The closure of Yellowknife’s Capitol Theatre feels to some Hay River residents like a “call to action” to protect and patronize the town’s Riverview Cineplex – now the last remaining movie theatre in the Northwest Territories.
Hay River’s theatre earned that title after the Capitol Theatre had its last screening on Tuesday evening.
Scott Clouthier, a member of the Hay River Film Society, said the Capitol Theatre had become the focal point of NWT cinema as the venue for events like the Yellowknife International Film Festival and Dead North Film Festival.
“I think not having a space to be able to show those sorts of works is a big loss,” said Clouthier.
“It’s really a call to action, so to speak, to protect the Riverview Cineplex, which in itself is an awesome little independent theatre.”
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Over the past four years, the film society has been hosting monthly screenings at the Riverview, Clouthier said, which has helped to showcase Canadian, Indigenous and local productions.
He said the Capitol Theatre’s closure could indirectly lead to an opportunity for the community of about 3,000 people in the territory’s South Slave region.
“Maybe there’s an annual film festival we can start in Hay River that maybe represents all of the NWT,” Clouthier said.
For him, the closure highlights the fact that for a town of its size, Hay River has a lot to offer its residents.
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“Despite the fact that we are a relatively small town, we do have a movie theatre, we do have a curling rink, we do have a lot of stuff that comparable size towns don’t have,” said Clouthier.
Owning the building helps
For the moment, the operators of the Riverview Cineplex say they won’t be making any changes to the way the cinema runs, though they welcome people from other parts of the NWT who may want to catch a movie.
Those types of visits already happen, said Terry Rowe, the property manager for theatre owner Rowes Realty.
“We definitely get visitors from the communities,” he said.
“I guess it’s kind-of a regional theatre, which is nice. It’s small, but I think it is a tourist attraction a little bit for Hay River – I guess a little bit more so now.”
Rowe said there is a noticeable influx of attendees at the theatre whenever the community hosts each summer’s territorial track and field championship or similar events.
“It definitely helps for business, and helps us employ the younger kids that we have working there,” said Rowe.
Riverview hasn’t been as affected by broader changes in movie-viewing habits that have slowed business at other theatres, Rowe said.
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And while there may have been a small dip in admissions over the past year, Rowe said Hay River has loyal moviegoers who consistently show up.
It helps, he said, that the building is owned by the company and so has no additional leasing expenses that other theatres might have.
“Without those benefits, it might be difficult to operate a movie theatre in the North, especially in smaller communities,” said Rowe.
He said the theatre was built in the late 1990s as a way for the company to give back to the community.
“Most kids that have grown up here since that time have probably worked at some point at the theatre,” said Rowe.
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