Visitors walk past the Isis Movie Theatre in downtown Aspen on Friday, April 23, 2021. (Kelsey Brunner/The Aspen Times)
The future of Aspen’s only movie theater is playing out behind the scenes as Aspen Film has taken on a new role of finding a tenant who is able to successfully operate even though unprecedented challenges in the film industry continue to force many small and mid-sized theaters into bankruptcy.
When Los-Angeles Metropolitan Theatres the longtime tenant of the Isis Theater and to Aspen Film, which is the subleasee to the city-owned building ends its run here in August there is no operator lined up to show movies in the four-screen cinema.
Visitors walk past the Isis Movie Theatre in downtown Aspen on Friday, April 23, 2021. (Kelsey Brunner/The Aspen Times)
The future of Aspen’s only movie theater is playing out behind the scenes as Aspen Film has taken on a new role of finding a tenant who is able to successfully operate even though unprecedented challenges in the film industry continue to force many small and mid-sized theaters into bankruptcy.
When Los-Angeles Metropolitan Theatres the longtime tenant of the Isis Theater and to Aspen Film, which is the subleasee to the city-owned building ends its run here in August there is no operator lined up to show movies in the four-screen cinema.
“We are hoping for late May,” said David Corwin, president of Los Angeles-based Metropolitan Theaters
, which operates the Isis Theater. “We are gradually getting it together.”
The Isis closed initially in mid-March 2020 when the pandemic hit, and then re-opened in August only to shut down again in November.
Since the novel coronavirus swept across the world just over a year ago, the movie industry has changed significantly with a larger focus on online and on-demand streaming, and less production for the big screen.
Many new releases have been postponed as production companies are waiting for theaters to reopen.
“There’s not a lot of significant product left so we are guided by what’s going to be available,” Corwin said. “There’s not much between now and late May.”
People enjoy the sunshine in downtown Aspen on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021. (Kelsey Brunner/The Aspen Times)
City of Aspen officials are preparing for a second summer tourism season in a pandemic, and they expect it to be as busy if not busier than last year.
Aspen City Council is scheduled for a lengthy work session Tuesday that will cover the municipal government’s finances from 2020, its $6 million relief and recovery efforts and what future assistance will be necessary.
“This pandemic is not over,” Mayor Torre said. “We will continue working with our partners and look for more financial aid and play a guiding role in helping businesses.”