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Updated: 4 hours ago

This year's shortened Oscars season gets mixed reviews from Maine movie houses

Colonial Theatre marquee in Belfast Photo / Courtesy of Kyle Walton Ticket sales of Oscar-nominated films are down this year at the Colonial Theatre in Belfast, according to Executive Director Kyle Walton.
By Renee Cordes

Once upon a time in Hollywood, Oscar-nominated films could count on a "bump" at the box office between the nominations announcement and red-carpet Academy Awards night.

While movie houses typically have seven weeks to show Oscar-nominated films before the winners are announced, the deadly Los Angeles wildfires has shrunk this year's window to five weeks. The ceremony is scheduled for Sunday, March 2.

With less than two weeks to go until the grand reveal, admissions of "specialty moviegoers" at the Colonial Theatre in the Waldo County town of Belfast are at least 50% below last winter, according to Executive Director Kyle Walton.

"The 'windowing' between Oscar nominations and night is an extremely critical time for most movie theaters," he told Mainebiz. "Losing a day — not to mention two entire weeks — can cut what are extremely tight bottom lines."

The picture is a bit brighter at other venues. 

'Holding steady' in Boothbay

At the Harbor Theatre in Boothbay Harbor, Executive Director Lynn Thompson said that while ticket sales for June, July and August were down about 45%, year-round numbers are "holding steady."

"As a nonprofit cinema, we have a loyal membership who are mostly weekly audience members and enjoy all of our special series and events," she added.

'Fantastic’ season in Rockland 

Strand Theatre exterior at night.
Photo / Peter Logue
The Strand Theatre in Rockland

In Rockland, the Strand Theatre is experiencing a "fantastic Oscar season," with tickets for films and live events that exceed expectations, according to Executive Director Anne Rogers-Popejoy.

"With a 350-seat theater, we’ve got room to be pleasantly surprised by large audiences," she said. "And we all know that nothing compares to that feeling of experiencing the power of film in a theater full of your friends and neighbors. Perhaps this short Oscar season has given us the chance to celebrate the pace of life in Maine. At the Strand we’re taking the time to show these films, celebrate their buzz, and will continue to put them on screen after the awards are announced."

Budget movie nights in Portland 

Meanwhile in Portland, Dinah Minot — the executive director of Creative Portland and entertainment-industry veteran with "Wayne's World" films and “Saturday Night Live" TV credits on her resumé — is a regular downtown moviegoer.

She said she goes to the Nickelodeon Cinemas almost every $6 movie night and usually sees all the "best picture" nominations.

This year, she's already seen Bob Dylan biopic "A Complete Unknown," at least once, with plans to see it five more times. However, she expects "The Brutalist," a rival best picture nominee, to win. 

"Every year I try to see all of the nominees at our local cinema outlets," she told Mainebiz via email from New York City, where she was attending “SNL” 50th anniversary events over the weekend. "It’s so important to keep the movies alive to inspire community gatherings."

Minot's take on this year's Academy Awards season: "I don’t think the shorter period this year following Oscar nominations has any impact on Mainers’ attendance at the movies," she said. "I doubt most of the locals are huge Oscar viewers. They seem to wait till the movie streaming option is available."

Long-term concerns 

Walton said he's pleased to hear that venues outside of Waldo County are faring better than his own this winter. However, he's worried about the longer-term impact on the sector from the tragic fires out West.

"While Maine is all of about 3,000 miles from wildfires that devastated the birthplace of commercial film production and distribution, its brick-and-mortar theaters will continue to feel disturbing reverberations for years to come,” he said.

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