Curious city
Behind the screens at The Roxy
Getting bums on seats is not the only thing that preoccupies modern cinema operators in the era of ‘‘Netflix and chill’’.
A huge amount of thought, energy and creativity goes into making a modern independent cinema hum.
You need to take ‘‘bigger risks’’ and hold more events but it is ‘‘more fun’’, says Erica Brooks, the events and marketing manager at The Roxy Cinema and Coco At The Roxy in Wellington’s Miramar suburb.
The first staff arrive at the art deco cinema by 8am and the cinema’s activities don’t wind down till 15 hours later.
The first trip is into the surprisingly spacious projector room, located above and behind the theatre. A 35mm Kinitos projector is installed but mostly sits idle as everything has become digitised, and films now play at the click of a button.
What you see on The Roxy’s big screens is all down to one man – cinema operations manager Phil Jack. He chooses what films run and in what order.
His decisions are based partly on ticket sales from the previous week and national box-office results but ‘‘sometimes you just go with your gut’’, he says.
The Roxy has two theatres; one seats 55 people, the other 164. The same cinema may screen Beauty And The Beast in the morning and then a niche film like the acclaimed Belgian horror Raw – ‘‘a coming-of-age film that involves cannibalism’’, Brooks says.
Going to the movies is all about creating a memorable experience. That means it’s not just what is on the screen that counts.
People dress up, and come early to soak up the atmosphere in the Grand Lobby, or to get a peek at a real Oscar trophy, awarded to one of the cinema co-founders, Jamie Selkirk. It’s currently on display on the cinema’s second floor.
People hold weddings, babynaming ceremonies and community get-togethers in the art deco building that was a run-down mall before a $7 million restoration reestablished it as a movie venue.
The cinema, which reopened in 2011, hosts all manner of cultural events, from documentary festivals, Wellington On A Plate, classic film screenings, and partnering with Aro Video to hold $1 mystery movie screenings.
As The Roxy is open 364 days of the year – barring only Christmas Day – there are a lot of days to play around with events and other activities to keep the cinema alive.
Before the remake of Kiwi classic Goodbye Pork Pie was released earlier this year, it played in The Roxy so the film-makers could hear how it sounded on the 18 surround-sound speakers located in the 164-seat theatre.
All film screenings at the cinema finish by 11pm. But its lights may stay on for several more hours as the movie-buff staff gather for an after-hours screening to cap off their long day.
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