NORTH KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Movie theaters could be one of the last places to reopen after stay at home orders come to an end.
Studios have shut down production and pushed back release dates for their blockbuster hits, so Screenland Theaters in North Kansas City, Missouri, is getting creative to give customers a taste of the movies.
The movie theater created a subscription service online where members can pay to receive new, movie-related content right on their computers and smartphones.
Every day, the owners of Screenland will create some new content. It varies between question and answer sessions, short film screenings, movie trivia and more. Members will receive a private link to view the new content.
“When you go to the movies you don’t get to pick the time. You see it’s a seven o’clock movie that will end at this time and you meet your friends there and your friends want to hang out and have a drink afterward and maybe talk about the movie we just saw. We’re trying to create that same experience online,” Adam Roberts, a co-owner of the Screenland Theaters said.
The subscription is on a website called “Patreon.” Many podcasts use it too.
Roberts said he knows people are home watching more TV than ever before, so he wanted to offer them something they cannot stream on Netflix or other services.
The theater has already furloughed its roughly 25 employees at their North Kansas City and Crossroads locations.
Roberts said the online service won’t create enough money to cover the tens of thousands of dollars it pays in overhead every month, but he hopes it keeps Screenland in the conversation, so people come back when the theater is able to open again.
For more information on how to become a member of the Screenland’s Patreon membership, visit their website.
We've created a Facebook group, We're Open Kansas City, where members of the community can post businesses serving their community.
