Nick Testani:IN THE VILLAGE OF MANLIUS SOMETHING OLD IS LOOKING VERY VERY NEW. THE MANLIUS CINEMA HAS GONE THROUGH A SERIES OF DRAMATIC CHANGES SINCE NEW OWNERSHIP TOOK OVER LAST DECEMBER. THE MOST VISIBLE ONES BEING NEW DOORS, FRESH PAINT, AND NEW BOXES FOR POSTERS, THAT ISN’T ALL THAT’S PLANNED THOUGH. DEREK WALTER, OPERATIONS MANAGER EXPLAINS THIS IS JUST THE FIRST STEP FOR THE CINEMA.
Derek Walter:“I put a fresh coat of paint on the outside which is really just phase one of a larger remodel which we are going to do next year. We’ll be getting in a new marquee. We got new poster boxes to give a little more visibility as people are driving by. We’ve had really generous support from Mayor Whorall and Ryan McMahon at the County Level.”
Nick Testani:“Now the Manlius Cinema is just as much a part of the villages culture as the famed swans that live just down the road. They have been operating for one hundred and five years on Seneca Street.”
Nick Testani:SOME OF THE NEW FEATURES INSIDE INCLUDE BEER ON TAP, AND A LONG TERM GOAL IS TO UPDATE THE SEATING. OWNERS DAN CHAPMAN AND JOE ORI HAVE BROUGHT A MIX OF FILMS TO THE CINEMA WITH BLOCKBUSTERS SUCH AS THE BARBIE MOVIE. WHILE ALSO BRINING IN LOCAL AND ARTHOUSE FILMS AS WELL. WALTER SAYS THAT THE GOAL IS TO KEEP THE AMBIENCE, WHILE ATTRACTING MOVIE GOERS OF ALL INTERESTS.
Derek Walter:“We’re walking a really fine line with that. We have been hosting some newer movies currently we are showing The Holdovers which has had a really phenomenal reception, but before this we kind of dipped into some French New Wave with Jean Luc-Goodard’s masterpiece contempt and had a really good response with that too.”
Nick Testani:OVERALL THE MAIN GOAL IS TO PRESERVE THE THEATER’S STORIED PAST, WHILE PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE.
Derek Walter:“We just want to pay homage to that and the one hundred and five years that this cinema has stood here and bring it into the next phase. Whatever shape that may take.”)
Nick Testani:IN MANLIUS, FOR NCC NEWS, I’M NICK TESTANI.
MANLIUS, N.Y. (NCC News) — For 105 years the Manlius Cinema has operated independently showcasing all varieties of films and become a destination for Central New York’s cinephiles. Now it’s undergoing some major changes but still maintaining its arthouse spirit.
When Dan Chapman and Joe Ori bought the cinema from its previous owners of 30 years, Eileen Lowell and Nat Tobin, they began to bring in a larger variety of films and started to update the facilities.
Currently the building has received a new coat of paint inside and outside, updated restrooms, a new concessions stand, and the ability for patrons to purchase beer on tap. Operations Manager Derek Walter says these are part of a two phase program.
“This is really just phase one of a larger remodel which we are going to do next year. We’ll be getting in a new marquee. We got new poster boxes to give a little more visibility as people are driving by. We’ve had really generous support from [Village of Manlius] Mayor Whorall and Ryan McMahon at the County Level,” said Walter.
Along with a new marquee planned in the second phase is also a seating upgrade inside the theater. Walter hopes these will help encourage more accessibility in the theater and also bring the experience on par with other larger theaters.
For the theater though Walter views the work on it as stewardship to help honor the theater’s arthouse roots while also making the theater a welcoming place for all.
“We just want to pay homage to that and the 105 years that this cinema has stood here and bring it into the next phase. Whatever shape that may take,” he said.
