by Nathan Boddy
With a little luck and some community participation, Hamilton could once again see the silver screen come to life in the downtown Roxy Theater. The longstanding theater opened in July of 1935 and had an impressive run before going dim in 2012. The current owners, Matthew Powell and Jaylyn Jackson, would like to see it spring back into action. After reviewing the extensive costs for rehabilitating the theater, as well as the community interest in the business, the pair chose to use the Kickstarter platform to crowdsource the project.
“I think it’s important for people to know that Kickstarter is an all-or-nothing funding platform,” says Jackson in referring to the Kickstarter platform which allows people to pledge money toward the project, but won’t charge them anything unless the entire fundraising goal has been met.
Matthew Powell echoes that point since it is a crucial part of the fundraising platform. “Either (donors) get their movie theater, or they don’t get charged,” he said.
Another element of the Kickstarter platform is that there is no one required donation level. Instead, donors can choose the amount they wish to donate to the project based on personal interests and a set of incentives offered by the project managers. Incentives for the ‘Bring Back the Roxy Theater’ program will include everything from free tickets and popcorn, all the way up to on-screen advertising for your business to be played before the start of shows.
Jackson and Powell both grew up in the valley and say they know how many people would love to return to watching movies at the location. And while the Pharaohplex has recently shown movies indoors and at their drive-in location, the model used there has changed from years past. Jackson and Powell say that they’ve received a great deal of help and advice from Pharaohplex owner, Joe McLean, and that re-opening the Roxy wouldn’t even be on the table if the Pharaohplex were fully operational. They also know that the cost of going to a movie has reached incredible heights, and would love to see something different for Hamilton.
“Our goal is to be an affordable movie theater and an affordable entertainment for people,” says Jackson.
Jackson and Powell say that their intention will be to play rerun movies, partly because doing so would allow them a greater flexibility to choose the show, and in part due to the difficulty of screening new release films.
Although one theater is largely intact, the building does require a great need of attention prior to the first screening. Updated bathrooms and food preparation area, a costly ceiling repair and purchase of a modern, digitally compliant projector are all necessary components before the first show. Jackson and Powell have done extensive research into the price of all these elements, and have already been working with Beck Builders and the City of Hamilton to assure their fundraising target is correct. They also say they’ve already secured a connection for purchase of the films they plan to show. All said and done, their target is $145,000 in order to “get the building where it needs to be,” according to Powell.
Jackson and Powell put a lot of work into the building prior to opening their Sticks and Stones axe throwing business. When they purchased the building in early 2022, it had been slated for use as a flea market and was filled with random items which had to be disposed of. They set to it, however, and were able to open the business in June of last summer. Their enthusiasm and entrepreneurship will be on display once more if they achieve their fundraising goal for the theater, which they would like to see open in July of this year.
“I grew up going to the Pharaohplex pretty much every week,” says Jackson, recalling the fond memories. She adds that she considers the return of a downtown theater to be a very positive thing for the town, and the valley. “I think people will really love it because they can see their hand in it.”
Visit the ‘Bring Back the Roxy Theater’ Kickstarter page at: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1406389045/bring-back-the-roxy-theatre, or the Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/HamiltonsRoxyTheater/.