As theater goes dark, popcorn still pops

The first famous movie quote, "There's no place like home," went up on the Premiere Theatres sign after Gov. Tim Walz issued his stay-at-home order and shut down movie theaters, restaurants and other gathering places to guard against COVID-19 spread.

Owner Rick Stowell said they've been changing the quotes frequently. On Tuesday, the sign at Premiere proclaimed: "I'll be back."

They will, Stowell promised. Just not right away.

"Even if we were allowed to open today, the next new release is scheduled for July 17," Stowell said. "All the new releases that usually come out in May or June have been pulled. Until New York and L.A. and places across the world open, it's very likely that the first movie we will play will be July 17."

"Tenet," an action thriller written and directed by Christopher Nolan is scheduled for release that weekend, with "Mulan" in live action coming out the following weekend. New releases will ramp up quickly, Stowell said, adding that he's expecting a very busy holiday season.

There are some movie theaters opening in other places around the country, but they don't have new movies to air.

Stowell - who attends webinars for national theater owners - said most are showing old movies at a discounted price, and initially allowing only 25 percent of seats to be filled.

"Some are thinking they'll block every other aisle, others will allow people to social-distance on their own," he said.

Not in Minnesota, though. Due to the stay-at-home order, they are closed through May 18 at least. Except for concessions.

Popcorn here

Premiere may not be open for moviegoers, but the Cloquet movie theater is doing a brisk business for a few hours every Friday and Saturday selling concessions.

From 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday, people can come and order movie concessions curbside. To order in advance, call 218-879-8045 or through the "contact us" button online at premieretheatres.com. Their Facebook page has a price list as well.

Stowell said it's more about giving his high school employees - who didn't qualify for unemployment - a source of some income, and answering requests for popcorn and other movie treats.

"When we were open, we probably averaged four or five people a day who would just come in and buy popcorn and go home," Stowell said. "After being closed five-and-a-half weeks, we had a number of requests."

Sophomore Sam Buytaert has been a runner, taking orders out to the cars waiting curbside.

"It's fun just to get out of the house and do something," Buytaert said, adding that it was fun to see people he knew, and the tips weren't bad either. "I was surprised how busy it was."

Stowell was, too.

The first day they decided to sell concessions was April 24. They figured they might see 30-40 people. In three hours, they served 300 customers.

"It was crazy," Stowell said, adding that they lowered some of the prices. "Some called or emailed, but about half just pulled up. It was really successful."

The second weekend was also busy.

They're following guidelines to keep people safe, with staff wearing masks and gloves and regularly washing or sanitizing their hands as well, Buytaert said.

Stowell said they will keep doing it until the theater reopens for good.

Waiting games

It's the first time since he remodeled his father's grocery store into a movie theater in 1994 that the business has been closed like this, Stowell said. "Except for the odd snowstorm, we've never closed in 26 years."

Five of the seven businesses in the shopping center surrounding the multiplex closed during the stay-at-home order, including Nū Luxe Salon, Vision Pro Optical, Anytime Fitness, Southgate Family Pizzeria (reopening very soon) and the theater.

Cold One Liquor stayed open as an "essential" business, along with Ameriprise Financial.

The farmers market will open in the parking lot starting June 6, and Stowell is hoping that some of the businesses in the Premiere Center will be able to reopen after May 18.

Stowell briefly considered doing some kind of drive-in theater, but quickly found that it would be cost-prohibitive because the screen would have to be huge to be visible and he would need a projector.

Stowell still comes into work most days. He's keeping up on the news, and all the government initiatives and orders.

"I spent countless hours staying on top of all the programs for me and the tenants so they could continue to pay rent and utilities while they're closed," he said. "Premiere Theatres was on the front end of applying for stuff, but people I explained programs to got funding before I did. It wasn't necessarily first come, first served."

Premiere qualified for the Payroll Protection Program last week. It's not the perfect program for a business that is closed, but it still helps.

Stowell said the movie theater isn't going anywhere.

"I sure wish we could open May 18, but because of the (lack of) movies, we're in a unique situation," he said. "Pick any business in town, if the governor allowed it, they'd open."

Still, Stowell isn't complaining much about the various factors he can't control. Like Tom Hanks' character said in "A League of Their Own" and Premiere Theatres displayed on its sign recently: "There's no crying in baseball."