We’re Doing a Fundraiser

We have always been extremely reluctant to accept donations. At the end of the day, The Cinemagic Theater is a private company, and the only thing that keeps us honest is our own moral sense. Right now, that moral sense is telling us that the only way we’re comfortable accepting donations is if we are extremely transparent throughout the entire process.

This is not a ‘SAVE THE CINEMAGIC’ campaign. The Cinemagic is safe, and we expect that to continue. A lot of people have asked how they can help, and this is a way to do that. No one should feel any sense of obligation.

Why now?

We looked back at the last 2 years, then we looked at our bank account, then we accepted we’re not great at putting profit over people. When it comes down to it, we’re always thinking about our customers, our staff, and the odd little community that’s growing around the theater. It’s a great way to give everyone the warm-fuzzies, but it’s a terrible way to make money.

We don’t want that to change, but we do want the Cinemagic to be better. We want it to be a more comfortable place for that odd little community to hang out. We want to take better care of our staff, our neighborhood, and the environment. And we want to do all this without changing the heart of the theater.

We’ve opted to do a fundraiser because it’s the best way to make these improvements without taking on debt that could force the Cinemagic to become something more profit driven, and less awesome.

We chose GoFundMe because we wanted a reliable, transparent platform. GoFundMe let’s everyone see just how much has been donated, and by how many people. This way everyone will know exactly how much we received, and can judge for themselves if we’ve made good on our promises.

Where will the money go?

Lobby expansion

Soon, we’re going to take over the lease on one of the storefronts beside our lobby. This space will be connected to our current lobby, and built out to give folks a place to hang out before and after movies.

We’ve seen a lot of friendships emerge around the theater, and people are always (somewhat awkwardly) standing around in our lobby after a show so they can talk movies. We think this community is the best part about of going out to the cinema, and we want people to feel welcome and comfortable while they do it.

concessions

In addition to seating, part of the new space will be built out for utility and storage. This will make it so we can get a dishwasher and cut way down on disposables. Tired of beer in a single use plastic cup? So are we.

A dishwasher also means we can improve our food options. This won’t happen immediately, and we’re going to move carefully. We don’t want anything that’s disruptive in the auditorium, and prepared food service is a new experience for us. We’d rather take it slow and come up with something that’s actually tasty.

The staff

Schedules for a one screen theater are volatile and chaotic. Every week the amount of payroll we can afford, and how staff shifts are arranged, is determined by a combination of attendance and film length. The end results can vary wildly, sometimes with little notice. As much fun as it is to work in a small theater, it’s a tricky job to balance financially. We’d like to change that.

Our hope is that by leaning into our regular audience, and by creating a space that people can linger in, we can stabilize payroll hours. Our goal is to have enough people hanging out before and after their movie that we can pay for the staffer, get them some tips, and stabilize their work life a little.

The Movies

The cinema industry as a whole has been drifting towards “restaurants that play films,” and that’s not a trend we want to follow. First and foremost, we are a movie theater, so changes at the Cinemagic won’t come at the expense of the movie watching experience.

We’re very grateful to the people who’ve frequented the Cinemagic over the last two years, their support kept us on our feet (both financially and mentally). When we book movies, we want to be thinking about our regulars and like-minded film goers. We don’t want to end up in a position where financial obligations force us to book a more profitable film, even though we don’t think our usual audience will like it.

Fall Schedule

What do these bookings look like in practice? We’ll show you. The following is a calendar with our weekly schedule through the end of October. This stretch will be a little light on new releases, but that has more to do with what’s available over the next few months. Ideally, there would have been another new release in the mix.

September 8-14

When Harry Met Sally
Chinatown
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Dog Day Afternoon
NOTCOOL PRESENTS: Pop Star: Never Stop Never Stopping

September 15-21

Nightmare on Elm Street
Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge
Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
Friday the 13th Part IV: The Final Chapter
Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives
Jason X
Freddy VS. Jason

September 22-28

Children of Men
District 9
Moon
Snowpiercer
Primer

September 29 - October 5

The Rebel (new release, PDX exclusive)
City of God
CINEMA CITY: The Cat

October 6-12

Sticker Movie - World premiere event
The Blob (1988)
Staff Picks: TBD
VHS NIGHT: Food of the Gods 2 (aka GNAW) with special guest Rat Problem
NOTCOOL PRESESENTS: Across the Universe

October 13-19

Mind of Mora with director Philippe Mora in attendance
Howling 3: The Marsupials
Pterodactyl Woman from Beverly Hills
Art Deco Detective
The Beast Within
Mad Dog Morgan
Communion
Swastika

October 20 - November 2

Killers of the Flower Moon

Schedule Update: Killers of the Flower Moon is officially official, and the full lineup for Mind of Mora is finalized. We also learned that at least two other theaters in Portland have upcoming shows of Killer Klowns from Outer Space, so we’re going to take that off the schedule for now. No need for us to go stepping on another indie theater’s toes like that.

Parting thoughts

We’ve always felt a sense of debt to our guests. This is a very cool job, even if it can be chaotic and exhausting. It’s a job we wouldn’t have if you all weren’t showing up for whatever gonzo idea we had that week.

By accepting donations, we’re amplifying that sense of debt in a very literal way, and we hope that gratitude will be obvious as we move forward. Remember, the Cinemagic is safe. But, if you like where we’re going and you want to help us get there, you have our deepest gratitude.