Your help is needed for industry mandated digital cinema conversion because…
The Colonial Theatre has shown movies in Belfast for more than 100 years by projecting light through film onto the silver screen. Today; the movie industry is quickly changing from 35 mm film to digital projection.
The conversion to digital cinema was inescapable to maintain the Colonial Theatre’s ability to bring movies to Belfast. The end of 35mm films in theatres had been steadily drawing near and very soon “films” will be unavailable on film.
Theatres world-wide are closing due to this very expensive challenge. The Colonial Theatre was determined not to join their ranks. Communities in small towns and villages all over the world have also come together to preserve their movie theatres.
Thanks to Camden National Bank financing, in June the theatre began the switch from 35mm film to digital projection with improved sound, new screens, and exciting opportunities for new entertainment including live events from all over the world.
The Colonial Theatre is a small business and is not able to generate the income from ticket and snack sales to cover the large investment needed to pay for the digital projection conversion.
The Colonial Theatre needs strong community support to make this transition, thus the “Friends of the Colonial” is established to help raise funds for the digital projection conversion.
The digital projection equipment and conversion costs nearly $180,000 and the theatre has set the goal of raising $100,000 from the community.
The fund has “rewards” for every donor level. Your contribution will help preserve movies and theatre in our area for the future.
Also, the Colonial has a new fee “Quarters for Conversion” where all visitors will “pitch in” one thin affordable quarter each time they come to a show to assist with funding.
For more than 100 years The Colonial Theatre has been many things to many people: midnight first run openings, Harry Potter or Star Wars, Midnight in Paris, The Kings Speech or Toy Story, Free Holiday Family Matinee Film Series or celebrating with New Years by the Bay or at the Belfast Free Range Music Festival. One thing is sure, the show will go on.
And as the show goes on your support is needed. You will be hearing more about ways to help create and protect the future for generations of movie lovers. Thank you for your consideration.
For more information, please e-mail info@colonialtheatre.com or call us at (207) 338-1975.