Coolidge Corner Theater Faces Challenging Times Bravely

By Celina Colby

The Coolidge Corner Theater has been through a lot. Since its opening as a movie house in 1933, the theater has enjoyed wild success, a near closure, an essential restoration, and a continuous outpouring of community support. The latest in the Coolidge’s challenges is COVID-19, which has kept the space shuttered since March.

Since then, the Coolidge has created and filled out their virtual screening room with a wide film selection and a series of online education programs. “Everything that we do is geared towards engagement. We didn’t expect to make a lot of money on any of these projects,” says Katherine Tallman, Executive Director and CEO of the Coolidge. Many of the programs offered previously in person, like Big Screen Classics and Cinema Jukebox, are transitioning online.

The theater is a nonprofit, but expenses are becoming a mounting problem even with the online offerings. “We have grossed less in six months on those films total than we would gross on a good weekend,” says Tallman. The theater does have savings that they’ve been relying on, money that would otherwise have gone to an expansion. But community support will be essential to maintaining this Brookline landmark.

Luckily, the community always come out for the Coolidge. “We have a very strong community, we always have, and the community has really come through,” says Tallman. The theater has just wrapped up a large fundraising campaign and continues to receive regular donations. The money is important, but it’s the positive neighborhood feedback that Tallman cherishes most. “The money supports, but the notes help you realize that you’re not in this alone. There is a huge group of people that are all rowing in the same direction, and that means a lot.”

October will be an action-packed month for the theater with three outdoor screenings, a drive-in double feature of “The Thing” and “They Live” at Medfield State Hospital October 9-11, a double feature of “Evil Dead II (1987)” and “Evil Dead (2013)” in the Rocky Woods Reservation on October 30 and their traditional Halloween Horror Marathon in Rocky Woods on October 31. Tickets are extremely limited for these screenings due to social distancing requirements.

At the beginning of the pandemic, Tallman had considered opening up a more long term drive-in theater, but the cost (upwards of $100,000) and the logistical issues for city dwellers gave her pause. “What I realized too is that we’re not in that business,” says Tallman. “When we do outdoor screenings, it’s curated like everything else we do.”

There have been benefits to bringing the Coolidge community online, including movie viewers worldwide. Tallman says they may consider keeping some programs online because of that extended reach. Even for local viewers who cannot commute to Brookline, the virtual component can increase access.

COVID-19 has been a challenge for all local businesses, and the Coolidge is no exception. But what keeps Tallman and the team going is the Brookline community. “I always say the Coolidge isn’t a building; it’s a community of people,” says Tallman. “The Coolidge is nothing without the people that are in it and in it virtually.”

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