Flint, MI–Movie nights have returned to the Capitol Theatre. The events kicked off on November 6th with a showing of Remember The Titans.
The Capitol Theatre first began showing holiday movies in 2018, and after their success, brought them back for the following holiday season. In 2020, there were plans to do monthly movies. Unfortunately, after a brief time in February the plans were cut short.
Rodney Lontine, the president and CEO of the Flint Institute of Music, says they have been working on plans to bring back the movie-going experience safely for some time.
“Movies were slated for March and April but had to cancel due to COVID,” says Lontine. “We are diving back in with movies during November and picking up where we left off.”
Movies will be playing every Friday night. The 1991 musical comedy-drama about working class Irish musicians, The Commitments, is playing on November 13th. Cool Hand Luke, the 1967 prison drama starring Paul Newman, will be playing on November 20th. Lontine says that holiday films will be announced soon.
Lontine says the Capitol Theatre is dedicated to ensuring the safety of each patron, which means certain changes had to be made. “We started by evaluating the air handling and ventilation system and made upgrades to air filtration and purification while we were closed,” says Lontine.
Adjustments were made to the ticketing process to assign seats in order to keep social distancing, and seating capacity is limited to twenty percent. Masks and social distancing is required, and ushers will assist with the assigned seating upon entry.
Lontine says they are encouraging patrons to purchase their tickets online and print them at home to reduce line congestion and contact with the ticket representatives.
The Capitol Theatre is a historic landmark in Flint, and Lontine says he hopes having movies back will bring people out and support the community.
“The Capitol Theatre was a movie house when it first opened in 1928 and a lot of people have memories of their first movie or family outing to the Capitol,” says Lontine. “It’s a magnificent space that’s been returned to its historic splendor for the entire community to enjoy. We hope the movies bring some lighthearted fun to downtown while we all navigate the challenges brought on by the pandemic.”
Lontine says there are tentative plans on the horizon for the Capitol Theatre including concerts in 2021, broadcasting special events such as the Super Bowl, and events to utilize the black box theater as well.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit https://www.capitoltheatreflint.com/.
Let the public vote monthly for the movie of the month, and play the winner.