The Digital Upgrade and the Little Guy

Following Twitter, I got an update that Hugh Jackman was in small-town Iowa this past weekend!  What in the world was Hugh Jackman doing in a little town in the middle of Iowa???  I have to admit that I am familiar with Iowa, but I had to consult a map to find out where in the world Iowa Falls was!  With reading up on it, I discovered it was the hometown of Jackman's agent, who purchased his hometown theater and reopened it the opening weekend of Hugh's new movie, Prisoners.  Unfortunately, I found out about this the day after, which was much too late to hop in the car for a road trip.  That's typical!

The whole thing got me thinking, though.  With the dawn of digital, some of the small theaters here in the Midwest are struggling to come up with the money to purchase the digital equipment required for showing current films.  That is the case for two drive-in theaters near me.  One of the theaters has thrown in the towel and will be closing at the end of this season.  Why?  I think Hollywood should take a page from Hugh Jackman's book, and support these theaters.  A celebrity endorsement would save all of them.  You see many celebrities supporting charities because they are financially capable of doing so.  They could easily sponsor a struggling theater.  Wouldn't it be only right to give back to their fans and keep the small town cinemas open?  I am so grateful to have a local theater in our town, which has fortunately been able to upgrade to digital.  It is very convenient.  I couldn't imagine having to drive 20 miles to the closest theater.  I think I would miss seeing many movies if that was the case.  In addition to a higher priced movie ticket, I would also be paying for gas, and it would take extra time for driving.  With my local theater, I can go to the 7 PM showing and be back in time to put my kids to bed.  I think if more stars realized this, they would gladly contribute.

I recommend that if you live by or know of one of these "endangered" theaters, to write to your favorite stars and bring it to their attention.  Who better to help than the people who sell the popcorn?
Edited to add:  Better yet, write to a representative, like an agent.  That way, your letter doesn't get buried under a ton of fan mail, and they usually have several clients, so you would be reaching more celebrities with one letter. 

Autumn days are on the horizon.  It's time to start decorating!

Veronica