at the movies," Huinker said. "People really miss having heated flavored oil poured over popcorn."

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knoxville movie theater Central Cinema finds community amid Regal woes