Options for the future of an historic part of downtown Salmon Arm continue to be explored.
Members of the Salmar Community Association (SCA) gathered at the Salmar Classic Theatre Thursday evening, Nov. 28, for the board's AGM. While there were some positive highlights shared from 2024, the evening's main attraction was the theatre itself, which has been in operation since 1949.
SCA board chair Chris Papworth first touched on the topic of the Classic in his opening remarks, noting the top movie 75 years ago was Cecil B. DeMille's Samson and Delilah. Continuing to speak about the industry as a whole, Papworth said 2024 box office totals did not reach where they were in 2019, and he attributed the decline in ticket sales to the writers and actors strikes, a lack of new content and household finances being stretched. While streaming services are still a concern, Papworth noted movie releases direct to streaming have been less common in 2024.
"This phenomenon… was prevalent from 2020 to 2022, but failed to deliver the financial results expected by Prime Video, Netflix and others," said Papworth. "It turns out that theatrical releases still generate much more interest in ticket sales than a new thumbnail on your Netflix homepage."
Though about 50 years newer than the Classic, Papworth said the Salmar Grand is now showing its age, and that a roof replacement (estimated to be $100,000) is imminent.
Chelsea Kraft, the SCA's bookkeeper, opened her remarks stating "we had a much better year than last year." While revenue was down from last year by about $40,000, she noted in 2023 the SCA received about $117,000 in grant money that was not received this year. Even the Classic took in small profit, which she attributed to a shift from showing movies to rentals and other things.
"The movie thing wasn’t working out largely due to restraints on what kind of product we can show here," said Kraft, providing a teaser on conversation to come.
Following other 2024 highlights shared by other board members, including the SCA having awarded eight scholarships, Papworth shifted back to the Classic, and a June 2024 announcement by the SCA that continued operation of the theatre was "no longer feasible," and that it would be seeking expressions of interest from other parties prepared to use the Classic for their own purposes.
"I’m pleased to report we did get a number of written submissions," said Papworth. "The board reviewed those written submissions and we continue to work with the interested parties that have said they’ve got a vision for how to keep the Classic a viable and vibrant part of the community."
Papworth said a number of the expressions of interest were "materially similar," and the SCA contacted the groups with similar ideas inviting them to collaborate.
"I’m not yet at a position to disclose who those parties are… we’re still in that early process," said Papworth, stressing "there’s a lot of history in this building, and we honour that history – at the same time keeping our eyes focused on what it’s going to take the keep the Grand a profitable business. If we have no margin, we have no mission, and we have a mission that we want to continue for the next 75 years and beyond."
Asked about the Second Harvest Food Bank, which operates from the basement of the Classic, Papworth said they have been informed there are no plans for them to vacate, "so for at least for the foreseeable future, Second Harvest has a home here."
Asked for clarification on if the board is looking to sell the building outright, board member Jordan Grieve said "I don’t think that we have a priority one way or another, we were just hoping I think first and foremost to find something that was best for the community…" Papworth added it's not an easy building to sell, that discussions are ongoing and "we hope to have something in this next fiscal year with which we can approach you and the membership and explain what it is that we think is the best way forward…"
Regarding those restraints on what can be shown at the Classic, Papworth explained that where movies are shown is determined by their distributors, and while the Classic was once a premium venue, that is no longer the case.
"We have even gone to distributors and said we have someone, a group, that is prepared to buy every seat in the Classic if we can show a current run movie here and the answer was an emphatic 'no'," said Papworth. "So it’s one of those things where it’s a funny business, sometimes the decisions are not ours to make and even if we could try to make a business case for it… the distributors, when it comes to showing films, so Hollywood run stuff, it’s just a no-go. And that’s been consistent."
Speaking to rumours that the SCA is looking to bulldoze the classic, Papworth shared his own emphatic "no," and said the SCA is exploring all options, proceeding with caution "because this is a very passionate issue for us."
